Gun Dog Training - 3 Basic Commands For Great Results

By Steven Wickman
2007-03-06

Gun Dog Training - 3 Basic Commands For Great Results

Have you ever seen a great gun dog in action? What was the feeling that overcame you? Was it something that you thought you could never accomplish with your pet? Most people see a well-trained gun dog in the field and think that they could never complete such a task. After all, the training that goes along with such fine action is very time-consuming. However, training a gun dog is definitely doable and if done right, will be a joy to last a lifetime

What Bird dog training really boils down to is time. After all, time is the only thing that separates a great gun dog from a dog that wont listen and runs around like a fool. If you will spend some time working with your dog every day then your dog will respond accordingly. Basically all you have to do is teach three common commands "whoa", "come", and "heel". If you can get your dog to respond to these three commands at all times, regardless of what task they are doing or how far away they are from you, then your dog will be a good gundog.

Of all the commands "whoa" or stop is the most important. This commands allows you to stop your dog at any time and is useful if they are too far out in front of you while hunting. If your dog is goofing around in the field and you are able to "whoa" him, you can go to him and correct the behavior on the spot. This will make for a much faster learning process. This command is also helpful for rewarding your dog when he does something well.

"Come" come is simply a command that means come to me. This basic command is an essential tool especially in retrieving dogs. If you can get your dog to come when called, then you can avoid them messing around in the field or chewing a small bird. This also helps when trying to correct and unwanted or to reward praise. If you can get your dog to "whoa" and then "come", you will have accomplished a major feat. These two commands by themselves are the majority of your task, as they will allow you to stop your dog and retrieve your dog all the time.

"Heel" heel is a command to allow your dog to slowly walk with you and this allows you to keep your dog under control. When hunting your obviously carrying other items such as your gun or fallen birds, and you don't have time for a leash or a disobedient dog. When teaching the "heel" command, you should also have a release command. This makes an important distinction between "heel" and the fact that your dog is free to go hunt.

Be sure to always give your dog lots of praise when they do something right. Dogs learn by association and will respond accordingly, if treated correctly. On the flip side, unwanted behavior should be corrected immediately as well. Training is actually very simple; it's just a time-consuming job. If you spend the time with your dog, you will reap the rewards. Even the best champion in the world was once an untrained pup.

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