We named her Jetta and she was an incredible AKC Master level Hunting Dog. She had the ideal traits for becoming a champion. She loved treats and she loved people, the perfect combination.
Here's a lesson I learned early on. Everything we’ve read, seen, or heard about retriever training is futile until we embrace the concept that dogs are creatures of habit. That particular lesson in retrieving training was taught to me by a very accomplished handler by the name of Wendy Pennington of www.Sealionlabs.net many years ago.
Wendy happened to have about 25 more years of experience with working dogs than I did at the time she first introduced me to the notion that dogs must learn to learn. She sees things in handlers that some of us are not even aware we are doing. The idea is that people train dogs, not the other way around. It’s easy to forget this piece of wisdom, simple as it seems, especially when we get involved in training highly intelligent working dogs. What it all comes down to is understanding that dogs are shaped by the routines that are defined by us (the handler). No matter what it is we are teaching, the dog learns from our distinct, individual behaviors. Make a mistake, give a false casting cue, and you set yourself up for failure down the road.
If you allow a dog to “blow you off”, as Wendy would often say, on whatever it is you are teaching him or her, the dog will continue to follow that pattern. And putting pressure on the dog often backfires, because ultimately it can break the dog’s spirit to learn with you as a teammate. Dogs don’t know why something is wrong. They don’t care. They simply do. A dog only knows that you allowed him or her to behave a certain way on many other occasions, therefore the dog perceives that it is doing the correct thing.
Most importantly, it only takes one time for a dog to develop a habit. It’s vital for anyone who wants to work with retrievers to understand that everything we do in training is eventually reinforced by habits.
There are consequences for being apathetic about our approach to even the easiest commands like sit or stay. If you want to get a dog to sit on a whistle, you better start with the basic sit command and then later introduce the whistle. These are two very separate things we are telling the dog. When the dog understands that a single tweet of the whistle means the same as a single “verbal sit” command, you can move forward, but not until you and the dog are very clear on each step of the process.
For example, you don’t blow two tweets, then suddenly blow just one. You can’t allow the dog to stand occasionally and sit at other times. Recognizing habits go a long way in turning out great retrievers. Dogs have an incredible ability to read our body language, sense our moods and listen for vocal intonations, and what this kind of information gathering means to us as handlers is that we can’t afford to be wishy-washy.
Another way to look at it is that dogs don’t automatically know how to do something, they must be taught through repetitive training. Once the dog clearly recognizes what it is you are teaching, only then does the learning process become fun. It doesn’t work the other way around.
Too many of us are in a rush to get the dog started retrieving and we forget that the dog only knows what we teach. He or she might be the smartest retriever in the neighborhood, but don’t expect the dog to have our kind of higher reasoning power.
As odd as it sounds bad habits can be good: They tell us what aspect of training needs work, and recognizing this keeps us sharper when it comes time for the competition.
If you’ve ever wanted to see how smart and obedient a retriever can be plan to attend an AKC sporting event. These are across the country. The AKC Hunt Test is a combination of incredible canine eye-sight and physical strength and the ability for the dog to perservere in all types of outdoor conditions.
Not all dogs are considered “working dogs.” Some are couch potatoes. But with training and daily exercise any dog can be trained to retrieve.
St. Bernards get all the credit for snow rescues, and deservingly so. But it was a German Shepard named Bridget, who heroically became the first dog in North America to find a survivor in the worst mountain avalanche disaster in ski resort history.
Websites for dog breeders don’t have to be high-tech, they simply have to be usable. Learn what to include and how to create a beautiful Website for your dog breeding business.
Community pet expos can be a cheap or free way to stay on top of your pet vaccinations for rabies, distemper and other common ailments.
Tired of opening and closing your heavy sliding door for your pet? We may have found a product that does the job for you without a remote, or any hard-to-install hardware.
American Kennel Club offers loads of competitions for your dog. From obedience to field trials, and you and your dog will love it. However, because these are competitions people tend to be nervous, especially newcomers. One way to avoid the jitters is to unleash your inner-child.
Podcasts by dog trainers are reaching large audiences of listeners ready to take advice on any number of subjects. Robert Cabral interviews me about AKC Hunt Test programs nationwide.
This is a must-read for anyone that thinks their dog might have eaten a marijuana laced product.
Believe it, or not drinks like Pepsi and Coke may actually keep your dog healthy and safe! Here’s my true story.
There’s a hidden packet in each bag of Jerky you eat. Do you know that this packet might be harmful to your family dog? Reach more.
What you need to know about today’s e-collars for dogs. In the wrong hands they can cause terrible issues. This story talked about what you should know before you buy.
Ever wonder why Labs are America’s most popular dog year after year? It’s simple, they love being around people of all ages and genders. They are considered the very best family dog. But there’s more to learn about Labs than how sweet they can be around people.
This is one of my favorite video clips from Retrievers in the Field, filmed by outdoor videographer Rick Westphal of Westphal Productions.
Karen Pryor wrote a book that I've read many times called Don't Shoot the Dog. It is a training manual for dog owners that I encourage everyone to read at least once. Anyone with a love for animals will get something from her advice and story that they may not find elsewhere.
If you’ve never seen a working dog like a Retriever in action, you’re missing out on one of life’s biggest pleasures. Retrievers have been working with us as for eons, and their natural instincts to retrieve is simply amazing to watch.
Responsible dog owners love to hike outdoors with their four-legged companions and seldom is there a problem. But while our beautiful wilderness looks safe enough, the wild outdoors can become life-threatening in an instant.
Little puppies have such sweet smelling breath, and I discovered that much of a dog’s freshness comes from good oral health, and dear old mom.
Ever since the days of Lassie on TV or the slobbering St. Bernard in the feature film Beethoven, dogs have been used in television and film production.
Cesar Millan’s story is well-known among dog lovers everywhere. In short, he illegally crossed the border between Mexico and the U.S. in his youth, worked low paying jobs to eat, slept in his car, and through some divine miracle (or destiny) he managed to become one of America’s most beloved television dog trainers.
Fetch is a game that every dog owner has played at some time in their life. The dog chases the dry rubber ball and returns it back to the thrower, somewhat more slimy than before. Simple. It’s a great game and most dogs happily play it.
Here's a lesson I learned early on. Everything we’ve read, seen or heard about retriever training is futile until we embrace the concept that dogs are creatures of habit.
Getting started in the retriever training game takes commitment, and obviously the right equipment. Experienced trainers are fully equipped to handle most training drill scenarios, which leaves 99 percent of others often puzzled by the choices that need to be made.
Any dog swims… kinda. While swimming doesn’t come naturally to all breeds like Bull dogs and Basset Hounds and some others, dogs do “dog paddle” in water. Whether or not they can swim across a pool is another thing, and before you tempt fate be sure to buy a doggy vest first just in case.