Gun Dog Trainers

Hit a Wall With Your Gun Dog Training?

By Gregory Barrett

Don't assume the dog doesn't relate the command with the pressure. The refusal stage is a key moment in the process. The dog is now refusing as an avoidance mechanism.

Before you move to walking fetch you should get a good reaction on the table when you give the fetch command. Right before you go to walking fetch, if you were to take a hold the dog buy the collar and hold the bumper out in front of the dog and say fetch, that dog should make tracks into the concrete and practically spin you in circles.

Now you know the dog gets the picture, then go to walking fetch and when the dog balks at the fetch command, go to the ear immediately then go through the walking fetch with stick fetch. If you're weak at the walking fetch or stick fetch and tip toe through it, when it comes to pile work and driving the dog, you're going to have major issues.

A lot of the dog's training is based from force fetch. Go to the bumper, go to the bumper, go to the bumper. The yard work period keeps pressure on the dog the whole time. He needs to understand that in order to stop the pressure he needs to get to that bumper. When you get to pile work, you will be glad that you have a solid foundation from the table. Give the command...back or fetch. Next its force to the pile. The dog already understands pressure from the ear pinch this is where you use the e-collar and drive the dog to the pile.

A lot of this stuff repeats somewhere along the training so if you're having issues, take the step back and really drive the idea home on how you want the dog to perform.