What is the most important thing you consider essential when training a field trial dog for NSTRA? That is one of the questions most frequently asked of me.
To produce competitive edge trial dogs and gun dogs to be proud of is what we concentrate on at Stockley Kennels. The major goal with a field trial dog is to stop young and older dogs from chasing a safety, missed, and bumped bird. Over the years I have tried a number of training techniques and the following three training steps will put you in the winner’s circle or make you darn proud of your hunting buddy.
My three steps are simple, but you must follow the outline presented below and be willing to work with the dogs and bring them along in a calculated manner. There are no magic pills or short cuts, just plain devotion to the dog and training time.
Here’s my way of fine tuning a dog to become a National Shoot to Retrieve winner.
My training program is used mostly on young dogs from 6 to 8 months and has also been proven successful on older dogs who might need a little refresher in not chasing birds.
Step No. 1.
Let’s start with an 8 month old pup who has had some basic yard work and knows what woah means, and was exposed to gun fire. I will usually plant 3 to 5 pigeons per session in traps. I start with the pup just wearing the Electric collar. I do not turn it on at this time.
I let him go out, point and chase these planted birds learning to break off the chase on his own. This may take 5 or 50 or even more pigeons depending on the pup. When I refer to break off the chase I mean the pup has realized he cannot catch these flying pigeons. After he realizes this, then when he points and I flush the pup will only chase—say 15-20 yards then proceed back hunting.
At this point in the game you are ready to take the next step.
Step No. 2.
The pup has worn the electric collar at these routine sessions for the last few weeks so he is completely comfortable wearing it now. The collar was off until this point. The setting now is at a momentary stimulation at the lowest level. I now have NO planted birds in the field.
I carry 3 pigeons in a bird bag with me. The pup then is turned out just as he was in the past in a normal hunting situation. When he starts back to check in with me, I then release a pigeon from my hand from behind my back. I want him to see this procedure. This assimilates to the pup that I have just walked up a bird. When the pup sees this bird, he will go into the chase mode. This is where I apply monetary stimulation once, maybe twice, but that’s all. This stimulation will probably not have a great effect on him and that is what I want.
This procedure will continue for the next couple of birds spaced out about 5 minutes apart. I usually see a change on the third bird when the pup usually will stop. When he has stopped, I say woah, spoken in a normal tone. I then praise the pup. I also mention to him that he has been good then say his name and send him ahead.
Remember you are not trying to accomplish this training in one session and you may need to change the stimulation level to get the response you are looking for.
This aspect of the training has been without the bird’s scent being on the ground, and I have trained the pup to "Stop to Flush".
Step No. 3
- introduce the dog to the bird’s scent.Then I plant a pigeon in 3 traps and space them out around the field. When the pup points this first bird, I walk in and kick around then release the trap to flush it. As he proceeds to chase, I say woah. If the pup still does not stop I say "Whoa" and apply stimulation. This should remind him he is not to chase. I repeat the kicking, releasing , whoaing and stimulation for the next two birds. The average pup usually comes around quickly on this part because he has had no birds shot for him yet.
As you proceed and you know you can flush and he is standing there watching the bird fly off, you are really feeling good. The pup is doing what I expected of him. Now I want to shoot a couple of pigeons for him. Remember I will be shooting just about over top of him, as he will be standing steady. Exposing your dog to gun fire before this time, is crucial at this point. Letting him break at the gunshot will be his reward after all this hard work. He will probably break before you shoot on the next bird. Be prepared with stimulation.
Once I have accomplished this through repetition and I am confident the pup has it altogether, then I repeat the procedure using quail. I keep repeating until I get the same effect and he realizes that until he hears me shoot, he is to remain steady. Use the same procedure over and over again during training sessions. As he becomes older the training should continue as a reminder to keep him at the top of his game.
While training my trial dogs if I plant 5 birds I usually only shoot three. I work the other two birds as safety birds just to keep the training continuing. This also helps in keeping a more broke and mannerly dog.
Use this procedure over and over during future training sessions, and also as he becomes older continue to remind him of this experience to keep him on his toes. There is a great deal of personal satisfaction when your dog is steady as a rock on his game when other dogs may break and disappear over the hill.