Pine Shadows
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The SHADOW, the quarterly newsletter of Pine Shadows, features
suggestions on dog training and care, field trial reports, hunting trip tips,
game recipes, and breeding advice. The SHADOW is mailed throughout Summer time and dog training From
Summer 2006 The other day, I was
reading one of many of the outdoor magazines I receive and noticed most of
the dog articles were about the “dog days” of summer. I thought I should discuss
the dog days as well. The summer time is obviously the best time to introduce
dogs to water or if an older dog, work the blind retrieves, the long water
marks and also just the simple retrieves from a duck blind. Our main water training
pond is just a short walk from the kennel building and bringing the young
pups to water is always a highlight of our training staff. The Coffey x If you only have one
pup and want to introduce him to the water, be prepared to take your shoes
off and walk in with the pup. Don’t bring him to the water, make him hup and
stay and throw a dummy out into the middle of the pond and expect the dog to
go right in. Instead, let the pup investigate the waters edge, watching the
frogs leap in, maybe see some tadpoles swimming around, but allow him the
time to explore. After a few minutes you
may want to walk in with him. Your pup
should be retrieving a dummy by now so when you do the first retrieve in the
water, throw it along the shore so the pup can splash in the water, pick the
dummy up and come back to you without having to swim. Each retrieve is
gradually thrown into water deep enough for the pup to swim. If you find the pup not
too excited about swimming on your first trip to the water, don’t force him
in the water. You might only get his feet wet the first day and wait until
the next trip. Dogs need to learn new things and some learn at a slower
reserved pace then others. Water work in the hot
July and August days for your dog should be on your schedule but it is not
the only thing to be working on. Depending on the age of your dog, you can
always work on obedience, perfecting the retrieve and delivery to hand and
some field work. Doing extensive field
work, such as quartering, finding birds and trailing out cripples is OK but
you will need t watch for signs of stress in the dog. Many of our sessions
are shorter in the field during the hot times. We adjust the schedule to
always make the sessions fun and educational for the dog. “Good
citizen puppies” From
Winter 2005 Producing English Springer
Spaniels and training gun dogs are our primary functions at PINE SHADOWS.
With that, our main goal in our springer spaniel raising and training process
is to produce a well mannered pup, a good citizen for the family. A dog that
is people orientated and comfortable and easy to handle for basic grooming,
nail trims and veterinary appointments is a joy to work with. Dogs need to be handled throughout their
lives by many different people just in their normal living conditions. In producing our pups,
we have always stressed their early handling and exposing them to different
people situations to build a people-friendly pup. Last year we started a new
program with all of our pups. One of
our employees, Norma, has attended classes to become certified in animal
massage therapy. Norma started working
on our litters during spring 2004 and we are seeing the results already from
our young started pups. According to Norma, the
process is based on imprinting good behavior and inhibiting bad behavior and
learning to be relaxed when held by a person. This process starts on the
litter at ten days old, prior to their eyes opening up. The daily contact
continues until roughly 16 weeks old and then occasionally as needed on older
pups. On the first day Norma
just sits in with the litter and the mom and touches all the pups and makes
the mom feel comfortable with her presence. The pups are cognizant of new
smells, touches and movement, but cannot yet see. After a few days of this,
Norma will pick each pup up and cradle it in her hands. Each pup is held in
various positions, on its back, in the air with constant touch all over their
body. Special attention is giving to
the feet, ears, legs, tail and head.
Also, Norma spends extra time stroking gently around the eyes and
muzzle. All of this imprints on the pup and it becomes very comfortable when
touched. When the pups are very
small Norma will sit in the kennel run and work each pup and start teaching
them to climb on her lap. This encourages them to explore. Norma talks softly
to the pups constantly, sometimes telling stories or talking about the
expectations of a PINE SHADOWS pup. A
soft voice helps to make the human connection. Trimming toenails
starts at about 18 days. Norma will hold the front leg behind the elbow so
that the pup is less likely to pull away. If they struggle they are held
firmly but gently until they comply with being held and the nail is cut. The
foot is then put down and not allowed to be pulled away from Norma. Putting
the foot down is the key, not letting the pup pull it away. The puppies continue to
experience new things each day such as being held in the air. If they are
uncomfortable with this at first, Norma will hold them close to her body and
walk around holding the pup. Likewise
if they are uncomfortable when held on their back, Norma will move closer down towards the pup
as this seems to minimize the feeling of falling. When they get to the
age of nipping her fingers Norma uses a sharp tone of voice to tell them “No”
and will also tap their nose with an index finger and redirect a positive,
acceptable behavior. Norma also introduces the pups to standing on new
surfaces. She will stand them on a crate, on a counter top or a narrow
ledge. Norma learns new things
about each pup every day she handles them which helps Sophie determine which
pups have the correct personality to match with a new owner. When a family takes a new pup home at ten
weeks, that pup is well on his way to becoming a good citizen. The hands on training process is explained
to the new owners because even at ten weeks old, this process needs to be
continued. The better you continue this training the better the citizen puppy
becomes. None of it is hard and it may
seem unimportant, but these little training techniques are definitely
successful. These techniques are also
very good to apply to the raising of small children. The control and imprinting starts from
early in life. Some of the pups from
last spring and summer are coming back in for field training now. We are
seeing the impact this training as had on these dogs. Some have a reminder session on dominance
while others are just so comfortable being held that it is all so relaxing to
them. The pups that we have as started
puppies here at PINE SHADOWS are very noticeably relaxed when we pick them up
to hold them. They are excited and ready to go when on the ground and totally
melt when they are picked up or handled.
We have always handled
our pups but the results we are seeing in these pups because of the conscious
effort in time, training and expense has been well worth it to producing a
good citizen pup. |
The Little Things Fall 2007 The
first frost came for On a recent Saturday
morning Grant brought out his four kids to run their new puppy Lacy and to work Rigby in the water. The girls get to walk with Lacy; however, this time Grant was
running her because I had the three girls walking with me through the grass
looking at all of the spider webs that had been formed in the brome grass. We
were able to take a sprig of grass and work it down the funnel of the spider
web to wake up the spider. Such is the intricacies of nature. All three girls
were squatting around the web watching the spider then we would be off to
find another web. Even Payton, our young grandson was able to check this
out. On Wednesday evenings
Brandy (Morgan’s wife) will bring Kate and Clark, their two kids, and they
get to walk the fields as well. How does all of this
fit into an article about dogs or dog training? Well, what it does is make
you realize that in training one needs to take time to appreciate the little
accomplishments of progressing through the steps of life whether it is a new
puppy or a child. Take the time to explain things to them, but more
importantly, look at things through their eyes. Realize what the pup or child
sees and plan the training accordingly. It is OK to push for a
goal but beware of the quizzical looks you will get from the pup or the child
when they are confused. Then take the time to explain, redo, and show again
the task that you want to accomplish because mastering the little things on a
daily basis is what training is all about. Keep it simple,
challenge the student and master the little things. Gun
Dogs with Mark Haglin Summer
2007 Summer dog work: Morgan
and his crew of dog trainers and assistants have started the summer training
regiment for the stable of springers we use at Dakota River Ranch. We
generally rotate about 35 springers throughout the fall hunting season. Morgan will have 6 – 8
dogs out in the field handled by Joannie, Jill, Terri, A dog that seems too eager
in wanting to make all the retrieves is quickly corrected to watch others
make retrieves. A somewhat reserved dog will soon learn that it is OK to
quarter with others and occasionally make a retrieve. Sometimes while going
down the field there will be a few shots going off and the handlers will
throw out a bunch of dead birds. The line of hunters/handlers stops until all
the birds are found and retrieved. Sometimes a Springer is brought in at heel
for a lesson in walking along side and resting. This type of training
simulates the type of hunting we do in So much of our usual training
is one-on-one or brace work but when in the real live hunting situations,
this group training really pays off. Besides, it is a refreshing way for the
handlers to work with their dogs as the course ends up in the water hole and
the dogs get a good swim. Professional Advice From
Winter 2006 My
dog is a really good dog but he barks in the crate, chases flushed birds out
of control and doesn’t always retrieve to hand but he sure can find birds- so
he has it in him! This statement
or versions of it we hear frequently when a person brings in a dog for
training and trying to justify the dog as a really good dog. How can a person
say they have a really good dog and then proceed to list all of the negative
traits of the dog and accept them as that is the way the dog acts? That is as bad as a parent accepting a five
year old child’s unruly behavior as that is just the way the child acts! Changing those
unwanted habits or better yet, never letting those bad habits grow into
accepted behavior is the whole purpose of training. Knowing what to do to not
allow your pup to develop unruly behavior patterns is where the trainers at Pine Shadows can step in. One of the first
things you should do as a new pup owner, no matter what the breed, is to seek
some professional advice in training and raising the pup. Many of us rely on
the fact that all my hunting buddies have dogs and I will just learn from
them or we had a dog as a kid and we
just let it grow up around the yard and it turned out OK and we feel that
seeking professional advice may not be necessary until the dog gets into
those unwanted bad habits. It is still a good dog, we figure, just has a few
issues now. Sometimes, by the
time we see a dog in for training we are correcting and retraining to set the
proper procedures for bringing out the most in a dog. When you purchase a pup, get some help soon
for the proper introduction to become a good citizen dog. Then from the moment you get the dog until
he is well past two years old you are continually training this dog. I
believe people miss out on the early days of training and molding their new
pup. As a new pup owner
you need to realize the importance of those early days of developing the
behavior patterns that you want to accept.
If you are unable to spend the time needed early in a pup’s life, then
consider a young started dog that has had the proper training. The training we are
talking about is not necessarily doing retrieves, quartering and introduction
to shot and birds but rather the crate training, learning their place in the
peck order of a family, learning the come, learning the importance of eye
contact and connection to the handler and learning hup or sit. These are important issues that are taught
early and consistently. Other important
aspects of the early training are the ability for a pup to be handled all
over its body, lifting the feet, touching the tail and ears, being laid
upside down or on its side and being able to take and give treats to the pup.
These are behavior training traits that are so very easy to do when a pup is
young and more difficult to undo and retrain when a dog gets older. Consider seeking professional help within days after you get a new pup. |
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