Introduction
Training a bird dog can be a time consuming effort. There are some basics you need to know before you decide to begin training your bird dog so you will be able to get the best result out of your training efforts.
Bird Dog Training Basics
First of all you must realize that training a bird dog will take a lot of time, patience and determination in order to achieve the results you want and need. Although it will consume your time and require much patience if it’s done right, you will find that it is very rewarding once you achieve the results you desired.
It is best to start with a young puppy and start training the bird dog at a young age. This means you will need to spend a lot of time with your pup and you must make the pup understand who is in control of the situation at all times. You will need to work with your bird dog on his/her understanding of certain commands such as “whoa,” “come,” and “heel.” According to http://www.thecheckcord.com/archives/trov.html those are the 3 basic commands you will need to teach your bird dog pup while in the training process.
Techniques to Use
When training your bird dog pup you need to realize that you are dealing with a young animal that is much like a child. Their life goes this way and that way and another way and most often they are seeking fun and don’t have a serious bone in their body. They want to play with things, chew on things, be loved, petted, fed well and played with.
You must also begin to introduce your pup to things such as travel crates, boats, game birds and guns. The last thing you want is a gun shy bird dog. Training your pup in the first year and getting your bird dog pup acclimated to those things will ensure that he/she is ready to take on the life of a real bird dog.
If you plan on training your bird dog by using planted birds, you must make sure the scent is as close to a wild game bird as possible. Dogs have a very keen sense of smell and that is what leads them to where they are going. Pigeons are a good bird to use in training your bird dog but you want the bird to be in good enough shape to be able to escape and fly off if there’s too much pressure from the dog.
You want to make sure your bird dog pup is on point with his tracking a bird. With the right effort on your part as his/her trainer and using the right techniques beginning when the bird dog pup is young, you will be able to achieve the results you desire.
One of the main things your bird dog will need to learn is that the only way he can get a bird in his mouth is for him to run it out of where it is so you can shoot it and he/she can retrieve it for you.
Get ready to spend the time and effort you need to if you desire a well trained bird dog. If you are serious about it, then it’s something you will be willing to do and will definitely reap the rewards!
Tips and comments
Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the training process.
Be patient with your puppy while training but yet let him/her know who is in control.
Begin training at a young age.
Teach your pup the basic commands.
