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Articles ::
Feeding a gundog, Shooting Gazette
Train your youngster to work in water, Shooting Gazette
Training the pup for picking up, Shooting Gazette
Training tips from Nordic Hunter ::
Every dog has it's history
Don't rush your dog, adjust your training and follow your dogs pace. They are all different, with unique ways of absorbing your exercises. Remember that you want a dog for shooting and/or trialling for many years to come and there is no reason to spoil a good potential because you are in a hurry. Never compare your youngster to other young dogs, focus on what is right for your dog and what you are using your dog for. Know your own dog!
Train him to be useful
Let's be honest, you won't need a dog to retrieve a stone dead bird 10 meters from you. That bird can easily be picked by any two-legged. However, you will need a dog when the bird falls in or across the water, over fences, into cover, is wingshot etc etc. Unless you are introducing the dog to blinds, why keep training on flat ground with the white dummy 10 meter away if your goal is to make him a champion? Make it hard to get, make him work and make the dog useful to yourself by having him sorting out thick cover, water and obstacles on any kind of ground.
Mutual love and respect
You will never win your dogs trust if you beat him. And by only correcting the dog and not praising him, you will find yourself in trouble early in the dogs career. Us humans are good at telling off one another and not so good at letting others know they are doing a great job, whether it's dog training or life in general. It doesn't cost you a penny to roar and shout at your dog, so why should it be so hard to open your mouth and say "good girl, there you go". Treat your dog as a team member and maybe your dog wants to be in your team. There is nothing like the feeling of travelling 1500km for a trial knowing that no matter what happens, your dog won't let you down. He will do his very best on each retrieve. You may not always win, but you will either way show off a proper trained dog and go home with your head held high, chuffed to bits for your dog.
What do you want from the dog?
Do you want him to be a champion on cold game? Do you want him to win a club trophe for being versatile in agility, flyball and WTs? Are you training for exercising your dog? Be fair to your dog and decide what you want from him. If you want to run your dog on both dummy, cold game and live game trials then be aware of that the dog may not reach the stars in either sport. Specializing your dog on something can be very rewarding and makes it easier to plan your training and progress.
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