Taking direction

GUNDOG TRAINING

I was impressed last season to watch one of the dogs in our picking-up team take directions to be handled very professionally on to birds it had not marked. His owner is not an experienced trainer, but he has mastered this skill with his dog. How can I do the same?

Dogs can differ a lot in the way they learn to take directions, but it’s important not to overcomplicate their training. Begin with simple instructions because a young dog must be steady to a thrown retrieve before directional training can start.

Begin by sitting the dog against a fence or wall — preferably where there are no distractions. Make sure the dog is sitting and steady, then walk about 10 yards away at right angles to the dog. At that point, give one ‘stop’ blast on the whistle — to confirm that you want the dog to remain where it is — and raise your hand, palm outwards, at the same time. Then lower your arm while still keeping it straight and keeping the palm facing outwards. This serves to reiterate the “stop, stay where you are” command and ensures that when you give the right or left direction it sends a clear directional movement to the dog.

Once you are confident he is steady, throw the dummy about 10 yards to the left or the right of the dog. Only when you are ready should you send the dog; either by name or by another command you may wish to use. Ideally, the dog should retrieve the dummy. I will also sometimes throw the dummy and pick it myself to enforce steadiness.

As the dog improves, you can start to move further back and repeat the left and right retrieves separately to achieve the same response at a distance. Do not mix the retrieves with lefts and rights until you are sure he has mastered each. JH