# beginner training exercises?



## jdmser (Jan 3, 2012)

Copper is almost six months and I would like to get him and his sister started on some simpler hunting exercises that we both could use to build our confidence up. He's a quick learner and has pretty much mastered the basic obedience stuff with sit, stay, paw, lay down, down, no, drop it, come, and fetch. I can tell he wants to do more but, I'm not sure where to start. I know I need to work with him on recall be we do anything out of the back yard. What else should I be doing? 


ps He points and stalks everything smaller than him that moves


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

I've just posted a vid showing Ruby responding to recall, it's the 2nd vid in the thread
http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,3416.msg23289/topicseen.html#new


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## jdmser (Jan 3, 2012)

I've noticed a lot of people use a whistle like yours to recall their dogs. I have always used the whistle I was born with. Any reason I shouldn't?


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

my natural whistle aint loud enough lol, tbh, after a skydiving incident I had to have porcelain venneers fitted on my front teeth, that affected my natural whistle hence I use the acme one


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

This was my breeders answer to someone with a pup the same age. The owner had bought some quail for the pup but they weren't good fliers.




First let me say, I'm very happy you're getting your pup on birds and working to get her ready to go. She's only 6 months old, so at this point, she needs the bird exposure, as you're doing. I'd pull the flight feathers off those no flying quail and let her catch it and carry it around, play with it, etc. Do this a couple of times and no more, except as explained below. Don’t worry too much about her holding point right now, we can work on that as she progresses and it will probably come naturally anyway.

The main thing she needs now is what I call field work. She needs to get some experience running through the field, searching for “prey” it might be dicky birds, butterflies, etc. She needs to learn that prickly pears have sharp pointy things, logs need to be jumped over, etc. Basically, she’s learning the terrain, what to avoid, what to go around, stuff like that. Attach a 30ft check cord while she does this. Work on “here” now until this is flawless. Every once in a while call her in, if she ignores you, give a little tug on the check cord and if she still ignores, reel her in, pet her a couple of times with some praise, then release her with an “OK”. All this is done with a minimum of you talking or whistling. I always make my dogs come all the way in and I have to touch them when I call “here” and they can’t go back until I say “OK”. This is probably no more than a 30 minute session. Once she’s coming in reliably, overlay the ecollar a the least intensity for her (this will be different for each dog and each ecollar model/manufacturer.) To overlay the ecollar, you command “Here” and give a light tap with the ecollar at the same time. So she’s getting two commands (your voice and the ecollar tap or “queue”). As you progress, you’re commanding “here” less and more ecollar “queues” until she’ll come in with either the voice command or the ecollar. Keep up with this until she’s 100% reliable while you’re holding the check cord. As you’re walking, walk in one direction for 50 yds or so and change direction, it may require a slight tug on the check cord to get her to change directions with you, walk 50 yds, change directions. The goal here is for her to hunt out front and change directions when you do. Give her a few seconds to notice you’ve changed directions, for me personally, I whistle once when I want them to change directions. Now, repeat all the above with her dragging the check cord. If she begins to lose interest or seems like she’s bored with the process. Sneak a pigeon in the field before you go out and bring her crosswind into it. Just dizzy it up a little and hide it under some grass. It will probably stay there until you come by and it won’t tolerate her getting very close (this is where homers are invaluable – reusable training birds). Pigeons won’t hang around or fly 20 yds and land again, once flushed they head for the “house.” Make sure you have 2 -3 of them in case the first one skeedaddles out of there before you get there. The bird contact will bring back her intensity. Once she’s 100% while dragging the check cord, repeat all this with the check cord off, but always wearing the ecollar. With the check cord off, she’ll probably get out there quite some distance, it’s OK for her to be 75 – 100yds (remember she’s reliable up to this point) keep your mouth shut except when you command “here” and “OK” or a whistle to change directions. You may have to turn up the ecollar intensity with the check cord off in order to overcome her new found joy of running without check cord. From time to time, sneak a pigeon in the field to keep up her intensity – caution, keep her kenneled while you go plant the bird, she’ll figure it out pretty quickly what you’re doing and if she’s watching she’ll know exactly where to go to find the bird – so don’t let her see.

The next thing I do is introduce some gun fire with the planted pigeon (carry a training pistol and when the bird gets up and she’s fully involved, shoot a blank) she may chase the pigeon and she may run quite a distance the first time, but she’ll soon discover that she can’t catch that bird and she’ll come back – be patient – she will come back unless she finds something else on her way back. When you see her coming back, call her in and praise her up good. Then release her again with “OK” and finish on a good note. You’ll probably discover during this process, that when she finds a pigeon, she’ll point after a couple of contacts – I’d recommend this training 3 -4 times a week, about a half hour at a time.

The outcomes of these exercises are: (1) searching out front, (2) reliable “here” command, (3) release on command “OK”, (4) relating gun fire to bird, (5) watching you to change directions, and (6) exercise for both of you. If you do this for the rest of the summer, she’s ready hunt birds now, but don’t expect too much the first season, she needs to learn all this at different locations to firmly instill this training. If you go to a new training field, be prepared to go back to the check cord until she understands the rules apply everywhere, not just the “home” training field. 

Have fun and be patient. I think the biggest mistake that can be made is expecting too much too soon. Consistency is the key.


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