# Things not to do



## jeep8630 (Oct 20, 2011)

I am new to gun dog training and was wondering if there are any "games" or things I shouldn't be doing like tug-a-war (because it can cause a hard mouth). Are there any others?


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

I vote against tug games also. Did not know it can cause a harder mouth, though. People in protection dog sports are to play tug with their young pups.

This is a cute one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEi6fe2_110&feature=related


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## Matt (Sep 4, 2011)

No squeeky toys. Dogs that have squeeky toys tend to bite into birds (or whatever they picked up) to make them squeek.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Teach heel on the opposite side of the gun. Very slow and thoughfull introduction to the sound of a gun. Whoa on command anywhere. I have yet to be successful with that.


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

Never ever give a command the dog does not know and Never give a command that you don't intend to enforce.

Generally recommended not to play tug of war and not to teach sit until the dog heels and knows the whoa command.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Don't get emotional and yell. If the dog makes a mistake, figure out what YOU did that the dog didn't understand.

When they are pups make everything fun and exciting. They are babies. A little later start teaching what you want your "team mate" to understand as part of the hunting team.

Don't play too much fetch. You want fetch to be a special action that he/she will be highly praised for.
This is when in the future your hunting partner brings the bird right to your hand. Fetch that ends up being keep-away or drop before brought to hand enforces that a retrieve to hand is not that important.

If you ever want to field trial or do hunt tests, a retrieve to hand is mandatory.

RBD
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

redbirddog said:


> Don't get emotional and yell. If the dog makes a mistake, figure out what YOU did that the dog didn't understand.


That is very important. We were lost until we figured out how to tell Mischa what we wanted. It was not easy without some guidance.


I'm going to say that tug-of-war and squeeky toys are both fine.

I play tug all the time and use "drop" or more often , I'll touch her teach with my fingers and she drops it immediately. I touch her teeth at the height of insanity, while she is lost in the game, and she reacts just I hope.

The reason I do it is so that if one day a child is playing rough with her, that the moment her teeth touch skin, everything stops. 

She also knows the difference between real birds and a rubber chicken....She squeeks on toys daily, but during field training, fetches dead birds, and once she brought me back a dead bird from a forested area at a trail, right to my hand. No damage, no hard mouth...


I get that certain things should be avoided because they can make training harder or cause issues that would not exist (ie. gun breaking a dog) but, you cannot avoid everything, and the less you do avoid, the more chances you have to teach your dog what you'd like it to do for you.

The thing I respect most about Cesar Milan is his response to a misbehaving dog: "Good, this gives us access to correct"
He doesn't say "well... lets avoid the triggers and hope for the best!" lol 

Also, hunting dogs can learn "sit" as their first and most often command, and still point instinctively... 


My message is to not avoid anything. Not in a hippie sense, lol in a sense that you shouldn't be afraid to allow your dog to be a dog. When he/she does something you don't like, correct it immediately. When it does something you do like, praise and praise and praise.
How will you ever be pleasantly surprised if you don't let your dog surprise you? 

You will have to learn how to communicate, and as Aimless said, enforcing every command given is a very good place to start.


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## jeep8630 (Oct 20, 2011)

All, I can't thank you enough for the advice. We have been clicker training the basic obedience (including sit) as I didn't know that one until recently. Been playing a little bit of fetch (3 or so throws twice a day). Think that is too much? Also have used a frozen dove a few times for fetch and he LOVES it. 

My concern is that when the breeders played wing on a string with him he pointed it with a rock solid point. When we have tried it twice he is steadily getting worse (meaning he just runs for the wing). Could this be caused by playing too much fetch or playing with toys to much with him? 

Thanks again for all of the help.


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## Aimless1 (Sep 25, 2011)

Wing on a string is really not a game. Breeders use it to tease a pup into a point, to "prove" your new dog is a great pointer. It really doesn't prove anything, but it's a nice parlor trick. After you've done it once or twice yourself, the pup will be bored with it and go for the wing. Time to stop.


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