I have a puppy brittnay spaniel and he is roughly 8 months old. I have been working with him since i got him and he refuses to learn the command whoa and come. I have read a book on it and everything and i work with hime every day so it's not like i'm missing out on sessions. I would like to avoid giving him treats because he does not get enough exercise to work off the amount of treats i would give him because i work with him every day. ( I DO exercise with him. Walking, running, ect) Any ideas? Thanks
Answers:
I have a Brittany, too. That's cool that you'll be able to let him hunt. My dog has the instincts but he never had the chance to do any real hunting.
Well, he's still a puppy at 8 months so you want to be gentle. I always found food difficult to train with, so a lot of times I used just praise, and my Brittany always responded to it well. My Brittany is one of the most food-obsessed dogs I know, so I did use food. I'd suggest you portion out his food in the morning and then use pieces of kibble to train him. That way he won't get fat eating too much extra food.
It's difficult to say without knowing more about your specific situation. I haven't read a lot of gun dog books, but I did read one called Urban Gundogs, which I thought was excellent, even if you don't live in the city. If you do, though, it's a must-have. Provides some great tips on training a hunting dog while living in the city. It deals with birddog commands like "whoa", which aren't really found too many other places. I'd highly recommend it. Excellent resource for the new owner of a working birddog.
One thing I noticed about my Brittany is that he's very sensitive. I trained him (we competed in AKC Obedience) with an obedience club. I'd definitely say if you take a class, be choosy of your instructors and classes. Don't get one that has harsh, old-fashioned methods. And if you must correct, start very gently.
Good luck!
P.S., A bit of advice if you've never owned a Britt: One thing everyone told me was that they calmed down and stopped being so wild at 2 years old. Definitely still crazy, but definitely calmed down at 2.
Whoa? That's usually not a dog command but a horse command. Anyway, come, sit, stay, heel are all dog commands. Give the dog very small bits of treats when he/she does what they are told. It works. It's positive reinforcement which is a good thing.
An 8-month-old puppy is still a baby. Have patience. Keep at it and don't worry about the treats. He needs them to get the idea of performance and reward. He's active enough that he won't gain weight.
Be sure the lessons are not rushed and that you remain calm. Keep him on a lead and make sure your methods are consistent. No yelling, no jerking on the lead, etc. Check out some dog training sites.
Just had my dog in training school. She received one on one training. The way she was taught was with one of those spiked collars. No, they don't stick into the dogs neck and they don't hurt. What they do is give the dog a little pinch when you give a command so the dog will listen. Once the dog is trained the collar comes off and a regular collar goes on. Never heard of the command "Whoa" for dogs, only horses. ha There is a technique used with this collar and I can't explain it here. My dog went from being an out of control shelter dog to an incredible obedient dog. Her personality is the same and she still loves everyone, especially her trainer. She was not hurt in anyway during the training. Once she was trained I worked with the trainer and her to reinforce what she learned. I love my dog. She is a 2 1/2 yr. old dalmatian/black lab.....Good luck
FYI: puppies were being trained with these collars too. The trainers are very gentle with all the dogs
I am quite old school with the way I steady a dog (whoa) so bare with me a little. This really tells my age ;)
First I fashion a "suitcase handle" on the dog. To do this attach a large diameter rope to the dog's normal collar, run the rope from the collar along the dog's back to the haunches and then under the dog's belly and back up to the top. This way the dog can be picked up by it's collar and where the rope crosses it's self above the haunches.
Next pick any "unstable" platform for the dog to stand on. This can be anything from a plastic dog crate to a log, it really doesn't matter as long as the dog has to work a little to stay up there.
Place the dog on the platform and then just toss a toy, bumper, food, whatever on the ground in front of the dog to entice it to jump off the platform. ((DO NOT LET THE DOG GET THE OBJECT YOU THREW)) this often takes a second person at first. Do not say anything to the dog!! Simply pick the dog up by the suitcase handle and place it back on the platform. You will be amazed at how quickly the dog will figure out that it should stay standing on the platform. Then you can give it a name (WHOA). When you can throw about anything you want to throw, and from any direction including from behind the dog, then move the dog to a simple mat laid out on the ground and start over. Then finally just standing on the bare ground and remaining staunch (with or without a command) even if you toss a live pigeon at it's feet.
Recall is the same with any dog Pointer or not, and should be done using a "long lead". (20-50 foot) Just real the dog in like a fish when it does not follow the recall command.
"Whoa" and "come" are two commands that take time for most hunting puppies to get. It takes a lot of patience.
Continue on with what you are doing, be consistant and persistant..also might I suggest you check to see if there is a NAVHDA chapter near you.They have great hunting dog training programs and could be of valuable assistance to you in training your pup "whoa" and "come".
My hubby and I work hunting dogs and own a GSP. We are also active in NAVHDA.
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