Eyes or Nose

Have you noticed how differently pups run? Some pups reach for the horizon and chase anything that flies. Other pups work at a closer range, use the wind, and point when they find birds. These differences have a lot to do with whether they use their eyes or their nose.

Several years ago I was visiting a pro trainer in Maine. He had just gotten in a bunch of pups to evaluate, and asked if I wanted to come along and watch. As he took each pup for a run, I followed behind. One of the first pups he worked ran all over the field, and he asked what I thought. I was pretty impressed and told him so, but it was not the answer he was looking for. He asked if I knew why the pup ran so big, and I honestly didn’t know. He explained that the pup was using his eyes and looking for things to chase. He took out another pup, and this one worked a lot closer. As I watched, I noticed he was using the wind and hunting the cover.

After all the pups had run, the pro trainer sat down and explained why it was important to determine the reason a pup runs. “If a pup uses his eyes, he’s going to run bigger. He’s more likely to sight-point, and he loves to chase. This tells me he needs to find birds. I need to develop his nose by working him on birds. If a pup uses his nose, he already knows how to find birds, so I need to develop his run. If I keep working him on birds, he’ll never learn to run. You have to identify the type of pup you are dealing with in order to develop him the right way.”

I forgot about this lesson until a few years ago when I was working two pups from the same litter. They were six months old and complete opposites. The white pup ran big, carried an edge to the end of the field, and loved to point butterflies. The orange pup worked closer, dug into the cover, and quartered when working into the wind. Now I knew why they were so different: One pup was using his eyes and the other was using his nose.

I needed to come up with a plan to develop these pups. Each pup had a weak link—a shortcoming or hole that needed to be fixed before training could advance. I decided to look at the sense each pup was ignoring as their weak link. This made it easy to come up with a plan.

I planted birds in the training field and ran the white pup first so he got into birds. I ran the orange pup second so he had to work harder to find birds. Over time I watched the white pup’s range shorten as he became more interested in hunting the cover and slowed down so he did not outrun his nose. I noticed a change in the orange pup, too; he was running bigger, and sometimes when he really got going, he looked like he was almost getting high from running. By the time they were ten months old their races were almost identical. They ran some and hunted some, and when I entered them in a couple of puppy stakes, they took turns beating each other.

Most pups seem to favor one sense or the other, and it varies between littermates as well as pups of different breeds. Regardless of which sense your pup favors, you can help him learn to use both sight and smell to find birds. If you watch an experienced bird dog hunt, you will see him shift from one sense to the other, depending on the situation. You may even see him perk up his ears to listen for other clues. By studying your pup and watching why he runs, you will be able to figure out if he uses his eyes or his nose, and once you know his weak link, you will know what you need to do to develop him the right way.

Stroking the Tail

An ad in a recent issue of American Brittany magazine featured a photo of a big-time horseback trainer stroking the tail of a dog on point. The ad copy stated that the trainer was looking for dogs for summer camp. I looked at the ad and thought, What kind of message is this ad sending?

In the 1990s, I had an opportunity to train with Dave Walker. He had a rule: You never touched the tail while a dog was on point. It may be argued that this rule matters more to trainers working Brittanys, since they are a softer breed, but it goes hand in hand with the Bill West training method: The bird is the teacher, and the trainer stays out of the way. If you think about it, most good bird dogs seem to go into a trance when they are on point. It has to be distracting to have someone messing with their tails, and it can cause problems.

Last summer, a field trialer brought a couple of setters here to work in the training field. He was teaching them to be steady, and I noticed that every time one of his dogs went on point, he walked up and stroked the tail before walking in to flush. One of his dogs became obviously uncomfortable at his approach and started flagging. He began stroking her tail and the flagging went away. He thought he was fixing the problem; he didn’t realize he was actually causing it.

Dave Walker’s advice stuck with me, and over the years I’ve learned that the time to stroke a dog’s tail is not when the dog is on point, but when he no longer has scent of the bird and is watching it fly off. Stroking the tail as the dog watches the bird fly serves a purpose. It helps the dog remain calm, and at the same time praises him for standing still. It also creates a special moment between you and your dog that can be particularly important for field trial dogs which are not rewarded with birds being killed.

I would wager that one reason why amateur trainers stroke the tails of their dogs on point is because they see pro trainers doing it, just like in the American Brittany magazine ad, and they think it’s the right thing to do. Now, there are times when even the best pro trainers do this; something may be going on with the dog, and the trainer believes that stroking the tail is called for. But when pro trainers do it, they do it for a specific purpose, not just because the dog is on point.

The more dogs you work, the more you’ll begin to recognize how each dog is different. Some dogs love to watch birds fly; it’s a reward for them, and stroking their tails helps to reinforce this experience, and gives them a reason to remain standing. Other dogs are less visual, but they can learn to appreciate birds in the air by having their tails stroked as they watch.

When you begin formal training, if your dog is too excited to watch the bird fly, try gently stopping him with the check-cord once he has put the bird in the air so that he has time to watch it fly off. As your dog becomes more interested in watching and starts focusing on birds in the air, begin to stroke his tail. You will notice that you’re helping him remain calm, and at the same time, praising him for standing still. By waiting until your dog no longer has scent of the bird, you are building his confidence rather than taking away his intensity. And as you and your dog progress through the training process, these quiet moments you share with your dog will help him become steady.

Verbal Command or E-collar: Use One or the Other

Besides a pinch-collar and check-cord, you also use verbal commands and an e-collar to train your pointing dog. It’s important to use one or the other—a verbal command or the e-collar—but not at the same time. A good example is the whoa command. If your dog is creeping or under a bird, it takes a lot of self-discipline not to yell “Whoa!” at the same time you correct your dog with the e-collar. Unfortunately, if you use them together very often, your dog may learn to associate the e-collar with the word whoa, and he can begin to blink birds.

About ten years ago, I interviewed seven pro trainers for The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals. I asked Ben Lorenson to talk about the problem of blinking. At the time, his response surprised me. He said, “Nine times out of ten, it’s the misuse of the whoa command.” He gave an example of a dog on point that had started to creep: “The dog starts to creep and the trainer says, ‘Whoa,’ and corrects the dog with the e-collar at the same time. It doesn’t take long before the dog starts leaving the bird, because he thinks every time he hears whoa he’s going to get hit with the e-collar. He’s not blinking the bird; he’s blinking the word whoa. The best way to avoid this situation is by not getting into the habit of using whoa around birds in the first place.”

Recently, I watched a training buddy do something similar. His dog had knocked a bird and was under it, chasing hard. He started yelling “Whoa” at the same time he was correcting the dog with the e-collar. Using whoa and the e-collar simultaneously is a natural reaction, especially when you’re upset with your dog and don’t have time to think about what you are doing. Again, this combination can get you into trouble. Your dog may start to associate whoa with stimulation and think he’s going to be corrected any time you say the word whoa.

Another combination is using the e-collar and the here command. If you call “Here” and your dog does not respond, a natural reaction is to correct him at the same time you’re calling him to you. While you can avoid using whoa around birds, you cannot avoid using here, but you can develop good timing for the verbal command and e-collar correction. Good timing includes giving your dog a chance to respond to the verbal command before you correct him with the e-collar. If you practice doing one or the other, your timing will improve, and you’ll build good habits.

Last summer, I was reminded of a similar combination that uses the e-collar and the fetch command. It’s easy to have a dog on a force-fetch table and ask him to fetch. When he refuses, you repeat the command at the same time you nick him with the e-collar. If you use them together, your dog may begin to blink the bumper. While you cannot avoid using fetch, you can learn to give your dog time to respond to the command before correcting him with the e-collar.

There are so many pitfalls in dog training, and most are predictable. Good trainers learn to avoid these situations by developing good habits. Just like a responsible bird hunter learns never to point a shotgun at anyone, whether it’s loaded or unloaded, a good trainer learns to avoid those situations that are likely to go south, and quickly.

With the Bill West method, you learn to stay quiet around birds. This good habit helps you avoid using whoa and the e-collar at the same time. Giving your dog time to respond to a verbal command before using the e-collar helps keep you focused on your timing and builds good habits for the here and fetch commands. Sometimes just knowing what may happen can help you avoid it. By learning to use one or the other—the verbal command or the e-collar—you will end up with a happy dog that loves his work.

Living with Your Mistakes

Anyone that trains a dog makes mistakes. Some mistakes are bigger than others, and sometimes you do harm that cannot be undone. Living with your mistakes is part of becoming a good dog trainer.

Bill West began a seminar in Arizona by telling the audience that he’d made more mistakes than everyone there, combined. It was Bill’s way of saying that making mistakes is part of dog training; the more dogs you train, the more mistakes you’ll make. Unfortunately, the fear of making mistakes may hold some amateur trainers back. Some are afraid to use too much e-collar, while others let their dogs get away with bad behaviors because they are afraid to fix them. Both situations can create more problems. To quote Maurice Lindley, “If you aren’t making a few mistakes, you aren’t training hard enough.”

I was working a young dog last summer that had a ton of prey drive and too much desire to chase. After a couple of months, I got really tired of it and turned up the e-collar to see if I could get him to slow down as he was chasing. As soon as I tapped him with the e-collar, I knew I’d overdone it. To say I felt lousy was an understatement. The next day, I was thinking about how surprised I was by his reaction, and for the first time, I realized he was soft when it came to the e-collar. I backed up and shot some birds for him, dropped down a couple of intensity levels on the e-collar, and tried to use the check-cord as often as I could for corrections. It took about a month, and he got through it. I sure felt bad, but I’d learned an important lesson: A dog can be tough around game and at the same time be very soft with the e-collar. I will try not to make the same mistake again.

Anytime you feel you are in over your head, it’s important to ask a pro trainer for help. At a recent seminar of Maurice’s, a training buddy of mine asked Maurice about a problem her dog was having. Instead of pointing, this dog had gotten bad about diving in and trying to catch the bird. Her training birds were not flying well, and the dog had succeeded in catching some of them, and, as a result, had started to regress. Maurice worked the dog on a couple of birds and said he knew what to do to fix the problem; however, he told my friend she had to realize there was a good chance the dog might start blinking (avoiding game). He asked if she wanted to risk it, and she said yes.

Maurice worked the dog on a bird, and when the dog made a dive for it, Maurice waited until the bird was in the air and the dog was chasing it. Then, he came down hard on her with the e-collar. The dog yelped and came around. Not knowing how the dog had handled the correction, Maurice worked her on a second bird. He wanted to see if she would blink it or point it. Fortunately, the workout ended on a happy note with the dog pointing, and when he worked her the next day, she had two beautiful broke finds. Afterwards, Maurice cautioned my friend, saying: “Don’t attempt to fix a problem, especially with the e-collar, if you aren’t equipped to deal with the additional problem you might create.”

Dog training is guesswork. The more experience you have, the better your guesses will be. The hard reality is, you will make a lot of mistakes as you gain experience. Make your best guess and watch the dog; the dog will tell you if you guessed right. And, if you guessed wrong, step back and try to understand what happened.

If you think you’re in over your head, ask a pro trainer for help, as my friend did. Although my friend’s outcome was a happy one, it’s important to understand that this is not always the case. Her dog might have started blinking, and then my friend would have felt terrible. To her credit, she had given the dog a good foundation; even if Maurice had guessed wrong, there was still a good chance the dog would have been fine because the foundation was solid.

Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Take these mistakes as opportunities to learn and move on. As hard as it may be sometimes, living with your mistakes is an important part of becoming a good dog trainer.

Check-cord Tension

Check-cord tension is one of the most important forms of communication between you and your dog. How much tension is too much—or, to put it another way, how hard should a dog pull—is a question that is often asked but difficult to answer. It’s like asking a race-car driver how fast is too fast, when you know that it depends on the car and the track. The same is true with a dog: It depends on the dog and the situation.

I’m sure you have seen amateur trainers dragged around the training field by their dogs. In these scenarios, dogs are telling their trainers that they don’t respect them. Dogs that pull with enthusiasm without dragging trainers around are showing respect, and dogs that walk on loose check-cords without pulling may be unhappy about going into the field.

I had a situation like this a few years ago. I was working a young dog and teaching him to be steady. One morning, I noticed he was not pulling as hard as he normally did. Right there, I knew I had a problem, so I watched him closely as he worked birds. I noticed that he had lost some of his intensity on point. Because I paid attention to the lack of check-cord tension, I was able to step back in training, shoot a couple of birds for him, and before long, he was pulling with enthusiasm to get to the field.

This spring I was working another dog. He was broke on pigeons and had progressed to quail. He had pulled with enthusiasm on pigeons, but now that he had gone to quail, he started dragging me around the field. I was slow to realize how hard he was pulling, and that quail were getting him too excited. As a result, he had lost his manners and reverted to busting birds again. If I had paid closer attention to what he was communicating to me with the check-cord, I would have stopped working him on birds and focused on regaining his attention. A few sessions of asking him to go with me and come to me on the check-cord would have done wonders to regain his respect and get him focused again.

A basic check-cord is about twelve feet long, and while it may appear to be a simple piece of rope with a snap at one end, it’s the most complex piece of training equipment you will ever own. For many pro trainers, it’s the one piece of equipment they cannot do without (see chapter 9 for more information).

Check-cord tension is where much of the communication between you and your dog takes place. Learning how to read this tension and understanding what your dog is communicating takes practice and experience. You will need to work with many dogs at the end of a check-cord before you’ll get really good at it, but if you pay attention, it will help you figure out what is going on in your dog’s head.