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.
