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.
