Wait for Tomorrow

An old-time dog trainer gave me advice some twenty years ago when we were working dogs together. He said to wait for tomorrow. It was his way of telling me to be patient and not expect to see immediate results. This advice has stayed with me because it works.

Over the years, I have learned the importance of waiting for the next workout to see results, especially when it comes to e-collar work. Unfortunately, some trainers want to see immediate results. If I see results the same day, I know I probably overdid it. One of the reasons is because dogs are more excited in the training field and around birds, so it may take a lot of e-collar pressure to get them settled down. Once the adrenaline wears off, they may remember this higher level of stimulation and be spooked by it.

Last summer, I was helping a training buddy with one of her dogs. The dog had a solid e-collar foundation and was letting us flush in front of her. On this day, the dog decided to chase when the bird flushed, and she chased hard. My buddy nicked her with the e-collar on 4-low a couple of times, and then on 6-low a couple more times, but the dog never slowed down. I suggested we wait until the next workout and see what we had. On the next workout, the dog chased hard, but unlike the previous time, she started to slow down with each nick. It took one more workout before the e-collar was rolling her to a stop.

Maurice Lindley speaks often about the rolling stop, and his thinking dovetails nicely with the old-time trainer’s advice. Maurice explains, “For a dog with a good e-collar foundation, I don’t want him to stop dead in his tracks at first, even if he is a tough, resistant dog. If he stops like that, I may have done too much. One thing’s for sure: I will know in the next workout or two if I accomplished what I wanted. The slowest way to get a dog finished is to rush any part of the training.”

The same thinking works for teaching the here command. Some trainers call a dog to them, and if the dog does not respond, they use a high level of stimulation to make him come immediately. By looking for immediate results, they miss out on an important part of dog training, which is building cooperation. Instead of a dog that wants to come to them, they end up with a mechanical dog that comes because he was made to come. A better way to think about the here command is to use the least amount of stimulation necessary to ask the dog to bend and go with you. It may take a couple of workouts to accomplish, but you will end up with a happier and more cooperative dog.

If you get in a situation where you feel you have to use too much e-collar pressure to get the dog under control, it may be better to err on the side of caution. Remember, there is always tomorrow. Recently, I had a young dog go after deer in the training field, and rather than nail him with high stimulation and stop him in his tracks, I used a rolling stop and slowed him down. It took a couple of encounters with deer, but the results were definitely worth it. Instead of a dog that was fearful of deer, I had a dog that figured out chasing deer was not fun.

A dog needs time to process everything that happens during training, as well as to buy into what you’re asking him to do. To become a great hunting partner, he needs time to learn from his mistakes. Dog training takes patience, and chipping away at your dog’s behaviors is a far better approach than coming down on him like a ton of bricks. If you’re patient and willing to wait for tomorrow to see results, you’re well on your way to becoming a better trainer.

Training Intelligent Dogs

A dog’s intelligence influences how he goes through training. Learning how to evaluate your dog’s intelligence early on will help you to anticipate what your dog is likely to do so you can do a better job. The training method doesn’t change—you just have to be on your toes and stay one step ahead in order to be successful when training an intelligent dog.

A while back, I asked a couple of pro trainers how they measure a dog’s intelligence. Dave Walker said that he believes intelligence and natural ability are one and the same. The more intelligent the dog, the more natural ability he has. A good example is delayed chase (see chapter 25 for more information). Delayed chase is when a dog returns to birds he previously found rather than continuing forward with the handler. Without a doubt, a dog that returns to birds demonstrates natural ability, as well as the skill to learn from experience.

Maurice Lindley noted that intelligent dogs figure things out faster. He described four new dogs he recently got in for training. “When I began check-cording them, one dog was still pulling against the pinch-collar after thirty minutes of walking him around. The other three were giving in to the pressure after five minutes. How quickly a dog figures out pinch-collar pressure tells me a lot about his intelligence. Dogs that require repeated firm pressure are not as intelligent as dogs that give in.”

I thought a lot about what these pro trainers told me and began paying closer attention to things like delayed chase and how dogs react to the pinch-collar.

I decided to run some pups together and let them find birds. Then, I waited a couple of days before running them again on the same course. I watched closely to see if any of them returned to spots where they had previously found birds. Some pups went right back to these spots, some slowed down as they went by, and others gave no indication. One pup actually pointed where he had previously found birds. I also paid attention to the pups around the kennel and watched to see which of them figured things out the fastest. When I introduced the pinch-collar in the training field, I noted which pups gave in to pressure first. These observations helped me to make informed decisions about the best training methods to pursue with each pup.

It’s very easy to make mistakes with intelligent dogs. You might be able to get away with repeating a training setup or leaving an occasional foot trail to a bird with an average dog, but an intelligent dog will figure it out quickly. These dogs remember where birds are planted. They learn to trail foot scent or four-wheeler tracks to find birds; some even start to get birdy when they come across scent left from the exhaust pipe where you stopped the four-wheeler to plant birds. They read your body language, and sometimes it feels like they can read your mind. Just when you feel like you’re getting a handle on anticipating their actions, they’ll surprise you yet again.

I had a pup last summer I’d determined was pretty intelligent. The second time I worked him on a pigeon in a releaser, he took off in the opposite direction of the bird flushing, running as fast as he could. It took another workout before I realized he wasn’t running away from the bird; he was running to intersect it. The first time I’d worked him on a releaser, he’d figured out that after the pigeon flushed, it flew in big circle before returning to the loft.

Most well-bred dogs are smart, but the really intelligent ones can test your skills as a trainer, especially if you’re an amateur. Being able to evaluate your dog’s intelligence while he is young will help you to anticipate how he will go through training, hopefully allowing you to stay one step ahead of him. Without a doubt, intelligent dogs make superior bird dogs. They can be more challenging to train, but they will sharpen your skills, keep you on your toes, and teach you a lot more than you teach them. To quote a successful horseback pro trainer: “Intelligent dogs are more fun to work.” I would add—if you know what you’re doing.

Training with Good Flying Quail

Training with good flying quail increases a bird dog’s prey drive. Good bird dogs love challenges; they are predators, and the more challenging the game, the more excited the dog.

I was reminded of this a few years back while I was working dogs on some johnny house quail that had become quite tame. About ten birds had decided not to recall and formed a covey nearby. I was working a little female and watched her go into the woods and point this covey. Head and tail held high, she looked better on point than I had recently seen her. Her whole body quivered with intensity as I stepped in front of her, and the birds burst out of the woods like fireworks. This experience reminded me that boring birds make boring dogs.

Besides increasing your dog’s intensity on point, good flying quail teach dogs how close they can get without making them fly. The best wild-bird dogs are aggressive on their game, moving up fast on a covey to pin them before they can escape. There is no puttering around. Cautious dogs, unsure how close to get, rarely have wild birds pointed in front of them because these birds were able to run off.

One way to look at bird hunting is as a standoff between the dog and the bird. The bird is trying to escape undetected, and the dog is trying to get as close as possible without flushing it. Poor flying birds allow the dog to crowd them. Few things in dog training are as frustrating as birds that will not fly when the dog creeps closer and closer.

The first step to training with good flying quail is buying good flying quail. Try to buy quail from experienced game-bird breeders that raise and sell a lot of birds. These birds should be conditioned in flight pens. Some breeders use water misters to spray the birds daily, causing them to produce more oil for their feathers. This helps them survive when released. Some breeders raise birds in isolation, meaning they never see people. They are fed with automatic feeders, or at night, when workers wear headlamps. Birds raised in isolation become very spooky and flush if you or your dog gets too close. Finding a good source for quail will help you in training. It’s definitely worth driving a few extra hours for them, or paying a bit more.

The second step is releasing quail in as natural a way as possible. Releasing birds in the fall and feeding them through the winter is almost as good as training on wild birds, but few people have the resources to do this. Johnny houses can be a good option if you own or lease your grounds. If you train on public grounds, there are some other choices. You can put ten or twenty birds in a box, open the box, and let them fly out. While a natural way to train, it can get expensive. Another option is to plant birds for your dog. Planting birds gives you maximum control, since you have a good idea where the birds are located. The downside is, you leave tracks your dog can follow. To plant quail as naturally as possible, dizzy the birds and toss them down in light cover. Try spreading a little wild-bird seed, and plant two birds together to help keep them in the area. Wait a good thirty minutes before working your dog, so the birds have a chance to move around and your scent trail will dissipate.

If you put the effort into buying good flying quail and present them in a natural way, your dog will be challenged. As he is challenged and his excitement builds, he will learn how to handle them and will look better on his game.

Developing a Work Ethic

Developing a Work Ethic

Each pointing dog is an individual and goes through formal training differently. Some are always ready to work, while others aren’t able to handle the pressure and occasionally need time off. Some may even lose interest altogether. Amateur trainers often feel responsible when their dogs have problems in the field, but they may have nothing to do with it. Simply put, their dogs may lack a good work ethic.

The first time I heard this phrase in relation to pointing dogs was during an interview I did with a horseback pro trainer. I asked him what he looked for in a field trial dog, and he said he looked for a good work ethic. It took me a while to understand what he meant, and eventually to see it for myself: Dogs that can handle the pressures of training generally have a good work ethic, while those that quit often lack it.

Generally speaking, work ethic is inherited from the breed and, more specifically, from the pup’s parents. In order to understand this concept, you have to look at the type of work your dog was bred to do. Pointing breeds are bred to hunt birds, so the more desire they have to hunt, the better their work ethic. Some breeds, such as pointers, have been specifically bred to hunt birds, and thus have a superior work ethic. Versatile breeds may excel in other qualities—such as retrieving, swimming, or hunting other types of game—but may lack some of the pointer’s desire to hunt birds.

While your dog’s work ethic is inherited, there are some important things you can do to develop it, beginning when he is a pup. Expose your dog to birds and build his prey drive by taking him for runs in the field and letting him find birds. Don’t rush him or have lofty expectations. Each breed is different, so be patient and give your pup time to become totally focused on finding birds before you begin any kind of formal training. Remember: He isn’t on your timetable—you’re on his.

Maurice Lindley believes that the more desire a dog has to hunt birds, the easier he will go through formal training. “Dogs without a good work ethic are fine until you start asking more of them,” Maurice notes, “and then they decide training isn’t fun anymore and quit.”

I have owned both kinds of dogs. Some were always up for training; it didn’t matter what happened yesterday, or last week—they were ready to go at all times. I could make training mistakes, even put too much pressure on them, and they would still be ready to give me 100 percent. Sometimes these dogs were more challenging to work, but they always ended up going through the program faster. Their desire to hunt birds was so strong, they didn’t need any time off. On the other hand, I have also owned dogs that lacked a strong work ethic. They couldn’t take any pressure and were difficult to train. They frequently needed time off, and as a result, the training program took longer.

Bottom line: Not every dog is going to make a finished dog, and unfortunately, the issue isn’t always training; sometimes you just need a better dog.

Pointing dog breeders and owners often overlook this component, but a good work ethic can make a huge difference in how a dog goes through training. When purchasing a pup, look closely at the breed and the parents. Each parent should have one or more champions in a four-generation pedigree. Qualities such as a strong pointing instinct and natural ability are important, but if a dog don’t have a good work ethic, he will be more difficult to train in the long run. If you do your research and invest time developing your pup’s desire to hunt, you should have a dog that wants to give 100 percent in the field. Once you train a dog with a good work ethic, you will never want to go back.

Using the Wind

Bird dogs use the wind to hunt and find birds. Hunters use the wind to determine the best approach to birdy objectives, and dog trainers like us use it to help dogs navigate a variety of bird setups.

Basically, there are four wind situations: upwind, downwind, cross-wind, and no wind. Scent is carried on water molecules in the air and moves with the wind. If a dog is running upwind of birds, the wind is at his back and he cannot smell them. If he is running downwind of birds, so he is working into the wind, their scent is carried to him. If he is running cross-wind to birds, at right angles to the wind, he runs across their scent. Most good bird dogs try to run at right angles to the wind so they can hunt a larger area. Having a good understanding of the wind is key to achieving success in the field.

A bird dog demonstrates he is hunting when he uses the wind. Watch the dog run. If he runs on the downwind side of a tree line, he has positioned himself at right angles to any bird scent that might be there. Run him through a field into the wind, and he naturally quarters the field to stay at right angles to the wind.

Hunters plan their approaches using the wind. When heading to their favorite grouse coverts, they try to approach birdy objectives from the downwind side. If they approach from the upwind side, birds can hear them coming and have time to escape before the dogs detect them. Hunting singles after a covey of quail flush can be as simple as a downwind approach, so the dog quarters. It doesn’t take long before the dog becomes skilled at the singles game.

Dog trainers have to be constantly aware of the wind when planting birds or bringing the dog into different bird setups. We leave foot tracks every time we plant birds; four-wheeler tracks, too. Try coming in from the upwind side when you walk or drive a four-wheeler to plant birds so you’ll leave as few clues as possible for the dog to follow. Once you bring the dog to the field, try approaching birds so the dog is cross-wind to them. This way, he’ll run across their scent and immediately get a nose full. If you approach from downwind of birds, their scent builds as the dog gets closer, which may encourage him to creep.

The wind can be a fickle partner, often dying down or changing direction in a short period of time. Be sure to constantly monitor its direction either by feeling for it on your face or by tossing a small handful of grass and watching the direction in which it falls. Sometimes, the wind simply dies; when this happens, it’s smart to have a plan. After you make one or two passes without the dog indicating birds, take the dog on instead of trying to force the situation. Practice some check-cord work, or, if you have another bird planted, work him on it. You can always come back to the first bird if the wind picks up and scenting improves.

As you pay attention to the wind, you’ll become more in tune with nature, and, ultimately, you’ll gain a better understanding of the ways in which your dog hunts. In essence, you’re getting down on his level and starting to think like a bird dog.