Brittany Pup Training

[Mark Vaughan 0]

Hi guys. I have a question. I have a 9 week old Brittany pup that I am training. He's the first working dog I have trained so I'm still learning myself. I want to use him for a bit of rough shooting, retrieving mostly. His training at 9 weeks is great. When not distracted he will recall well with a verbal command and also a hand signal. He will sit after a recall. He is just learning stay even an out of sight stay. Not for long though. So my question is. He has a teddy that he plays with. But he shakes it in his mouth from side to side. Now I know that this behaviour would be a massive problem if he does this on a retrieve of a bird or rabbit. So what I want too know is do I need to stop this behaviour now? Or is it something he will grow out of with time and I should just let pup be a pup. Thank you in advance for your help and please feel free to offer any advice you think would be useful. Experience beats and research or book I can read. :-) ATB

[skycat 6,173]

You don't need to try and stop what is a perfectly natural behaviour. Pups play in ways which practice the skills they may need later in life: shaking and 'killing' a toy is a vital part of growing up: not only does it strengthen neck muscles and jaws, it also provides a safe release for the energy, the drive, that all dogs have to one extent or another.

~Trying to stop this behaviour will do no good to either the pup as an individual or your relationship with it, but as the pup grows older, you can harness this drive into something which you want: the 'kill' ( as in picking up shot game) and then the retrieve.

 

Traditional gun dog owners throw up their hands in horror at the thought of allowing a dog to play tug with even a toy: they think that it will encourage the dog to rag what it picks up, fur and feather included. Modern trainers, who understand what motivates dogs, of whatever type or breed, understand that harnessing the natural prey drive, and modifying it to suit their own needs, will get a dog who is happy to comply with the demands made on it without being repressed.

 

All my lurchers play 'shake the toy to death' as they grow up, but none have ever shaken a rabbit which they have caught. There is a big difference between play and real live working situations. In Spaniels, whose genetic blueprint virtually ensures they want to retrieve game to you, it is 99% certain that the owner will be at fault if the dog fails to do that. Let the pup be a pup, and don't over train at a very young age: more dogs are spoiled than not from too much training very young. Keep training fun, only a few moments at a time, and allow the pup to express itself naturally. There's plenty of time to fine tune the behaviour as it grows older and better able to control its own instincts.

 

The more you work round the instinctive behaviour, rather than you getting heavy handed or repressive, the better your relationship will be. For example, pup goes out to fetch a teddy bear and starts shaking it: what do you do? Best thing to do is run backwards, praising in a silly voice: this attracts the pup's attention away from shaking the teddy, and its drive is stimulated to come to you, still carrying the teddy (hopefully). This way you haven't told the pup not to shake the teddy, but you've diverted its attention slightly and made yourself the focus of its attention: then, when the pup gets to you, still with teddy in mouth, you praise mightily. I'd then play a tiny game of tug: just pulling slightly on the toy as the dog holds it.

 

Pups of even a very young age are able to learn the 'give' command, and you teach this by holding either another toy in your free hand, or a titbit: I don't like using food personally, as it can teach the pup to spit out the toy to get the food. Offering an alternative thing for it to grab keeps feeding the pup's drive to grab. You can fine tune these responses as the pup matures, but this method ensures that you get a happy retriever which is always eager to come to you carrying something in its mouth.

[Mark Vaughan 0]

Great advice. Thank you. :-)

[echo 24]

Also if your pup gets hold of something you don;t want it to.Call it towards you and exchange for something it can have.I never use any negatives on my dogs and they bring anything and everything to me.Most gun dogs are ruined by the time they are 12 weeks old,where retrieving is concerned because people think they learn like humans.If you think dog all the time you will go far.

[mackay 3,384]

Also if your pup gets hold of something you don;t want it to.Call it towards you and exchange for something it can have.I never use any negatives on my dogs and they bring anything and everything to me.Most gun dogs are ruined by the time they are 12 weeks old,where retrieving is concerned because people think they learn like humans.If you think dog all the time you will go far.

 

I was sorely tested in that department when a young dog I was training brought me a pair of pants someone had wiped their arse with.

[stroller 341]

Bloody hell mate you have picked a difficult breed to start off with! They are one of the most versatile breeds and they will do a lot more than a bit of retrieving they are very, very strong hunters. Rory major has a set of dvds for the hpr breeds and he shows a young bitch working a lot. Ive spoken to Rory and he rates them above all other dogs. Good luck

[Mark Vaughan 0]

Cheers guys. I tend to tackle challenges head on. Everything I take on just so happens to be a lot

[Mark Vaughan 0]

Of work. I've spent ages reading and watching DVDs talking to people and Internet searching about the breed. I just want too do the best job for him. I hope he will be more than a retriever. But I don't want to aim too high for now. But hopefully he will be of a high standard when he's trained. For now its sowing the seed and putting in the hard work

[stroller 341]

Mark it would be interesting to see how you get on but try and get involved in a local German short haired pointer training group they cater for all breeds and you will meet a vast array of people with skills who can help. As well as this you could put him through the gundog clubs training classes I found them expensive but very useful. Just google it and they will have a local trainer. It just helps sometimes to have a network of dog people who can help