Mother's Day post
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and dog moms out there- we hope you're having a great day!
In today's blog, I want to address the balancing act we ask our hunting dogs to walk. In the life we ask out of our furry hunting partners, we ask them to walk a difficult line. On one side of the line is the sheer obedience we desire to have with our pets. On the other side is the independence, seek, drive, and determination that makes a good hunting dog.
We probably have all seen examples of dogs being too far away from the middle. On one side, we have all hunted with the dog that doesn't listen, self-hunts (meaning that they are hunting for themself instead as a team), and won't bring a bird back. If we have been that person, we know we want to pull our hair out being with the dog. If we have hunted with someone else's dog, then we know it can be an exercise in patience. Those days aren't fun listening to someone yell at their dog all day. The hard part is developing obedience without sacrificing hundreds of years of selective breeding to enhance the traits we love in the field or blind.
The other side of this situation is overhandling and pushing too much obedience. I see this more often than you would think. At almost every hunt test I participate in, there are dogs in the field or blind brought by others that cannot hunt without the handler's input on everything. These dogs look too timid, shy, and have no confidence. This behavor is due to over-training and overhandling. If we become too controlling, the dog cannot be everything it's capable of. The fact is that all dogs go through periods when they swing too far one way or another assuming that you are working and living with them. There are age stages of a dog's life they seem to be more sensitive to pressure. There are times in a dog's life when they are more obstinate. The key here is to be aware of both and keep the long-term goal in mind. Yes, we can push too hard when getting ready for a test or a big hunt. Yes, we can be in a spot in life where we can't seem to be there enough to keep the discipline sharp in our dogs.
We call ourselves dog advocates often. What do we mean by that? As a pro, we are supposed to know the dogs at a level that we can max-out their potential. That includes being fair with them when they need it and pushing them when they can do more. We must remember to be intentional, and develop both sides, both positively and negatively, in the areas we look for. It also means knowing when to train, when to play, when to relax, when to exercise, when to praise, and when to punish. One of the biggest struggles that most DIY trainers have is that they should be following a training system developed by pros to help people get results for the dog. Here in lies a problem. Most good systems work for most dogs. But some systems were created by people who predominantly work one or two breeds. Take into consideration that not every system is right for each dog. This is oftentimes where I see dogs that are "washed out" of training programs. I am not knocking these trainers, the fact is that we cannot be experts in every area. I love the challenge of figuring out the dog and finding ways to get the dog toward the middle. This route in all honesty takes longer but very rarely does a dog wash out. I always want dogs to max out thier potential.
As always if you are having problems in any of the areas or are looking for feedback on how to get better, call or email us and we will see how we can help.