The following is a “pass along” article from The Point Dog Journal.
Tools for the Hunting Season: The Whistle
By Bob and Jody Iler
Back in 1999, we wrote an article called “The Silent Method” for the sixth anniversary issue of The Pointing Dog Journal. In it, we talk about training our dogs quietly, with minimal use of voice and whistle – and with emphasis on showing our dogs what we want. Our philosophy hasn’t changed.
All of us have been out hunting, or perhaps competing in field events, and been accompanied by noisy hunting partners or handlers. You know the kind; they’re blowing their whistles until you wince, and yelling and gesturing constantly to dogs that seem to ignore them.
And yet, as a hunter or competitor in field events, you do need to “signal” your dog to come around, come back, or change direction when you do. So what do we mean when we talk about silent training?
How many times have you watched someone command a dog to “Sit, sit, SIT” while the dog just looks at the handler? Or seen someone yelling fruitlessly at the dog to come? Showing, not telling or commanding, is key to good training. Since dogs don’t understand our language, we need to patiently, repetitively, and quietly show them what each command means.
Right from the get-go in field training we use tools that will show our pups what we want. It’s a pyramid process: We get pups used to the checkcord, changing course often (and without noise) until they get the idea to watch us and what direction we’re heading in.
Pointing Dog Pointers features monthly training tips by Bob and Jody Iler, who own Green Valley Kennels in Dubuque, Iowa. Bob and Jody have trained pointing dogs for over 35 years and have written many articles for The Pointing Dog Journal.
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Tags: bird dog training, bird hunting, hunting with bird dogs, piinter training, whistle training
