That slow time of year

Dakota and Sophie watch Doc train on the Whoa command

Around here, I think it’s probably about the only time of the year when things really slow down as it applies to the dogs. Hunting season is over, water work isn’t really practical, and the snow prevents us from getting out to our regular training grounds. So that means more frequent trips to the pasture and a lot of indoor work.

Doc is steady on the Whoa command

Daily workouts on the treadmill are keeping the guys in shape, and even Doc is becoming accustomed to it. Granted, his workouts are limited to a couple of times a week, just a few minutes at a time, and at a very slow pace; but being treat-motivated as he is, it’s something he’s beginning to look forward to.

Doc is steady on Whoa without the waist cord

Aside from the treadmill, Doc’s training is primarily obedience. He’s mastered “kennel up”, obediently comes when called (but only if he feels like it), is quickly catching on to “heel”, and is doing very well with “whoa”. I’ll normally start Doc out on the waist cord with “heel”, then “whoa”, and after he’s steady with “whoa” a couple of times, I remove the waist cord. As with the treadmill, this is only a couple of times a week and for no more than 10 minutes.

Tags: bird dog training, spinone, spinoni, training dogs indoors, whoa training