Yard Work/Obedience Training Obedience training can include an endless amount of behavior conditioning and commands. When developing a respectable gundog, the three most important commands are here, heel and whoa. Most pro trainers and do-it-yourself gundog owners refer to this training as “yard work”. It probably got its name yard work because just like mowing the lawn or raking leaves, they are tasks that are desirable once completed but can be displeasing and frustrating to perform. There are many different methods and tricks in achieving a desired level of yard work obedience. I use a variety of techniques and approach each individual dog's training based on their personality and ability to learn. Every dog is different and therefore not every dog should be trained the same as the next. Repetition and consistency is essential in any training program along with proper association.
It is important for a gundog to learn here, heel and whoa for many reasons. The first command, “here“, is self explanatory. There will be many instances and tasks that your dog performs that will be critical that he/she will reliably return to you. Without effectively training here, you are fishing without a reel.
The command “heel” is given to make your dog walk at your side with his head at your knee. This command is most beneficial when walking to and from an upland field. The heel command will be greatly appreciated at times you demand your dog to be patient and stay close to you.
The “whoa” command is absolutely a must for a pointing dog to know and respond to reliably. That is if you want your pointing dog to perform well at what he is expected to do. The command can be used periodically throughout a hunt for a number of reasons. When given the command the dog should stop abruptly and not move. Whoa will be used most during bird work. Whoa can effectively be used to condition your dog to point for extended periods of time and prevent chasing of game in flight.
Electronic collars (e-collar/shock collar) are used only to correct misconducted behavior that the dog has previously learn. E-collars are not used as a training tool and the dog will be properly conditioned to one with each command.
Back to Training Page
| 