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• Posted By : UHUNT APP - Jesse Farr
• Posted On : Feb 05, 2020
• Views : 5204
• Likes : 13
• Category : PIG DOGGING » ARTICLES, TIPS & HOW TO GUIDES
• Description : “If your foundation training is solid, then it will show through the pups confidence in itself and in you.”

Overview

• Hunting & Dog Training Tips

  
  By Greig Tonkins from Blue Collar Canines
  
  Training pigdogs is something we often take for granted, especially when running teams of dogs. We can be fortunate enough to have those naturally keen pups or young dogs with good pack drive to just follow along and do as the older dogs do, but realistically the majority of them will need some forms of structured training to assist them in their life’s journey. So where do we start?? The first step to training any dog is to find out the dogs motivation. Generally, it will be either food, a play toy, or affection from you. You can set up tests with all three in front of the dog and see what they will consistently choose first; then you use that as their primary reward as it obviously means the most for the dog! Now we start to set the pup or young dog up to succeed out in the field, by establishing the behaviours we want to see out there, right here at home in your own backyard. This helps the pup or young dog to learn and progress quicker because they are in a familiar environment where they feel confident and relaxed. Start with the basics that every dog needs, a recall, a sit, and a stay. Master these three behaviours at home and then start to add distractions such as other people, other dogs, and animals or sounds and situations to test how the dog can cope with some pressure. 

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  If your foundation training is solid, then it will show through the pups confidence in itself and in you. Trust is a massive factor for dogs, and if they trust you have their back, then distractions will minimally affect them. Remember to set yourself up for success by choosing when you train your dog. After a 3km run or after their main meal isn’t the best time, but when you get home from work and the dog is excited to see you is a great time for a training session. It's all about motivation remember. Using their favourite motivation and reward will make the learning process positive, fun, and therefore, they will be eager and keen to learn. Once a dog joins the dots of the learning process, they will engage with you quicker and seek out to learn more from you. A highly motivated dog raised in this way will always give you more effort than one not being trained with positive reward-based motivation methods. Always remember though that they are individual animals and will all have their own little quirks along with their good and bad points. Try as we might there is no perfect dog, they all have their flaws no matter how small, it’s the positive traits we like to bring out. 

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  After the basic foundation has been laid, then the entry into the field will be a smooth transition provided, the dog is controlled until it has earned your trust. Cage them around stock or wildlife, long lead attached when they’re let off the ute, run them with no other pups or young dogs to lead each other astray and having older dogs they are familiar with are a few factors and steps that will once again be in your favour for a positive outcome all round. Dogs just aren’t born pre-programmed like a computer. They are a sensitive, highly intelligent animal that reacts according to the environment around them or situations they’re put into. A rock-solid foundation of training is your best asset to creating a well rounded, emotionally stable and balanced dog that is a pleasure to be around not only at home but in the field or out in public. I know we all want to hunt our dogs as quickly as possible and I'm in the same boat believe it or not. A wise bush fella and trainer once told me that if you “take the time it takes, it takes half the time!” This means if we are patient and put in the extra effort at the start of the pup or young dog’s life, then we will be able to enjoy hunting a lot more out in the field. This will save us trying to fix problems in the field and wasting time that could have been solved in the yard. Happy hunting and happy training folks!

  Written by Greig Tonkins
  Blue Collar Canines
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