Deutscher Wachtelhunds of America (Home)
Wachtelhund Training
I get a lot of questions from dog buyers about training gun dogs. Some buyers have never trained a hunting dog. Some are unfamiliar with Wachtelhunds. Training methods are as varied as there are breeds of dogs. Each trainer will have their own training methods and will vary them to each dog being trained. Dogs like people are all different.
So this page is dedicated gun dog training and will contain articles from various individuals. If you have training method and want to enter it on this page just E-mail it to me. I will post it with your name on the article.
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Introducing Puppies to Gun Fire
(Written By Dave Pepe)
I recently had a prospective buyer ask me how to introduce their new pup to gun fire. I told him the pup he will be getting will already be introduced to gun fire. As a breeder, I introduce my pups to the sound of gun shots when they are around five weeks old. At five weeks of age puppies love to eat. So this is a good time to get them acquainted with the sound of a gun and associate it with something good like eating. Once a day, usually during the mid-day feeding, I'll fire a gun while all the pups are eating. I'll have my wife feed the pups and I will be standing about 40 yards away. I'll watch and wait until all the pups have their heads in the food bowl and are eating, at that precise moment I'll fire a .22 pistol behind my back. Normally, I'll use sub-sonic shells the first several times, as they are quieter than most .22 blanks. Usually the first few times, the pups will all stop eating and look around to see what the noise was, some may jump a little. But the bold pups will lead the other pups back to the food bowl and with in seconds they all will have their heads back in the bowl and eating, unfazed by the gun shot. I'll shoot only one shot during a feeding and after the first several times I'll move up to louder .22 shells and pistols. I never get closer than 30 to 40 yards.
By time they are seven to eight weeks old and ready to go to their new homes they are accustomed to gun shots and are not gun shy. I inform my buyers what I have done, but advise them not fire any other guns around the pup until they are retrieving dummies and birds and only then re-introduce gun shots.
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Training A Dog to Blood Trail
(Written By Dave Pepe)
I get a lot of questions on how to train Wachtelhunds to blood trail wounded deer. Training dogs to blood trail is really very simple, especially when you are training dogs such as Wachtelhunds which have been bred to do this for hundreds of years. Most European and other gun dogs that hunt with a low nose are easily trained to blood trail wounded deer and other cloven hoof game. In the last two years, I've sold three Wachtelhund pups who each found several mortally wounded deer before they were nine months old. Each of these young Wachtelhunds did this with out any formal training. An easy task for Continental gun dogs, as most European countries have laws requiring hunter's have access to dogs capable of recovering wounded game, this applies to small and large game. In Germany the blood trailing hunt tests are 1,000 meters long, made with only one liter of blood, 20 and 40 hours old. Almost any young Wachtelhund can find a mortally wounded deer, as deer usually don't go far after being hit it the vitals. It is those poor shots that require a trained dog regardless of the breed.
I
suggest those interested in training your gun dog to blood trail to check with
your State game agencies as some states have laws restricting the use of dogs
for hunting deer. In Wisconsin you can not hunt deer with dogs, but if the dog
is on a leash and under your control you can use them to find mortally wounded
deer.
I recommend you start training your pup early, the earlier
the better. When they are small and young they seem to learn to keep their nose
to the ground and follow foot scent more readily. This training will help
your gun dog as it will teach it to concentrate and follow a specific scent.
Your dog can still be used to hunt birds.
The
following method will train your young dog to blood trail:
First, always put your dog into a body harness and on a long
rope, 30' or so when training and working it on an actual blood trail. This way
you have it under control, when you come to thickets and downfalls you can drop
the rope going around the obstacle and catch the rope on the other side. Your
dog will learn when you put the body harness on it has a specific hunting task
to do- BLOOD TRAILING. My Wachtels get just as excited when they see the body
harness as when they see a gun.
Okay training exercises, here the objective is to teach them
to follow a specific trail. You could use apple juice if you wanted to and
accomplish the same goal. All cloven hoof game sweat through their hoofs when
they are hurt or mortally wounded. In fact, the German word for blood trailing
is Schweissarbeit. Literal translation is - Schweiss is sweat, arbeit is work,
so it is sweat work. Experienced blood trailing dogs learn to follow the sweat
scent because it is present even when the animal quits bleeding. An experienced
dog will follow the scent of sweat, blood and scent of freshly turned over
leaves and dirt when trailing a wounded deer.
Obtaining sweat in any amount is difficult. Apple juice is
easy, but so is blood, or blood juice for training. I have my wife save the
blood juice from all red meat that she thaws out. She pours it into water
bottles kept in the freezer. Each time she thaws out some meat she adds the
juice to the water bottle in the freezer. We always have plenty of full bottles
in the freezer. When you take one out to work your dog put a spurt drinking top
on the bottle. Also if you are going to be using it over several days add a
little salt to keep it from spoiling and kept it refrigerated.
Okay time to begin training. For young and untrained
dogs lay down a short trail into the wind. With the spurt top on the bottle
drop a few drops of blood very foot or two for 10 to 15 yards for the first
time. At the end of the trail put down a favorite treat for your dog to find.
This is the secret to training a dog to blood trail. A
dog must have from the very first time a reward-success relationship. Drug and
bomb dogs are trained with the same method -- reward-success relationship, only
they use a ball as the reward. The dogs get to play with a ball when they
accomplish a task correctly. In training a dog to blood trail we provide a
reward when the dog reaches the end of the trail. It must be something the dog
really enjoys. I personally use raw meat. I'll take a roast, deer or beef and
cut it into strips 1/2" X 1/2" X 2" and put them individually into a sip-lock
bag and freeze them. This allows me to take one out at a time, just before
training, due to its small size it will thaw out quickly. I place it at the end
of the trail as the dog's reward for finding the end of the trail. You only
need to do these training exercises once a week or so. Wachtelhunds are smart
and learn quickly. Some will get it in as little as three or four exercises.
Later in actual practice, just praise the dog for doing a good job.
Okay the trail is ready and you have your dog in its body
harness and on a 30' rope. Take your young or old dog for a walk and lead it in
from down wind. Let it find the trail, you can mark the trail with surveyor
tape or toilet paper so you can remember where it is. Encourage it to follow
the trail, if it strays off, guide it back onto the trail with the rope. Give
lots of encouragement and make a big deal when it fines its reward at the end of
the trail. If you use surveyor tape go back and pick it up.
After the first time, extend the length of the trail and the
interval between the blood drops, until you are making a trail that is 400 to
500 yards and longer, eventually increasing the distance between blood drops up
to 5 to 10 yards, or more. Also, wait longer and longer before bringing the dog
to the trail. If you really want to get into it, lay the trail the day before.
Always keep the dog on the 30" rope.
Recommendations: If you are going to be searching in thick woods as in
Northern Wisconsin wear safety glasses and gloves. As a younger dog will
be dragging you through the woods at a breath taking pace. If your are
searching after dark, carry extra flashlights and batteries. I start
training my Wachtelhunds before they are a year old, but prefer to use a
Wachtelhund that is about eight years or older, as they work at slightly slower
pace. And last but not least, once a dog has found two or three deer, always
trust the dog from then on; even if you see no blood.
Start your dog now and you will be ready for bow season!
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Training Pup To Come When Called
(The majority of this article was written by David A. Witner,
Nimisila Creek Kennels )
The minute a new owner gets their puppy the first thing they
want to know is when and how do I begin training. The first thing I tell them is
to just play with the pup and then the training will come naturally. The more a
dog is socialized and around people, the easier they are to train. Give them to
your kids, the neighbor kids and anyone that will play with them. It will make
life much easier for you.
As to training, the first thing you need to teach a pup is
"come". Come is easy, when you want your pup to come to you, get down to his
level, say come in a very reassuring voice, make some noise to get his attention
and then keep repeating it until they come to you. Pet, praise and reward the
dog and then let them go about their business. I used to never treat a pup when
they responded appropriately, I did not want them to look the "show" dogs always
responding to food but I have found out that if taught with occasional treats,
come is much easier to teach. Repeat this little drill every time you get the
chance. If the dog is coming to you without a prompt, get down to their level,
say your command and praise them when they get to you.
As the pup gets a little older, I use a short cord attached
to their collar. Give the command, give a gentle tug on the cord and bring the
pup to you. Reward, pet and praise and then repeat. If the pup does not respond,
give the command, gently reel them in to you and then praise them when they get
to you. If the pup does not respond to the second command do not continue to
shout at the dog. Move around a little and then give the command again. I also
find it sometimes helps to take the pup out of their normal area, have the short
training session and then return to their domain.
Once the pup has learned what come on the short cord means I
switch to a longer check cord and add the whistle command. Give the come
command, blow the whistle and bring the dog to you. Reward, praise and release,
in one or two training sessions the dog will be responding to the whistle
command alone.
At this point I normally start walking the pup in the woods
with out a lead. When the pup get 15 to 20 yards out I will call it back. When
the pup comes I get down and pet and praise. When the pup has this down, I will
sometimes hide behind a tree and wait quietly for the pup to notice I'm not
there. Usually the pup will come and search for me, if the pup does not After a
while I will call for it to come. When it does I pet and praise.
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How to Teach your Pup to Hold
(Written by Jane Pappler, Redlion
Chesapeakes and Labradors )
Start by taking short walks with you new puppy. As he grows, he will enjoy these walks and automatically pick up things in his mouth and happily bring them to you. When he is older, a walk with other dogs is good for socialization, but for this exercise, it's just you and your dog. This time will provide several important facets for his beginning obedience and retrieving. As you walk, when the puppy picks up a stick, ball, soda can, etc., call him happily to you by saying the command "here". Usually he'll come right over to you, knowing he'll get a little attention. When he does, praise him for a moment, and then gently take the object from his mouth with the command "give". The key here is to immediately say, "fetch" and offer the object back to the puppy's mouth, say good boy and let the pup run off to play again carrying the object. In a few minutes, do the same thing over again, remembering the commands, give, fetch, and then praise. You'll find that in just a few days of this fun play, the pup comes to you much easier than before, he will start holding the object until you take it from his mouth, and he learns that "fetch" means to take something into his mouth again and carry/hold it. As he progresses, add a little more to it. When he comes up to you, gently hold the collar, tell him to sit, then "good boy", then the give and fetch routine. Next step is to move this fun game into your yard work, using a bumper for carrying, then doing the give and the fetch. Once you start throwing marks to practice the retrieve, he'll already know what to do and where to go when he picks something up. You'll be surprised how much easier they come to you, sit, give, and fetch again and all you did was to take a fun walk in the woods with your dog!
I do this with all my puppies starting at 9-10 weeks on their short walks. You don't want them ever to drop the bumper/bird or spit it out. The ideal thing is to have the dog return to heel position with the bird held in the mouth until you take it from them but this is taught in several stages. (Having the dog come to heel position is important when you get into multiple marks and handling). Also, if the dog insists on dropping the bumper all the time, try sitting on the ground, teasing and playing with him/her. With bumper in hand, scurry it around on the ground, getting her to jump at it, grab it and hold it. Give it a little short fling if necessary to encourage picking it up and holding it--it's a game to them but one that can help teach. Let the dog hold it a bit, while you rub them and tell them "good dog". Don't be in a rush to take it away from them if they are holding while you rub them. One reason a smart puppy doesn't come back to you is because they know as soon as they do you take their "prize" away!
Only use One-Word Commands
Heel, sit, give, fetch, and hold, NO,
kennel.... Send the dog to retrieve on their name. Fetch means to take the
bumper. So if the dog drops it, you say "fetch"...that is the command to take it
from your hand, off the ground, etc....then you use the word "hold" while the
dog is sitting, with little taps up under the chin--this keeps the head up and
the dog can't spit out the bumper....lots of praising...don't make the dog hold
too long at first. Once they know give, fetch, hold, then you do the force
fetching, which is with the ear pinch and it "only reinforces" the commands that
the dog knows. Too many people force the dog to learn the commands with the ear
pinch instead of teaching the commands first and then reinforcing what the dog
knows.
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Smart Retrieving Basics - Part 1
(Written by Jane Pappler, Redlion Chesapeakes and Labradors )
If the puppy is more than 3 months old, don't shoot and use the "little birds" such as starlings, wrens, etc., for your retrieving. They are the one gulp size and if there is blood and guts it can cause a "munching" problem. A dog can develop an eating problem from shot-up birds or wet pigeons. If that happens, only use birds that are not shot--do not use wet or frozen pigeons. If you use the frozen pigeons, let them thaw all the way first. Gas the pigeons (in a bag over the exhaust of the car) so that there is no featherless skin, blood, guts, etc. You can apply a shot and throw them with less chance of the dog eating them. Never use a badly shot duck until the eating or mouthing problem is solved. Later, train using a duck with an open wound, as you will get the odd one in a trial, test or when hunting but use this after the force fetching is done and there is no eating problem.
Don't use birds all the time. If the dog picks them up with no problem, has learned to smell for them and brings them to you with a soft mouth then you've achieved what's important. Train with canvas and vinyl bumpers, and birds only occasionally. A young dog can loose interest in bumper work quickly if they know birds are nearby. There might be times or places where you can't use birds or they aren't accessible.
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Smart Retrieving Basics - Part 2
(Written by Jane Pappler, Redlion Chesapeakes and Labradors )
Never shoot a gun for young dogs without a retrieve associated with it, as this is exactly what can cause a dog to be gun-shy. Yes, this is a man-made problem, not hereditary. Once they are retrieving nicely, then add a shot with a small caliber gun like a .22 and throw the bird. The gunner should be out a fair ways from you doing the shooting and throwing, not overtop of the dog. Work your way up to using a 12 gauge and to being closer to the dog with the shot and throw, doing this over a period of time. No rushing. Shooting further from the dog to start is very wise to prevent a gun-shy dog.
Stick to 3-4 retrieves at a time for young dogs, never throwing in the same place twice (you don't want them going back to an old fall) and learn to quit right away if he/she tires or slows up in speed or desire. Always end on a positive note, even if you have to throw a 10-foot bumper to get the happy ending. Throwing too many retrieves at a time makes a dog loose his interest, thus the dog laying down, dropping the bumper/bird, not coming back, etc. If you are working on the dog going across a little ditch, as in land-water-land, and they do it correctly, then stop or move on to something else. Don't repeat in the same place even if it is a failure. If they don't do it, repeat the same scenario but move on down the ditch a little ways.