This might be the part where some of you inevitably get off the train and that’s OK. We all come with a few preconceived notions. Opinions about how to train a bird dog are strong. Labels are often strategically placed to describe certain training methods as negative or even cruel. Let’s look at one example: “force fetch”. Why don’t you just draw and quarter your bird dog and be done with it if you’re so cold hearted that you would “force” them to do anything against their wishes? That sounds about right, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be much nicer to train them to retrieve by rewarding them, rather than correcting them? I’ve seen much advice given out recently about training in a positive way only with a clicker and food reward. And while I have to admit I don’t know everything about the specific method, it raises a few fundamental questions.
Yard working Safanad (Erin’s Prometheus x War Paint), starting on the whoa rail each time. Notice her E-Collar and Check Cord, two of the most critical training tools when used correctly. She jumps up on the rail and is excited each time we put her E-Collar on. It’s just part of her “uniform”.
I recently saw someone who jumped head first into the “positive only” training ideal. They were asking about how to get their dog to retrieve all the way to hand. Fido would gingerly pick up the dead bird and walk a few steps toward the handler, then drop it. It’s clear to me that the dog needs to learn to “hold”. This is a common shortcoming when teaching a dog to fetch. One helpful person responded to the inquiry, telling her to, “send the dog to a pro for force fetch”. Another person told her to “toss the bird, then run around like an idiot”. I’m sure I’ve been seen running around like an idiot a few times but I pray that it had nothing to do with bird dogs or training. The “force fetch” suggestion was likely the best advice she got, but her quick reply was, “no way, positive only”! I wonder how she intends to click her way out of that one. Asking our dog to comply fully and hold a bumper or bird is not forceful, negative nor is it cruel. It’s simply making clear to the dog what is right and wrong. Canines live for this. Within a pack they have clear boundaries. They also give clear signals when those lines are about to be crossed and those are not always rewarding nor positive.
Safanad in the training field. She stops hard on the “whoa” command after a few sessions of check cord work. We train the command with the cord long before using the E-Collar. When she is ready for steadying on birds, she will learn about the E-Collar on her flank as well.
Yet “Positive Only” training seems to be catching on. You can find plenty of videos of extremely well trained, almost robotic dogs with laser focus on that treat bag slung from the trainer’s belt. I do think there is much good to be taken from this positive method. When I raise a very young pup I’m constantly bribing them with food. It’s simple and you can get nearly one hundred percent compliance this way. I also believe you’re building trust. If you want to break down that trust or simply get pup to ignore you, holler at them a lot or yank hard on a lead to correct them. When I teach very young 7-8 week old pups to come, I try to almost always have a treat in hand or some type of similar reward they can’t resist: positive only.
But then the obvious question arises: what to do when pup is gnawing away on a pair of $300 boots? What would happen if I clicked or treat rewarded that pup? Don’t we establish boundaries for all of our dogs? And how is that done with “positive only” training? I don’t have a good answer for that but I’m sure someone will respond and straighten me out soon. I welcome the exchange and learning process. Until then, we are left with using a combination of correction and praise. We all know what praise is. It can be food as mentioned or a calming pet along the side.
Kasida (Erin’s Prometheus x War Paint) on the whoa rail, wearing an E-Collar that’s not even turned on yet and showing her intensity and focus on the task at hand. We don’t need food rewards to get pups to focus. We use time, patience, trust and regular bird contacts - the thing they want the most.
Let’s look at correction. What is a correction? I once saw a guy smack his dog in front of a large gallery at a National Championship. I think most of us know, that is NOT a correction. Some may disagree or think that a very hard headed dog requires such treatment but without question this animal was only scared and confused as it was smacked and drug out of the field on a leash after doing nothing more than pointing “off game”; a cottontail.
I think most dog owners understand that we have to set boundaries for our animals and “correct” them when they cross that line. We don’t say “no” in our house as it sounds far too much like “whoa”. But we do use a loud “sssshhhhhhtt”! Sometimes the sound of it alone will stop pups in their tracks. They look up quickly to see what that loud noise was and then we can often redirect them away from the trouble they might be causing. It often does not even involve physical contact. But it certainly is not rewarding and not positive. It snaps them out of a behavior that we don’t want. It’s a correction.
What about a check cord? When we “pull and give” on that cord in the field, yard working a pup, that is surely correction. Your hot rod better come with it’s own power steering before you put it on auto-pilot. That’s all we are doing. Steering that pup to do our bidding: to turn and go with us, to stay out front, to stop and stand. Every time we use that check cord it is a type of correction.
Eventually in our training, we transition that check cord correction to an E-collar. Ah yes the infamous e-collar. Of course the “positive only” folks have so graciously given away all of their e-collars since finding training nirvana. Or better yet, they’ve all been destroyed in a much more dramatic fashion, freeing the trainer from the modern confines of electronics forever. This sounds great but if you have a pointing dog running out at range, good luck with treats and clickers. When there are birds around our Setters could care less about a food reward and will completely ignore it, then look up at you like, “dinner is later pal, get hunting”!
The e-collar may be the best and most misunderstood training tool in use today. You’ve heard it many times, but if you’re using that collar out of malice, you really should get rid of it. Everything we ask the dog to do is first taught to them through the use of something like the check cord and then eventually the tug on the cord is done at the exact same time that we give a very small nick with the e-collar. This nick should be light enough for you to feel it on your own neck or wrist. Yes, I’ve shocked myself with it. I’m not, nor should anyone be in the business of punishing the dog with it. The e-collar is only a training tool - a very long check cord. Some dogs are more sensitive to it than others. You should increase the level in the smallest increments possible until you get the desired result. If you’re in doubt, drop down a level. You’ll never get in trouble if you do.
We start our puppies with the e-collar as soon as they are big enough to wear it, but for months we don’t even have it turned on. This is a way to prevent a “collar-wise” dog. Make it part of their “uniform”. There are some folks that will say I have only a “push-button” dog, something I’ve heard many times from those who don’t seem to understand the e-collar. But this is another reason we run in trials. All collars have to come off and your dog must be proven in competition without wearing an e-collar, having fully learned their lessons ahead of time and retained their training.
I’ve heard of a few trainers of pointing dogs who don’t use an e-collar at all and I’m sure they’re very good trainers. I would only wonder how they are giving any corrections, if necessary, at range. I don’t think I’ve had a real good answer to that question yet, so if you know better than me, I’m all ears! When my dog is supposed to be broke to wing and shot, but chases a wild bird in thick grouse cover, tell me how your check cord or whooping or whoaing is going to do any good? It’s not. Some of the old methods for correcting a dog at range involved running dogs down from horseback or peppering them with a load of 9 shot at a distance too far to break the skin. Now do you think the e-collar is cruel?
War Paint with the E-Collar around her flank to keep her steady to wing and shot during a training session. When you put the E-Collar on the flank, most dogs are much more sensitive to this contact point. Use the absolute lowest level. Also when you put it on you will almost always need to tighten it down a minute later, every time you put it on the dog, making sure you have proper contact, but your dog can still run normally.
So I say go forth with confidence in your electronics. Keep your e-collars charged and your timing sharp and “show” your dog what you want it to do first with a check cord. And while I am being a bit critical of “positive only” training, don’t forget the immense value in the general idea, especially with young dogs. Praise and reward will never set you back. But establishing boundaries and letting them know what’s “wrong” is just as OK. Do it lightly and judiciously. Be a firm yet fair pack leader. Your dog will worship you for it and learn it’s lessons well.