The Trouble with Gundogs E-Book

Margaret Allen

• Herausgeber: The Crowood Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 412

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

The Trouble with Gundogs takes a new look at the causes and cures for the many faults that can crop up in the process of training a Gundog. Dogs and humans have lived, worked and played together for thousands of years and strong bonds have formed between them. With luck and care, the training, management and handling of a Gundog will progress without a hitch. The luck begins with natural talent on both sides and the care ensures that correct choices are made and good sense prevails. However, things can still go wrong. This book offers solutions to the problems that may occur along the way. There are hundreds of different types of dog and each one has its own character. Because of this, one size does not fit all when tackling a problem, and different approaches are offered. Observation, determination and perseverance will usually be rewarded.

Leseprobe

First published in 2023 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2023

© Margaret Allen 2023

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 7198 4280 1

Photographs by Nicky Woods: Frontispiece (Golden Retriever coming with hen pheasant) p.12 (top); p.14 (top left, top right); p.55 (bottom); p.103 (top and bottom); p.104; p.108; p.128; p.139; p.143; p.145; p.146; p.147; p.148; p.149; p.157.

Photographs by Charles Bradfield: p.81; p.120 (right); p.138; p. 142.

Cover design by Blue Sunflower Creative

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Tony Jackson

Preface

Introduction

1 ‘Horses for Courses’

2 The Learning Process in Dogs

3 What Is the Cause of the Trouble?

4 What You Will Need

5 Innate Troubles

6 Problems at Home and Away

7 Dog Gone!

8 Troubles with Basic Training

9 Handling Troubles

10 The Trouble with Quartering

11 Troubles with the Retrieve

12 Troubles with the Delivery

13 The Trouble with Picking Up

14 Condition, Injuries and Age

Tailpiece

Glossary

Index

Acknowledgements

I have been training gundogs for more than fifty years but I feel that I have done as much of the learning as the dogs have. By watching dogs and how they act and react in different situations, I have had the best teachers anyone could have. Huge thanks to them. (And, by the way, I am still learning!)

I am very grateful to my veterinary surgeons, Matthew Bowditch and Terry Girling, and their colleagues, who have helped me to identify when certain problems are health related.

In order to offer more than one option with a problem, I have picked the brains of many friends and acquaintances to find out what they would do in certain situations. Sincere thanks to you all.

Having said that, there is one very good friend whom I must mention, and that is Douglas Jackson. It is a great sadness to me that he died before my first book, In the Bag! Labrador Training from Puppy to Gundog was published. He was an immense help and inspiration and did some of the proof reading. He was also full of ideas for this book on problem solving. He used to help me with my classes – even throwing dummies at age 94. He had a terrific sense of humour. When he saw a handler and dog that were completely at odds with one another, he would say, ‘What a pity they have never met!’ What an accurate comment – we are all different and every dog is different. We cannot hope to get on with every other human, and we have even less chance of understanding every dog. But many of us try, and usually we are not disappointed.

Great thanks to Nicky Woods and Charles Bradfield for their super photographs. Thank you as well to everyone who has allowed me to use photos and stories of their dogs’ misdeeds to illustrate faults. No names, no pack drill!

To those handlers who have asked for help with gundog training difficulties, who have listened to me and used the methods I suggest, and overcome their problems, I say a very big ‘Thank you!’.

Results, like actions, speak louder than words. If other trainers see that my methods work, it has to be good for gundogs as well as for their owners.

FOREWORD

In a somewhat extensive life, largely spent with guns and rifles in a variety of sporting scenarios, I have owned and mostly enjoyed a number of assorted Labradors and spaniels. I have said ‘mostly’ because my initial attempts at gundog training were basic, and while I tried to absorb articles, books and advice from well-meaning friends, I fear that I caused more potential problems than I solved. It was not until I met Margaret Allen that I really began to understand the basic elements of gundog training and to appreciate dog psychology. This is the vital element that Margaret employs in her highly successful first book, In the Bag! Labrador Training from Puppy to Gundog.

Now, after a breather, she has completed her second book, The Trouble with Gundogs: Practical Solutions to Behavioural and Training Problems. This, in my opinion, is a book of vital importance, not only for the first-time gundog owner and trainer, but for anyone with a working gundog of any age. Here, in detail, Margaret has assembled fourteen chapters that cover in detail the numerous problems that are likely to be encountered, not only for the new gundog owner but also the many trainers who have confronted a dilemma when training their dog. She deals with every aspect of the learning process in working gundogs, including canine psychology, health and food troubles, different dogs for different jobs, equipment, commands, signals and their meanings.

Margaret covers a variety of innate troubles, such as noisiness, aggression, nervousness and fear. She tackles aspects of troubles at home and away, such as depraved appetite, unpleasant habits, playing with hazardous items and travel sickness. Problems in basic training, including heelwork, the sit and the recall, are addressed, not forgetting perhaps the worst problems of all: stock chasing, running off, and hunting for itself.

In advanced training, solutions are offered for handling troubles concerning quartering, the retrieve, the delivery, competition troubles and picking up. There is a section on hazards, injuries and illness, feeding, training for courage, and lastly, some notes about the elderly dog. Preparing and training for the dog’s fitness and stamina in the field is emphasised. Never have a tired dog, writes Margaret, and always have a first aid kit to deal with potential injuries in the field.

If you are intending to train a young gundog, whether it is your first time or if you are already experienced, this book is absolutely essential. How I wish I had had a copy in my hands all those years ago!

Tony Jackson

PREFACE

My first book on gundog training was about ‘getting it right’. This one is about ‘putting it right’. People rarely come to me with a young, well-bred dog that is still a blank canvas, ready to go forward without any hitches. They come because they have arrived at some difficulty and are looking for a solution.

I have a good idea of what most readers will do when they first pick up this book. I have done it myself. They will go straight to the Index and look up the problem they have encountered. Then they turn to the page that deals with it. While I hope you will find that this is a book you can dip into and find help, I also sincerely hope that you will read the first four chapters at an early stage, especially the section on ‘The Physiology of Learning’ in Chapter 2. Understanding and implementing this will put all your dog training on a firm footing.

Some humans are natural trainers, but others need to really concentrate in order to learn to ‘read’ their dog, to anticipate what it will do, and to gauge when to correct and when to praise. A trainer also needs to know his dog’s temperament and treat the dog accordingly. For instance, a soft-natured dog needs more sympathetic handling than a brash, boisterous animal.

Over the years, people have brought me many different dogs with many different problems, hoping that I can help. Having first established that the problem is not caused by ill health, I usually have something to suggest, something that I have used successfully with my own dogs or with dogs in training with me. You may find some of my ideas controversial, but they are offered in the knowledge that they work, and in the spirit of trying to help both dog and handler.

Although humans have altered dogs outwardly in remarkable ways by selective breeding, our domestic dogs’ instincts and way of learning have changed very little since their days of living in a wild pack. Having watched dogs interacting with each other and using what I have learned from this, I have developed ways of teaching and re-teaching dogs that reflect the ways dogs themselves use. These methods are humane, and dogs understand them.

Unless I am speaking specifically about a bitch, I use ‘he’, ‘him’ and ‘his’ throughout the book. This is for brevity’s sake and means both dog and bitch.

A mixed bag of attentive gundogs, ready for action.

Introduction

I once met a Canadian cattle rancher shooting at one of the top shoots in England. He had just flown in by helicopter from Scotland where he had been fishing and deer stalking, and the week previous to that he had been playing golf near Seattle. It was at a time when cattle farming in the UK was at a low ebb, so I remarked that things must be much better in Canada. He replied that cattle had always been a great love of his, but added, ‘If you want to make money in life, choose something you like and get real good at it, but if it’s cattle you like, you better get real good at something else as well!’ He confessed that he had a nation-wide haulage business as well as his ranch.

How do you ‘get real good at’ something? Well, if you do a lot of something, you can’t help but get ‘real good at it’. Also, you must want to do it. Ask yourself what you do best and you will see immediately that whatever it is, you are good at it because you do it a lot. You strive to improve. It may be sailing, or cooking, or tennis or typing, but whatever it is, you know that you must set about it in the right way. This means that you need good information and sometimes supervision.

How do you choose good information? I think ‘gut feeling’ comes into it, and it is helpful if you have a natural aptitude for the subject and enjoy it. If your chosen subject is gundog training, go to classes, with or without a dog, and listen and watch carefully. You learn more by listening than by talking, and more by watching than by acting. Weigh up what appeals to you, and what you think will work for you and your dog. You need to develop the ability to sift out what you think you can’t use, and to retain what you can. This requires a degree of experience – but that will come of its own accord as you proceed.

Read as much as you can on the subject, but again, you need to discern what is practical and useful, and what is nonsense. Just because it is written on paper or appears on the internet does not mean it is true. There are DVDs and online courses you can use, but again, you need to be able to sort out what you think is sensible and effective.

Most people seem capable of using a computer. This is probably because computers are made to ‘think’ like us – made by Man to ‘think’ like Man. Therefore it is no surprise that most of us can manage these complicated machines to some degree. But this book is about dogs, and dogs do not think as we do. They are not made by us, nor are they like us. We have to learn how they think. We need to get on to their wavelength.

Let’s assume you have acquired a promising young prospect and you start off with high hopes. The two of you make an excellent start and steady progress. But somewhere along the line, something happens that breaks the chain. Trouble can be caused by all sorts of things. Illness of the handler or dog may interrupt training. Business commitments can affect time available. Sometimes, and it can seem extraordinary, just one careless move can confuse a dog and cause a problem. The trainer’s intelligence and education may have little to do with preventing problems in training or his consequent despondency.

Lack of planning and observation are two of the chief causes of problems in dog training. However, bad timing is probably the most common cause of all.

It is clear to me that in dog training, good timing is critical. To some people it comes naturally. They are good observers. They notice the subtle changes in a dog’s stance, his tail and ear carriage, his general demeanour. They watch carefully to make sure that things are going well and to see when things are about to go wrong. They act quickly, fairly and consistently. They plan a training session in advance and always end on a good note.

I have met many people who dislike using food as an aid to training their dog. They just seem to prefer to do things the hard way. In my opinion, if you find a quick way to get an idea across to a dog, that is the best way to get him to understand it. It is also the way to make the idea stick in his mind.

It is in our hands to make a success of our dog. He does not wake up one morning and say, ‘I’d like to be a good dog.’ We take the lead – in both senses of the term – and we set the programme. In training, we are channelling his instincts to our use, and in many cases, what we want goes against those instincts. It is up to us to convey to him what will please us. We need information, discipline and a plan. We need to learn how dogs think so that we approach them in ways they understand.

Training a dog with a problem is very time consuming and needs real perseverance on your part. You therefore have to be prepared to devote time and tenacity if you wish to succeed. If you do not have the time or determination, it may be best to find another home for the dog.

Some of the trouble we have with canines can be put down to simple incompatibility – a personality clash. Or you may acquire a dog that is just not the right material, or one that has had some traumatic experience that has so deeply affected his outlook and behaviour that it cannot be overcome. It makes him useless as a gundog. Some faults may have become so ingrained that no amount of remedial work will remove them.

You should not struggle on out of a sense of duty or stubbornness. You should not persevere out of a feeling that you are letting down either the dog or yourself. Some dogs will just not ‘make the grade’, however well-bred or expensive. Face the truth and find him a kind home where less is expected of him. Of course, you may be very fond of the dog and there may be family feelings to consider, but there is someone else whom that dog will suit very well, and there is another dog that will suit you ideally. Having a new dog will help everyone to get over this, and the unsuitable dog will be happier in a less pressured home.

We cannot make more time: your time is your life, so spend it on the right dog.

THIS BOOK

Although we are always learning, some things remain constant. The basics of canine psychology and of training dogs are given in my first book, In the Bag! Labrador Training from Puppy to Gundog. Although the title uses the word ‘Labrador’, the principles given in that book can be applied to any domestic dog, but they will work best with our gundogs because they have been bred to want to be gundogs. It is a book about getting things right from the very beginning, all the way through to the production of your fully trained gundog, and I urge you to read it.

Many, if not most, problems in gundog training occur because what we want from our dog runs counter to his instincts. For example, we want him to wait patiently for our command to go and hunt or to retrieve. His instinct is to set off immediately he receives a stimulus. In our attempts to curb a dog’s instincts and channel them to our use, we must see things the way he does and steadily but firmly guide him into our ways. Seeing things through the dog’s eyes will be the quickest route to our goal. Observing dogs, therefore, in their interactions with each other and to their surroundings will teach us much about their ways of communication with their own kind, and their perceptions of the world in general. You will soon see that their world is one of split-second decisions, conditioned reflexes, and almost totally black and white concepts and ideas.

A dog can get his own way by going against us, using physical strength and speed, or cunning and deception. However, through careful management and training we can show him that if he complies with us, he will gain his goal. Our aim is to create a partnership. This partnership is a combination of companionship, cooperation, the sharing of skills and talents, pleasure and pride.

When trying to rectify a problem, decide on a solution and stick to it. The exception to this rule would be to discard the chosen method if it causes an additional problem. Nothing is without side effects and while some of these may be good, some of them will be undesirable.

Give your chosen remedy a fair try – not for just one training session, not for just a day or a week, but until you see an improvement. You should continue in that method indefinitely for two reasons. First, so you rid yourself of your old ways and become set in new ways, thus avoiding doing what perhaps caused the unwanted behaviour in the first place. Second, so the new behaviour becomes set in the dog. This will make it less likely that he will revert to his previous ways. Many people decide too quickly that a method is not working because they don’t see an immediate improvement. They give up and try something else. Some things take time to work, and constantly changing your approach will just confuse your dog and make matters worse.

Nowadays, political correctness is all the rage. However, we must remember that this is a human concept and applies to human relationships. We think and understand in human ways. Dogs think and understand in very different ways to us. They live in an either/or world – if this, then that. They live in the present, thinking forwards only to their desired goals or the avoidance of unpleasantness. Their chief goals include food and freedom – these are both physical concepts. So for example, the retrieve would come under the heading of food. Hunting and sex would come under the heading of freedom. Unpleasantness also needs to be physical for a dog to respond to it. This is covered in detail in the section ‘Canine Psychology’ in Chapter 2.

Dogs also enjoy fun and affection, and using these we can guide them into cooperating with us.

CHAPTER1‘Horses For Courses’

Our modern domestic dog, and our working gundog in particular, has been developed for us over many generations by our predecessors, who have chosen to breed from animals showing friendliness, attentiveness, sensitivity, gentleness and playfulness. These qualities make a dog biddable and easy to train. In addition, breeders have selected dogs that are known for their stamina, their desire to retrieve, their athleticism and their soundness – mental as well as physical – their silence, scenting ability, diligence, pace and style.

There are a number of gundog breeds, and each has its speciality. Some breeds have a higher proportion of dogs that are flighty, some have more individuals that tend to be dominant, while some are more biddable. Dogs from certain breeds tend to mature earlier than others and are better able to concentrate than those from some other breeds. Our gundogs have been bred selectively over hundreds of generations from pack member types, not pack leader types. This means that they remain trainable throughout their lives because they have a juvenile attitude and are naturally submissive.

DIFFERENT DOGS FOR DIFFERENT JOBS

Once you have decided to acquire a dog to work in the field with you, take plenty of time and care in choosing the breed, colour, sex and temperament best suited to the type of work the dog will be required to do, and which suits your temperament, personal circumstances and preferences. There are hundreds of different types of dog in the world, and every single dog has a different character and disposition.

English Springer Spaniel, known in days of yore as ‘the maid of all work’; he is best when in full employment because if left with time on his hands he can be very mischievous.

Your choice of dog may be the cause of the problems he develops. You may have chosen a very active spaniel to be a peg dog, but he will have other ideas. Training him to be patient and steady at the peg will be hard work, and he may never truly accept this role. Or you may have chosen a German pointer for picking up in woodland on a shoot with several adjoining drives. But it may be extremely difficult to keep a far-ranging dog in a tight radius, and the fear of him encroaching on the next drive is ever present.

An English Springer Spaniel in action. His job is to hunt, flush and retrieve.

The spaniels should hunt close to their handler. They flush and retrieve game and are small, so they can wriggle into thick cover, and can fit with several others in the back of a shooting brake.

The retriever breeds vary in size, colour and coat texture. They are worked on all types of terrain – moorland, woodland, estuaries and ponds, hedges, ditches and in game crops. They may be required for driven shooting or duck flighting, walked-up game or rough shooting.

A lemon-and-white working Cocker Spaniel. Cockers come in many colours and it can be difficult to predict what a certain mating will produce. These dogs were originally used for flushing woodcock, hence the shortened name; they are deemed to be experts on this particular quarry.

White-and-black working Cocker Spaniel. This breed can be very lively, mentally and physically. They need to be firmly taught the boundaries from the outset or they can make life very trying for the owner.

Four different retrievers: Chesapeake Bay, Flatcoated, two Labradors, with a blue-roan Cocker in between. This last is my favourite colour of Cocker.

A black Labrador dog, strongly built, which looks as though he could do a hard day’s work.

A yellow Labrador bitch. She is neat, balanced, and strong but feminine.

The British pointers and setters have been developed for questing over wide areas where stamina and scenting ability are paramount. They must come on point when they scent game, and be steady to flush and shot. These breeds are not usually expected to retrieve, although I have seen several that were more than willing to do so.

These two Golden Retrievers are sister and brother and I had them both as pups. They are beautiful and polite, and terrific game finders.

Labrador puppies at four and a half weeks. Note the difference in the set and shape of the ears of these puppies compared to the Viszla pups in the next picture. The pigment of the nose and around the eyes is also much darker.

Hungarian Viszla puppies at seven weeks. These pups will grow up to be taller and finer coated than the Labrador or Golden Retriever.

A Golden Retriever pup of eight weeks. Note the coat is thicker and longer than the Viszlas’ and the Labradors’. Golden Retriever puppies often carry their tails high at this age but it usually lowers.

A Flatcoat in action. Flatcoats usually love water; the problem may be in persuading them to come out!

A Flatcoated Retriever dog. This breed can be challenging to train as they have their own ideas. Their scenting and marking abilities are usually outstanding. They are fast, good at jumping, and strong swimmers. They make loyal companions.

An Irish Water Spaniel with friends. She has her fringe tied up with a bow to allow her to see more clearly. This breed is, in fact, classified by the Kennel Club as a retriever.

An English Setter. This is one of three types of British setter. The others are the Gordon, which is usually black and tan, and the Irish, which is a bright coppery red. There is also the Irish Red and White Setter, but this is rarely seen nowadays.

The Weimeraner, originating in Hungary. This is one of the hunt, point, retrieve (HPR) breeds, sometimes called the Grey Ghost. They are one of the more popular HPRs in Britain.

A German Shorthaired Pointer, in the less usual colour of solid black. The more common colouring seen in the UK is liver and white in patches and spots. The breed also comes in a wire-haired variety.

A Munsterlander dog – another of the HPR breeds. The male is often bigger than the female. Both need imaginative training as they can become bored very easily.

The hunt, point, retrieve (HPR) breeds have been developed in countries other than Britain. They vary greatly in size, the Brittany Spaniel probably being the smallest and the Italian Spinone one of the largest. There are different coat textures to choose from – smooth, rough and long haired. The range of colours is vast, and traditionally, most HPRs have their tails docked by about one-third to two-thirds.

There are other gundog breeds, such as the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, which does a rather specialist job. This dog trots about in the shallows where ducks gather, and his waving tail seems to intrigue the ducks. They follow the dog, which lures them towards the Gun so they are within shooting range before they are put to flight. Afterwards, the dog retrieves the downed game. This group includes the Dutch Kooikerhondje, which works in a similar way, its jauntily held tail enticing ducks into a complex cage system where they are trapped.

As a general rule, minor breeds – that is, breeds that are not numerically strong – are minor for a reason. This is usually because they are not as biddable or easy to train as other breeds. Another reason can be that the breed suffers with certain hereditary health problems, or a lack of longevity. You should do your research thoroughly in all these aspects before making your final choice.

As if it were not enough to have such a wide choice of breeds, there are variations within each breed. There are the show types and the working types. Show representatives tend to be larger and more heavily built than their working cousins. Their trainability has sometimes been neglected in favour of looks. The Labrador breed has many examples of the two different types. English and Irish Setters, English Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels and Golden Retrievers all have quite a rift between the two types. Having said all that, they are still all dogs with canine instincts and the desire to be part of a pack. Some are easier to train than others. The working types tend to have had their talents preserved and honed, whereas the show types have had their working potential ignored to a degree.

An Italian Spinone. Like all the HPRs, and the setters and pointers, these dogs are bred to range at great distances from their handlers. This makes these breeds less than ideal for use in lowland driven shooting.

Three eager faces not wanting to miss a thing!

Remember that every dog is an individual, and selecting the dog with the temperament to suit you can add to the complexities of making a choice.

You may well be able to see now why pedigrees are important. If you want a dog for work, try to find one from good working bloodlines. This may require quite a lot of research and enquiry. If you need a particular type and temperament, you should seek the advice of someone who has been involved with your chosen breed for a long time and who knows the different families. Some people will have their own agenda when advising you, so don’t be in a rush. Weigh up all the information you can glean before making your final decision. Careful choice of your dog at the outset may help you to avoid many of the problems addressed in this book.

CHAPTER2The Learning Process in Dogs

It is very helpful to understand how we learn, and how dogs learn. For this reason I begin with the physiology of learning. Please read this more than once so that you gain a really strong hold on it. It is very important.

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF LEARNING

Learning is the establishment of long-term memory. The physiology of learning is how we physically learn. Researchers have discovered certain proteins in the brain that make long-term memory possible. These proteins and others are associated with learning, and they exist in the brain not only of dogs, but of humans and other animals too. When a physical activity is performed, electrical activity is created in the brain. This electrical activity stimulates the special proteins, and they in turn assist in the laying down of connections or what we might call ‘pathways’ between the brain cells. These pathways are the basis of long-term memory. The pathways are made more concrete and lasting by two things: Repetition of the activity, and Rest afterwards.

Any memory is made more lasting by these two things. They may be good memories or bad ones. So if, for example, a dog spots a deer and chases it across a couple of fields and into a wood, it will tire him so that when he gives up on the deer, he will need a rest. If this sequence is allowed to take place again, you have the two elements that help to make a strong, lasting memory: Repetition and Rest. In the case where the dog is successful in catching and killing the deer, we can also add the element of Pleasure. Repetition, Rest plus Pleasure without Unpleasant Physical Consequences equals a really worthwhile event in a dog’s mind. Therefore in training, we must do our utmost to ensure that what a dog learns is what we want him to learn. We must not permit the repetition of activities we do not want a dog to remember. We must prevent undesirable pathways being laid down in his brain. We must not allow him to indulge in activities we do not want to become habits. Habits are hard to break. Some habits are impossible to break.

If your dog succeeds in doing something you do not like, be sure that as soon as possible, you do some concentrated, positive training in a confined area for about six minutes. Give him time to calm down first, of course, and make sure you have control of your temper. You must deal with the dog fairly and in a way that will make him enjoy the training. You can be lavish with treats. Be sure to finish on a good note, and then put him away in a quiet place for at least an hour. Let a ‘good’ activity be the one he remembers.

Dogs cannot learn in abstract ways as we do. They do not attend lectures, listen to the radio, read or watch television. Dogs learn through physical association. That association may be pleasant or unpleasant. It could be fun, soothing or delicious on the one hand; on the other it could be frightening, painful or embarrassing. Because of this, we must use methods that a dog easily understands. The best ways are those that he learned from his mother in his early life, and this is covered in the next section.

It is also true that an extreme event in an animal’s life can result in the very quick or even immediate grasp of a concept. If an experience is very pleasurable, such as chasing a deer, or very frightening or painful, such as being shocked by an electric fence, it will not need many or any repetitions for the long-term memory of the event to be formed. A sharp lesson will work better than all the nagging in the world. Similarly, an especially enjoyable experience will stick in his mind. So make sure his pleasant experiences fit in with your plans, and that his disobedience meets with meaningful correction.

CANINE PSYCHOLOGY

Some people treat dogs like children. Some treat them as equals. Others treat them with roughness and brutality. Some spell dog backwards.

The association between man and dog is very old and based on how each can be of benefit to the other. Dogs find ways of gaining a place in our lives. They work out what we like and dislike in order to gain what they want from us. They show us affection and amuse us, warn us and guard us, bring things to us. We like the feel of them and the look of them. Their superior senses, athleticism and stamina provide a wonderful extension to our abilities.

Training could be defined as the methods by which we harness their talents so that they are of use to us.

What we humans learn in our early days is what we learn most thoroughly, remember most clearly. We are born with human instincts. We tend to be brought up by, and taught by humans. We learn how to learn in human ways. That sticks with us.

It is much the same for dogs. They are born with canine instincts, and their first learning is usually from their mother, who is a dog. They learn how to learn in canine ways. That sticks with them.

When we wish to communicate with dogs, we do not have a common language. It is not even like trying to communicate with a human foreigner who does not speak our language. We have to find other ways to get our ideas across. We must try to understand the canine ways of teaching and learning. We need methods and we need ‘tools’.

Observing dogs’ interactions with each other can teach us much about how they may react to and interact with us. Watch a bitch with her puppies and you will see how she disciplines or encourages them. Watch how two dogs, strangers to each other, establish who is to be the superior dog in their relationship. This varies according to age, sex and whether either dog is a natural leader. Watch young dogs at play, or a bitch in season with other bitches, and then with a dog. You will see many signs and signals – some are easily understood, others are very subtle. Time spent watching dogs is time well spent if we are to succeed in building a good working relationship with them, if we want to discover the ‘tools’ that will work best in a training programme.

Making it seem a reward when we give a dog his food, spending time stroking, grooming and fussing him, all the while talking to him in a friendly, praising sort of voice – these things give a dog the physical association with our kind voice. Thus we have a ‘tool’, our pleasant voice, and we can use this ‘tool’ to convey to the dog when we are pleased with him in a training situation. If he complies with a command and we say ‘Good dog’ he thinks, ‘When I hear that tone, it usually feels or tastes nice. I must remember what I have to do to reach the “Good dog” part.’

Equally, we need a tool, a physical association, to tell the dog when we are not pleased and to deter him from actions we do not want. He needs to learn what our cross voice means, physically.

In the wild pack system, the nicest physical association a dog might encounter would be to be licked clean and dry by his mother as a puppy, to have a wound or infection licked by a peer, or perhaps to enjoy some mutual grooming. The best they can expect as a reward for good behaviour as an adult would be to be ignored, something to be grateful for but not much of a ‘tool’ to help in training, looking at it from a human point of view.

The physical corrections or punishments to which a dog would respond best are those that he would have learnt in his early days from his mother or other adult. More correctly, these should be called ‘demonstrations of dominance’. Like us, what dogs learn when they are young is what sticks with them, so it is important that what your dog learns in the early stages is what you want him to remember.

The earliest lessons a dog learns are about dominance and submission so that he fits into the hierarchy of the pack. As most of us know, dogs in the wild live in a pack system. There is presently a popular belief that the pack structure is a myth, but there is too much anecdotal evidence showing that it exists. In my opinion it cannot be denied or ignored.

Over the thousands of generations of dogs, the pack leaders have developed several stylised behaviours that are designed to embarrass and sometimes hurt, but not harm, ‘naughty’ pack members, to ‘put them in their place’. They do not wish to harm them because they need their help and cooperation. It is not just the leaders that use these behaviours – adults of lesser standing will use them on youngsters and puppies.

The stylised behaviours, or punishments as we might call them, consist of displays and acts of dominance. The displays of dominance include the superior dog holding himself stiffly erect, especially his head. His tail will go up and may vibrate slightly. He will walk with a stifflegged gait. He will look directly at the offending pack member or members, and he may growl threateningly. The acts of dominance are usually extremely swiftly administered – usually a short, sharp bite and shake of the insubordinate dog’s scruff. With persistent offenders, this may be repeated several times with increasing severity, and blood may be drawn – but seldom is any real damage done, either physical or psychological. Over the generations, dogs have come not only to know when and how to administer these punishments, but also, if they are the recipients, to understand and therefore not to fear them. They will also know how to respond to them in order to show their submission and end the punishment.

We are speaking here of dogs that are members of the same pack, dogs that know each other. With intruders, there may be nothing stylised about it, and blood may flow! But even in such situations, if the intruder acts in a submissive way, he will probably be tolerated, if not accepted.

THE MUZZLE-HOLDING TECHNIQUE

Young puppies are taught by their mother at a very early age to respect their elders. She teaches them the meaning of the muzzle-holding technique. This technique was designed by dogs, and while it is a very mild form of punishment, interestingly it is one of the most effective demonstrations of dominance that a dog will use on another dog.

The handler holds the collar to steady the dog while covering the muzzle with her free hand. Please note that although the collar should be held firmly, the hand on the muzzle must only be placed lightly. Covering the eyes can make the muzzle-hold even more effective, as it makes the dog feel disadvantaged and puts the handler ‘in the driver’s seat’.

The handler should exert gentle downward pressure on the dog’s muzzle, and should keep the dog still for up to ten seconds before slowly removing the hand from the dog’s face. This technique gives the dog confidence in his handler, calms him, and causes him to concentrate. If the dog resists you, persist until he accepts. Do not resort to force or roughness at any point; just be calmly determined while holding on to the collar firmly.

A mother dog, when annoyed by a lively puppy, will cover his muzzle and perhaps his eyes with her mouth and press down, growling fiercely. She may also place a forepaw on his neck or shoulder to hold him still. She does not bite the pup, she just holds him still. The pup reacts by lying very quietly on his side or back, wagging his tail apologetically. He may also show his submission by urinating, something he may do for very little reason, even for us! After a while his mother will release him, slowly, but still growling. Usually the youngster will leap up again straightaway, just as annoyingly as before, and the whole performance will be repeated. If the puppy persists, the mother dog may eventually give him a sharp nip, which leaves him yelping and sorry for himself, but not traumatised. Other older dogs may treat a youngster in this way, and eventually the pup learns that a growl is a warning of worse to come if he continues to annoy.

This demonstration of dominance can be used by us as a ‘tool’ that is effective in the training and management of a dog for the whole of his life. From a hygiene point of view, we would not wish to have a dog’s muzzle in our mouth! However, we can use our hands instead to gain the same effect. One hand should hold the dog by the collar or scruff at the back of the neck, and the other should be placed over the dog’s face. The thumb should be on one side of the muzzle and the fingers on the other. The pressure on the muzzle is firm but gentle – it is never a grip or a pinch. The technique is most effective if the dog’s eyes are partially or entirely covered. You must not hurt the dog, only hold him still. You should speak sternly but not loudly to him.

If your dog shows signs of submission, you should continue to hold him for about seven seconds more, and then slowly let him go. Signs of submission would include becoming very still, showing the whites of the eyes, panting and/or smiling, licking the lips, putting the ears back, lowering the tail and half-hearted tail wags. Yawning is also a sign of compliance. You will often see this after you have released your hold.

Dogs with a fairly brash nature may resist the muzzle-holding technique. If a dog tries to dodge the hold, take a stronger grip on the collar or scruff, pressing downwards, while the other hand remains gently over the dog’s eyes. The pressure on the eyes and muzzle should always be light and almost soothing. Speak quietly but firmly. Your aim is to gain the dog’s acceptance of you as his superior, so you must resist any temptation to be rough. You want him to be your team mate, so do not frighten him. Take your time and do not let him go quickly. When you do release him, do so very slowly.

This is a happy dog, confident in his handler and anticipating fun.

As you take your hands off his neck and muzzle, put the lead on; keep your face averted, and be silent for up to a minute. Then start to speak nicely to him, stroking him above eye level but with your face turned away from his. Touching him above eye level shows you are ‘top dog’; below eye level would be seen by him as you being submissive. Looking him directly in the face would be perceived as confrontational; looking away is the aloofness of the leader. You will find that he is happy to be friends with you. The use of this technique teaches him the physical meaning of your cross voice.

Thus you have the ‘tool’ you need when you have to convey to him that you are displeased. He will want to avoid being in your bad books if at all possible, so he will tend to correct himself when you speak crossly. He will be inclined to strive for ‘Good dog’ status.

The muzzle-holding technique is a very useful tool that shows a dog that you are in charge; it calms an anxious dog and makes a flighty dog concentrate.

THE ‘OFF SWITCH’

At the end of each training session, put the lead on your dog and take him to his quiet place. Your lead is the ‘off switch’. When on the lead, your dog does not have to be responsible for his actions – except that he must not pull on your lead – so he can relax and the laying down of firm memory pathways can commence. You should also put the lead on your dog during training sessions whenever he has performed an exercise well. Doing this for three or four minutes will result in his feeling at ease and gives the memory pathways a chance to begin forming.

In more advanced training, when your dog is steady, taking the lead off ‘switches him on’. He will learn that the lead being removed means that he must pay attention and focus on what is happening around him. For instance, take the lead off when you want him to mark a thrown dummy.

If you set your dog free at the end of a training session – and I know how tempting it is to reward a dog for good behaviour by letting him have a scamper – he will fill his eyes, ears and nose with information and his mind with ideas that run counter to your lesson, and he will forget what you were trying to teach him. Free exercise should precede a training session. At the end, put the lead on him and make him know you are pleased with him – that is his reward

THE QUIET PLACE

After every training session, remember that your dog needs to rest. He may not be physically tired but he needs a spell on his own. The training will ‘sink in’ while he is resting. Memory pathways will be formed and strengthened. You can have a few ‘quiet places’ where he can be shut in after each training session. This might be a cage in your utility room or in your car, or it could be a kennel that you can close, and which limits his view.

A good-sized cage for a spaniel or retriever that will suit the average puppy almost to adulthood. It has a plastic tray on the bottom and you should place bedding of some kind on it. Always ensure there is drinking water present.

He should not have toys, chews, food or a companion. You want him to think about his lesson and not be stimulated by his surroundings. Put him in his quiet place for ten to sixty minutes, out of sight of any activity, to ‘think things over’. This sounds anthropomorphic, but it does work (see ‘The Physiology of Learning’ section at the start of this chapter). The next time you have him out, his last lesson will usually have gelled and you can build on this and make forward progress.

When a client comes to me for a training session I explain the physiology of learning, and as he or she is leaving, I say, ‘Don’t have the radio on during your drive home. You need quiet time for the lesson to gel in your mind too.’

PRAISE AND PUNISHMENT

My approach to dog training and rehabilitation is based on observation of dog behaviour. I believe that this has led me to a fairly clear understanding of canine psychology. The methods I use are not always ‘politically correct’ but I believe they imitate the ways of the wild pack where higher echelon dogs mete out swift physical punishment for the misdemeanours of lower-ranking pack members – but at the same time, they are usually consistent and fair. Their punishments are tailored to the crime and the age of, and their relationship to, the miscreant dog. Dogs do not, however, praise each other or give a good dog a pat on the back. The best a lower level pack member can expect is to be ignored. Humans can think beyond this. We can give credit where it is due: we can give praise, pats and treats when a task is performed well. This tends to boost the speed of the learning process. Humans can also use equipment such as the collar and lead, whistles, dummies and ‘the quiet place’ to assist in the education of their dog.