by L. Woodrow Ross

Created on: May 24, 2009

Introducing a puppy to hunting is an adventure for both the owner and the puppy. It should not be a contest of wills, but a process where the natural hunting instinct of the puppy is developed. Regardless of the type of hunting, some basic obedience training in the early stages will make the entire process much easier.

All hunting dogs should be taught the basic commands of sit, stay, come, heel and kennel. Even if you are training a trail dog such as a Walker, Black and Tan, or Bluletick, you will need to be able to have them under control. When you are not in the field or at the beginning and end of a chase, you will need to be able to control the animal so that you can protect it from traffic and confrontation with other animals. With bird dogs such as English Setters and Pointers it is also critical.

Teaching a dog to sit is simple. Attach a leash to the collar and have the dog standing beside you. Hold up on the leash and press down on his hindquarters to force him into a sitting position as you say the command "sit" firmly. Always use a firm, distinct voice when issuing commands. Repeat the process several times and praise the animal. After he learns what sit means, teach him to stay. If he rises, reposition him and give the command, "stay". Don't allow him to break away. You may need a check cord for this part of the training. Always take him to the original location and make him sit again and repeat the "stay" command.

After he masters these commands, step away from him, telling him to stay. After a brief period, tug on the collar and give the command "come" as you draw him toward you. He should learn this command easily. After each success, praise the animal lavishly. Your approval and praise should be the greatest reward for a well-balanced animal that enjoys human companionship.

Next, teach the puppy to heel. If you are right-handed, have him to heel on the left. If you are left-handed, it may be more convenient to have him to heel on the right. That will always have him on the opposite side from the one where you will carry and mound a gun. Have the animal to sit on your left side and stay for a moment. Then step forward as you command "heel". Tug forward with the leash and force the animal to match your pace and stay on the selected side. Don't let him surge forward or lag behind, but keep a tight leash until he learns the command.

Teach the puppy the kennel command. Each time you return him to the kennel use that command. Also, use this command when he is to enter a dog box for transporting. You may start this at ground level, and then gradually raise the dog box so that he learns to jump into the box at the "kennel" command.

When training a puppy, keep the training sessions short. A pup's attention span is short and several short sessions are much more fruitful that one long session. You do not want the animal to be bored with the training. Make a big deal over his successes and always, always praise positive behavior.

After you teach these skills, you can branch into the respective skill types that your breed will require. You can lay trails with scent for the hounds, use pen-raised birds to steady the pointing breeds for staunchness, and teach spaniels to quarter to the gun and not exceed gun range.

After you teach the basic obedience skills the other parts are always easier. The natural hunting ability of a good individual will kick in and make you proud of your animals ability. An unruly animal that cannot be controlled is an embarrassment to any hunter.

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