You can teach grown dogs to go to a place board, half-crate, or pre-identified area on command. This serves to balance e-collar pressures because the action involves pressure for the dog to move away from the handler rather than toward the handler. This “kennel” command is useful for loading a dog into boats, blinds, and crates. You will do initial force on casts using this command and introductory work on jumps. This is a versatile command. Continue Reading →

By Brendan Walsh, USJ Late Summer 2008

Five Reasons Why:

1. When hunting thin ice area, especially near rivers, “whoa” will save your dog and possibly a human life that might go out on thin ice to save him!!
2. When hunting in rattlesnake or cobra country, “whoa” will save your dog’s life!
3. When hunting in porcupine country or skunk infested areas, you can “whoa” your dog and leash him before they charge in and ruin a great day.  This will also save on costly vet bills.
4. Teach your dog to “whoa” before they get close to birds, so that if you are behind brush or taking a leak, you can still get in place for a shot.
5. Last, but not often thought about, when you have a “whoa” broke dog on point 20 feet off the bird, it gives the shooters more time to circle downwind of the bird.

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After the dog understands landmarks, you may progress to water marks. This exercise also uses a “thrower” and a small pond or water area. Have the “thrower” toss the dummy into the water, then release the dog to retrieve it. Do not have duck decoys in the water at this time. You may put some decoys on land by the water entry. Continue Reading →

Quartering means to have the dog work back and forth in front of you in the field looking for birds.

To start this exercise you will need to be in medium height grass with your scented Remington® dummy and the check cord from your Remington® training kit. Take the scented dummy and place it upwind from your starting point. Where you place the dummy will be your ending point.

With your dog in the heel position, walk with him from the starting point and give a verbal command to release him from your side. Walk

with your dog in a zig zag pattern letting him work about 20 yards in front of you. (See diagram.)

If you need more control of your dog during this exercise attach the check cord to the collar. You can continue to set up different training
areas and change locations of the scented dummy. Do not forget to give your dog a lot of praise for a job well done.

This should be a fun exercise for him and you.

This is an exercise that develops the dog’s ability to judge distances. This is where you will need someone to assist you. The “handler” will be the person in control of the dog. The “thrower” will be the person assisting with this exercise by throwing the training dummy for the dog. You will use the canvas dummy and scent bottle from your Remington® training kit. Apply a small amount of scent to the cloth of the dummy. Continue Reading →

The “sit” and “come” commands can also be taught using your Remington® training whistle. To introduce a whistle to the sit command, start by giving the voice command followed by one solid blast of the whistle. This will allow the dog to associate the sound of the whistle to the command. Gradually transition to blowing the whistle first followed by the voice command. Continue the process until your dog sits at the sound of the whistle only. To teach the “come” command, repeat the same steps but with a trill whistle sound (rapid, multiple toots) instead of a solid note. Continue Reading →

Once the “heel” and “sit” commands are mastered, you can move on to the “come” command. Using the Remington Latigo leather training lead, sit your dog out in front of you, facing you. Start backing away from the dog, making him stay in the “sit” position. If the dog moves, pull up on the check cord. The dog should respond by sitting back down. Proceed to back up 6 feet or so. When you are ready for the dog to come to you, pull on the lead giving the “come” command. When your dog gets to you, command him to sit facing you. Gradually increase your distance from the dog to the full extension of the lead. As you get further away from your dog, he may try to wander as he is coming toward you. To prevent this, keep threading the lead through your hand to keep the rope relatively tight so you can correct the dog with a tug and keep him heading straight toward you. Always praise your dog as he directly approaches you. Repeat this training process for 10 to 15 consecutive days and you should be ready to move on.

You will again use the check cord to train your dog to sit by your side. While commanding the dog to sit, pull up on the lead and push down on the dog’s hind quarter with your free hand. If the dog stands up before you tell him to come, you need to repeat these steps again. After enough repetition, you should be able to stop pushing on the hind quarter, yet still use the check cord. Eventually your dog will be able to perform “sit” without either. Once your dog understands the sit command, train him to sit in front of you while he is facing you. Always remember “sit” means to stay unless told to do otherwise. Sit command training can take 5 to 8 consecutive days before your dog is good enough to go on.

When teaching the heel command, always train from the same side. Consistency is key when training. Heel the dog at your side and gently tug on the lead if he gets out of position. Do not let him get too far in front or behind you. A good heeling position is close to your side without the dog touching your leg. Heel training should continue for at least 5 consecutive days before moving on to other training.