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Any of you bow hunters train water fowl dogs? I've dealt with Beagles, various * hounds, and a family pet or two, but we have a lab now and I'm running into problems.
Comments
Ben
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
Joe
I like to call the main problem which everything else sorta resolves around as being "attitude". Gunnar seems to have nothing but aplha male traits in him and I have yet to break those. He does what he wants when he wants. I can have him out a hundred yards, motion for him to go left then stop then go forward and there's his retrieve, he gets it and comes back. So you can see he knows how and what to do, but he only does it when he wants to. Same thing goes for his standard obiediance things to, he does them if Gunnar wants to or if you have a treat in your hand and he knows it's there. He will intentionally take something he knows he isn't allowed to have then walk over to you until he has your attention then it's a game of come and get it back as he runs off somewhere. He has a bad problem with the house and where we live to, he acts like that is his and he doesn't like anyone or anything coming around it. He isn't mean and has never showed aggression to anyone, but will push people around with his nose or not leave their side and just watch them if they stop to visit us. He is intelligent, but man he is hard headed.
Stihl, no problem here with shocking. I have a training receiver and collar, when fully charged I've seen it knock beagles and young hounds completely to the ground. It hasn't effected this lab much, I know it shocks him because he yelps a little, but I don't know how much juice he's getting from it. I can't believe it's working right and he can take multiple hits from it. I need to take it somewhere to have it tested. I thought about having the old lady put it on, but she doesn't like the idea. Maybe I should test it on myself, then again maybe not. My buddy hit the receiver when I had the collar in my hand one night we were running dogs, I had two bruises from the probes that hurt for a couple days. Yeah, he still says it was an accident. [}:)][;)]
Male dogs seem to start developing attitude at the age of 1. Sometimes it is a case of the dogs having been treated as the "baby" and they get very spoiled. After the hormones kick in they can easily become bullies.
Try doing submission training with him. Buy the big chunks of dog food and hand feed him a bite at a time delivered not when he is expecting it necessarily but when you feel like giving him a bite. Make him work for food. Come, sit, down etc to get every bite. Remember: His submission is critical, if he is trying to take it from your hand then immediately stop the training. If he is really being bullish when you have the food, then take it away. HE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THE FOOD IS NOT HIS, IT IS YOURS!!! If he's not submissing for a whole day, then don't feed him for a whole day. Don't allow him on furniture or inside without an invite. If he is on the couch make him get down before you sit down. When guests are over they should establish that people are superior. Let me say that one more time. You must enable your guests to correct your dogs behavior. He must mind everyone, not just you. Try not to interfere with your wife when she is correcting the dog. If you have any friends that will assert themselves with Gunnar when they come over, encourage them to do just that. Do not interfere. If you do, then he will naturally only mind you, and your goal is that he is submissive to all humans.
Some of what Gunnar is doing sounds like bored behavior. The 'chase me' game especially. Does he get enough excercize during the day? Sometmes the best cure for a dog's poor behavior is excersize. My dogs get downright friggin' annoying if they aren't walked. Don't use excersize as a reward. I consider it a necessity right next to water and before food.
Try these this week. If you have any more questions, I'll forward them to a behavior specialist next week, when I get back from huntin'.
Ben
Also: The behavior with guarding the home is known as "resource guarding". I know very little about it, or how to correct the behavior. I believe that it is caused by insecurities, but I have no idea how to cure them.
I will start with the food like you said and see how that goes. You hit it on the nose about him mainly obeying me. When my wife gives him a command he looks at me sorta like for confirmation, I need to work on that.
As far as exercise goes, he gets a lot of exercise, but not so much through the day. We both work but he is loose running for an hour or two each morning before we leave, mainly checking his territory to see if anything happened over night. After work he runs behind my 4-wheeler, swims in the river, or just walks with her every night. I feel he gets plenty of exercise.
Thanks again
jay
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
can I refer to you as "Dog" now? [;)]
No, but you can call me The D-O-G!!![:D]
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
DO NOT EVER GIVE A TREAT FOR HIM DOING WHAT HE IS TOLD!!!!!!!!!
I can not stress this enough... what you in effect doing is telling him that his bad behavior is normal and what he is really supposed to be doing is above and beyond and therfor deserves a treat.
You wife needs to be more forceful with the dog. We have a chocolate lab pup that we are training now. Sometimes he is mommas baby and at other times I call him "Captain Retardo" He is a pup and at 1 you dog is still a pup. Labs are tough .... great but tough... he will continue to be a pup until about 3-4 years old. If you have teenages that go from mom to dad when the first says no.... well then it is the same thing with dogs. You need to stay out of it when the dog looks at you. If she is telling him to sit and the dog looks at you... walk away... have her command the dog to stay and work with the dog until it sits. It will take time.... a LONG time sometimes but when he finally gets it thru his thick brown chocolate skull he will understand that there is more than one alpha in the house.
But as for treats.... treats are treats... I NEVER give a dog a treat for training purposes. Gus is now 8 months old and sits, stays, lays, crates, brings the paper, and has been doing dry and wet retrievals for 2 months now. Are there times I would like to beat senseless? Sure. Just look at the newly remodeled kitchen where he has managed to chew the drywall to pieces in 2 areas. But he is a pup and it takes time. When she wants him to do something let her make him do it... do not get involved because then it makes the front look weak.
As for feeding.... twice a day... never leave it down all the time and if he does not eat it in 15 minutes take it up and dont give him another bowl until dinner. Treats are for special times not for training. You love and praise shoould be more then enough for him.
Ben
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
Only The Strong Survive!!!!!
Eh you know I cant stay mad at ya. I hope you are having fun on your 9 day hunt. Went fishin all by my lonesome this morning. Caught 2 reds and a sheephead. But as for 9 days off.. all I still have to say is BITE ME.
gagirl, I don't give him treats every single time. While training for sit, stay, come, etc...I used treats then gradually moved away from treats and the entire time giving him verbal praises etc. I do this most generally with everything I teach him until he does something consitantly then no more treats only praise.
How do you go about training without using any treats whatsoever, seems impossible to me, but I consider our dog above all others in being stupid.
The D-O-G won't be around for awhile so we'll leave his comments be till he's back.
river, want to trade a lab for a brit?
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
Nadine
I'm no trainer so I don't know which way is proper and which is not, just looking for one that works good. I'll try moving away from treats and just use praise. Sometimes praising him gets my ears bit so wish me luck. [:D]
We went to the damn yesterday for a couple hours, he was completely different than the last time we were there. He only wanted to swim out get things then bring to shore and head down the abnk away from me. Barely responded to the whistle at all.
He acted sick yesterday though, but that shouldn't make him do what he did.
I'll start signing my dog training messages as "hopeless in Ohio" I looked at chest wadders on-line, doubt my lab or hip waders are gonna be enough. [;)]
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
Taco sings, "Catahoula, best friend I ever had. I scratch his ear and he brings me a beer and comforts me when i'm sad."
Only The Strong Survive!!!!!
taco, who writes songs about dogs? All songs are supposed to be about your mom, a train, and beer right? [:D]
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
Anyone out there with a female chocolate lab? I will be looking to stud Gus in the spring. papered and dna tested 100% Chocolate DNA. His dad is Sir Hershey an upland pointing champ.
Anyone out there with a female chocolate lab? I will be looking to stud Gus in the spring. He is papered and dna tested 100% Chocolate DNA. His dad is Sir Hershey C.C. an upland pointing champ.
I looked up some websites on those dogs and one should them hunting hogs, that's where I came up with that.
So do you ever rabbit hunt or * hunt? Would you consider those as sports that should be done without hounds?
I saw a lot about those catahoulas rounding up livestock and so on. Looked like the are used a lot in Australia for cattle.
So how much is it gonna cost me to ship this silly lab of mine to GA and have him stay at the gagirl lab training institute for higher education until he will shower me in waterfowl riches? [:D]
quote:His dad is Sir Hershey C.C. an upland pointing champ
How come you see more and more labs being used as pointers? I've noticed that over the last two years, maybe it's just me.
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent
As far as rabbit and * hunting... nah I have a rule of not hunting animals that I have for pets... as soon as I figure out how I will post a pic of my * asleep in my office chair... sure am glad I work with understanding animal lovers.
And for those who dog hunt... have at it... its just not right for me...
That picture would be something to see.[:)] You can host your pictures at photobucket.com then insert the image or else the url address using the 4th or 6th key from the right on the tool bar above your message text.
NRA Life Member ---"A pocket knife, a clean hankey, and a pistol... things I can use." - Ted Nugent