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Dogs are creatures of habit, and for the most part, we should be grateful. It’s how we train, turning abstract words – commands – into routines.
But sometimes, we turn our dog’s habits into what looks like disobedience. Like clockwork, one command leads to another, and our dog chains them all together into one big command. Or we’ve allowed him to make his own rule in conjunction with one of ours. Pretty soon, it’s one long, learned bad habit.
We can prevent that if we think like a big-league pitcher and throw a change-up once in a while. By compartmentalizing commands, you get the flexibility to adapt to current hunting conditions, create a more attentive dog, and function as a team with you as the coach.
A chain of non-commands
It could be subtle cues our dog has picked up from us. Grabbing a retrieving bumper or tying your boots might signal to your dog that it’s training or hunting time. At our house, it’s the rattle of the whistle on its lanyard. The problem is, all I’m really doing is going to the mailbox. But I’ve unknowingly set in motion a whole series of behaviors based on the dog’s learned expectations.
It could be as simple – and frustrating – as him learning that the squeak of the crate door opening launches a sequence of running out, jumping off the tailgate, peeing on the tire, and starting hunting. (Hey! I haven’t even put your e-collar on yet, you four-legged flea circus!)
My biggest goof, whether hunting, in the yard, or even the house, is that Flick learns that one command invariably leads to another. Say, when a flushed bird or gunshot means to take off hell-bent for election and get the bird. Though, if you shoot like me, you know that doesn’t often happen.
Or he brings a wing-clipped bird back, and you always bend over, hand outstretched. He drops the bird at that signal, not your release command, and off it runs.
What were you thinking? Or not thinking?
It could be something as subtle as him walking at heel into the grouse woods, compliant as a kindergartner at cookie time until you start yakking with your buddy and the dog totters off in search of a porcupine.
How about this: he learns your “here” command is merely a suggestion because you always cut him loose the moment he arrives. To him, it’s not come here and wait; it’s a breeze by on the way to something more fun.
Un-training
Now what? Breaking the pattern regularly will keep him on his toes and more “obedient.” Train him NOT to expect the same outcome every time he sees or hears you saying or doing something.
Think about those subtle, subconscious chains of commands or expectations you’ve allowed to form, and put a pause between each signal. Teach your dog that a command is in effect until you give another one, rather than when he gets bored or tempted to try something else.
Such as …
Make sure you’ve got his undivided attention before you give a command, and before you release him. When the bird flies, check cord him into steadiness before releasing him. When he arrives after you toot your recall command on the whistle, hold his collar and let him settle a bit before you release him to hunt again. Heel him away to keep him paying attention to what you say next. Put your hands in your pockets when he delivers a bird – let him hold it a while – then ask for it as you extend your hand. Reinforce the “current” command periodically and teach him to look to you for a release or another command.
Yeah, sometimes, we need to train ourselves as much as we train our dog. Just don’t let him get at the e-collar transmitter, or we’ll all be in trouble!
--Scott Linden
