Too Young??

MossyOak722 · 12-24-2007, 12:15 PM

I have a 9 week old GSP female. She is well bred and both parents worked well in the field. I have been toying a little bit with the whole wing on a fishing pole deal but all she is wanting to do is pounce on it. No sign of even thinking about pointing. This is my first time around with training a dog so this may seem like an ignorant ? and I appologize ahead of time but if she too young to be even worrying bout any kind of hunting training? and is there any way to correct this pouncing issue? Thanks guys!

kdvollmer · 12-24-2007, 01:14 PM

at that age, yes, a abit too early to worry about any formal hunting training. As your pup gets a little older start on the OB training, and letting her explore and learn some on her own. If you put too much pressure on her too early, you may ruin her desire to work for you. There are more knowledgeable people here than me, so hopefully, you can get more in depth answers.

mustad · 12-24-2007, 01:33 PM

Yes it's too early for formal training. But there is nothing wrong with exposing her to things. Take her in the woods and let her find out for herself that she can't catch birds.

The wing on the fishing pole doesn't tell you anything about the dog's pointing skills. It's only a good indication as to the style of point your dog will have.

Formal training doesn't start until the dog tells you to **** off!

EODLT · 12-24-2007, 02:17 PM

Too soon, yes. We are making this a fun time. Puppy hood.
Wait another month before anymore "real"training starts.

MossyOak722 · 12-24-2007, 02:27 PM

So once formal training time starts...Any suggestions on where to start?

EODLT · 12-24-2007, 09:31 PM

Basic OB first and foremost.

Then start whoa breaking.

Get some wings and start yard work, flipping the wing and having the dog point while you caress "whoa". Get the dog on some birds if you can. Getting used to gun shots, coveys jumping, etc..

OB is going to be the most important, most critical part of this whole process, everything taught requires a stable OB platform to work from.

Good Luck.

chaselton · 12-30-2007, 05:48 PM

I started w/a capgun at 9 weeks w/my lab. At first I only used it when I would feed her. Your dog needs to have a positive association with this or he could end up being gun shy... which is extremely hard to train out of them. Then start the come command. use a checkcord and reel him in. I think 9 wks. is too early to realistically expect any sort of results. Just concentrate on laying the foundation. However the dog should display some sort of natural instinct at this age such as the ability to retrieve.

Mite · 12-31-2007, 07:51 AM

Assuming the dog is already bonded with you and it knows 'No' and it's name, here are some suggestions to get you started.

Get the dogs favorite toy and a check chord. Toss the toy and when they run to pick it up, get down on your knees and say the command 'fetch' (example) in an excited voice with arms open wide. The pup should run to you. Praise it. If not gently tug the pup to you. You can also do this in a hallway with the doors closed.

Alot of people like to associate feeding time with something. Some like blowing the whistle to call the pup in and eventually use the same blowing command in the field. What I did was to woah the pup. I placed the food bowl down but held her steady, gently stroking her. Eventually, I could walk away while she waited for me to release her.

When walking the pup, it will want to pull. Gently, tug the pup back with only as much force as the pup is applying. Let the pup walk beside you. Get a good short leash. I like to trade off with a normal one and a short one during walks. As an example, when first walking out the door, short leash for ablock or 100 yards or so, then normal and let her roam, then before returning home, short leash for a few blocks. But I never let her pull on the chord.

All these things are just conditioning the pup for later training. I would suggest getting a good book or video at this stage. Huntsmith makes a Puppy Development I & II DVD which is good as you can see the ages of the pups. They use alot of new untrained puppies (in the first one) just to show you what the dogs typical response will be.

springerDIVA · 12-31-2007, 04:45 PM

Find a local club to help you train and restrain yourself. It can be tempting but you guys should do more bonding and playing at this time.
Just take your time and don't rush it. Every pup/dog is different so it's hard to say what age is perfect for all puppies to do specific tasks. Read some good training books too.
Good luck