MossyOak722

I have GSP pup and this is my first time around with the whole training deal. I am keeping her in the house. I was just wondering where you guys draw the line between making her a pet and over spoiling her to the point she might not make a bird dog? As far as punishment, sleeping in the bed, and other stuff like that. Thanks again guys!

Phil from Maine

The saying is don't ever spoil your bird dog...I do mine though and have never had a problem.. I keep mine in at night mostly but also during the day if the weather is not that great out. I try and keep them as my hunting buddies so really I haven't had a problem with spoiling them..

EODLT

I had a buddy growing up who had a brittany, lived inside. His mom was home all the time and she would aways feed the dog table scraps, pet the dog no stop all day, and that dog wouldnt even come to my buddy, and it was HIS dog. He bought it from a breeder for bird hunting and his mom ruined it. Wouldnt listen to Gene, only to his mom. She grew up to be a house dog, he only took her hunting a couple of times before she got too spoiled, and she was too young really to be a productive hunter when she did go. He is still mad about that nearly 40 years later.

All my dogs are kennel kept, outside. Doesnt mean I dont love them and make them part of my family. they are dogs, hunting dogs. They dont get belly rubs unless they are doing a good job in the field and we take a break on the tailgate. No treats, just dog food and water, and they love their jobs.

eelriver

IMO: You really can't spoil a dog, the more they bond with you the more they want to please you. My pointer is an indoor dog and a part of the family. When it comes time to hunt she hunts FOR me; she does what I say because she does it everyday in the house. She knows the better she does the more attention I'll give her. No such thing as spoiling your dog. Not to be confused with not making her mind however. Phil said it really well: Treat them like a hunting buddy..... and they will do a lot more for you. There are two kinds of bird dogs: the one who do well because they want to and those do well because they have to.

EODT makes a good point however; in his example the Brit became some else's dog. The loyality left the hunter and went to the Mom.

EODLT

I dont want to sound like Im against having your dog with you all the time, its good bonding sure, they do listen very well the more time you spend with them. Im just saying, if your a happy bachelor living alone, it would be great, if you have a lot of people in your house, you have to make sure everyone is on the same page with the dog. Im talking the way the dog is treated, the commands, if your teaching the dog "here" and your wife and kids are saying "come", or something like that, then you havea problem. If you are not happy with the way the dog is acting, and you are purposely ignoreing the bad behavior, then a 3rd party comes into the mix and is praising the dog and giving it all the attention in the world, who do you think the dog is going to want to be with? You the handler, who loves the dog, but your the one who is dealing with the unpleasant things in training, the corrections and the frustrations.. Or do they want to be with a family member who is giving them nothing but good attention and food, and hugs and crap. Nothing unpleasant associated with them.

The dog is going to go with the one that gives it what it wants, not what it needs. Huge difference. Dogs live in the moment, they dont see the big picture down the road. They are only thinking about what they can eat or what they can hump... The dog doesnt know that when your teaching him to come to you no matter what, that it could save his life one day, he is thinking, "Wonder if he has food? Well I know that the other person in the house always gives me food or attention... Think I go see what they have"

Phil from Maine

I understand what you are trying to say here. I must be lucky though as for mine, the wife and kids feed them treats from time to time and all that. When it comes to hunting or running loose in the yard they can call them all they want. The only time they will listen good is if I call them. Could be the kind of dog I choose to hunt with though? They are more of a 1 person dog and I haven't had the problems suggested here. I guess they know who takes them out for the running as well as the hunting stuff. They enjoy hunting with me and that alone makes it great to hunt them..

The Rifleman

Dog's belong in the COOP!

Put it in a pen and feed it twice a day and train it how to hunt the way you want it to hunt and work with it until it becomes the hunting dog that you want it to become.

You won't have to worry about people coming to the door and getting attacked - because the dog thinks that it is his house and not your house.

Let the dog sleep in the cellar when it gets too cold outside if it gets cold where you live. Chances are that it will make a mess in the house and will misbehave and in a day or two you will get mad at it and it will end up back in the COOP - even if it is below ZERO outside.

Dogs learn what you teach them. They do not have the brain capacity to learn all the things that they need to learn - to be able to live in the house and still do everything you want it to do out in the woods.

So you have to choose, do you want this dog to hunt or do you want this dog to be a family pet.

Do I want to hunt, or do I want to spend my weekends chasing after a dog that will probably chase skunks, roll around in deer poop, chase other dogs, get pregnant, get other dogs pregnant, get hair all over the furniture, sleep on the couch when you are not home, sleep on your bed when you are home.

Flea's, shedding hair, stink, barking that they want to go out to go to the bathroom - when if they were in the COOP - you wouldn't hear a peep out of them except when it is time for them to eat or go hunting.

A man would have to be crazy to want a dog in the house.

You can't go on vacation, because you have to have some place for the dog to stay, and it can't stay in a COOP - because that would be cruel, because it lives in your house and is a member of the family. So you have to find someone that is willing to take it into their house or yours and stay with it while you try to have a good time somewhere else.

If the damm thing lived in a COOP - all you would have to do is have someone come over once a day and feed it.

If you bring it into the house, you are going to bring 10 + years of misery upon yourself. Dog's gets sick, old, and they die.

springerDIVA

MossyOak722,
Since this is your first time around. Let me ask when this dog is not going to be hunting with you what's it's next job duty? family pet? Most sporting breeds spend more time as family pets vs actual working time because the seasons are only so long and unless you're involved in trials and tests then their only in training from there on until the season(s) start back up.
The more you surround yourself with experienced people and especially those with the same breed the better educated you will become and hopefully you won't make many mistakes. Find a local breed club or breeder that's involved in field trials or hunt tests.

We recommend crate training. They learn it's their "den", it's a safe place (especially when traveling) and it's always a positive. After genetics, obedience trainingis your foundation, everything else will come from that. We cross train our gun dogs and they're very happy. It gives them another job during the "off season". This is something the family can do with the gun dog, if it's just a jogging partner, agility or obedience. GSPs do very well with tracking tests too. Your dog can be anything you want with the right genetics/traits and training.

Some people believe that the dogs should not live in the house or they don't want a dog in the house. I have researched and found that there is notruth to the theory for a dog that lives out in a kennel to be a better bird dog vs one that lives in the home.
Consistency is the key. Setting ground rules for the dog in the home is the best solution. We don't allow family members or guests in our home to throw things for our dogs. Unless you're an authorized user of the gun dog then please don't do anything but pet the dog. Our dogs are not allowed to play tug of war,my obedience and agility friends think I am a Nazi. I ask if they likemeat withholes or without. Then they get the picture.If the guest can't follow then the dog goes in the crate or all "toys" are put upuntil the guest is gone. One person can come in and screw up weeks of training with the toss of a single ball.

Keep your training sessions short, simple and sweet. Use your voice for praise and correction. The tone is important. It's okay for a 200# guy to take an knee and give his best pup affection after a job well done and tell her what a good pup/job etc. It's okay for a 90# woman to stop a 55# dog on a dime with a strong, growling "NO!" when the dog starts to make a mistake or break.
Use positive reinforcement when you can. Teaching the pup to come when called, startin a confined space with treats, after several sessions, swap treats for praise and affection.

Dogs don't understand "punishment" they understand corrections from pack leaders. You have to shape a behavior/teach what is & isn'tallowedbefore you can make a correction. Minor offenses get a swat on the nose or rump. Greater ones get a scruffing just as their dam would do as infants. Capital offenses get the "come to Jesus meeting" which is an alpha dog (you) taking the offender to his back in a submissive position. The majority of the corrections are handed down in ways they understand (pack rules and roles).

Personally, I have had far better bonds with my dogs that have lived in the house than those who lived outside. These are the dogs that have meant the most and been the better hunting dog in my experience. Yes as older pups and dogs they occasionally get to sleep in the bed, after they have earned it. Especially on hunting trips, they're excellent foot warmers.

Hope this helps. Happy training and hunting.

eelriver

Personally, I have had far better bonds with my dogs that have lived in the house than those who lived outside. These are the dogs that have meant the most and been the better hunting dog in my experience. Yes as older pups and dogs they occasionally get to sleep in the bed, after they have earned it. Especially on hunting trips, they're excellent foot warmers.

Kudos to DIVA! It's raining today or I would be in the field with my dog. She is currently laying on her rug not 15 feet from me. Tomorrow: I'll load the truck and when I drop the tail gate she'll jump up into her crate, ready to go, all full of energy. We'll drive out to the quail fields and she'll do just fine, hunting like the vetern she is. Last Saturdayshe found 4 coveys and for this part of the country; that's a good day. I hope rifleman was tongue in cheek when he said, "dogs can't learn both house and field manners". The red setter guy from Maine, Diva, and myself can allclaim the opposite.

EODLT

Such much truth in these two statements, I get the same reactions from people, think Im cruel to the dogs, yelling and fussing at them, thats how they learn. They must not think its too cruel because they hunt for me everyday of the season.

The latter of the statements is why I express my views on inside dogs, too many things can happen to screw up hours and hours of frustrating training, when you finally break your most stubborn dog, someone can do something so trivial and pi$$ away all your hard work. Thats why my dogs are out side, out of mind, out of reach for anyone other than myself.