Hi there. I am going to be the first time owner of a GSP next Spring and am both excited and nervous. I've picked out the kennel I'm buying my pup from and he has some top notch GSPs with outstanding hunting pedigrees.
My biggest fear is that, being a completely novice trainer that I will do my pup a disservice and not get him to his/her highest potential.
Are there any books/DVDs that y'all would recommend that I start reading/watching before I pick up my pup?
Any training groups that you are aware of in north Texas?
Rookie Trainer - North Texas
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MillerClemsonHD
- Rank: Champion
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Greenville South Carolina
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
The training with Mo book is excellent. It looks like Martha is doing 2 books for $50 on her site. The other one is training tips.
http://www.pineyrunkennel.com/store.php
You can get started here for Free with multiple articles. There is also a link to a blog on her site with additional information.
http://www.pineyrunkennel.com/booksandarticles.php
http://www.pineyrunkennel.com/store.php
You can get started here for Free with multiple articles. There is also a link to a blog on her site with additional information.
http://www.pineyrunkennel.com/booksandarticles.php
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
See if you can find a NAVHDA chapter in your area(they are all over the country). They will have training days with very knowledgable people that can help you train your new pup. A good set of training videos is Perfect start/Perfect finish. You will need a lot of pigeons to train your pup(you need something they can't catch 
), so you might start looking for a source to buy from in the future OR better yet build a pigeon coop, get a few homers and raise them---You'll have a supply forever that way.
If you list your location, you might have some members close to you that would mentor you when you get your pup. Good Luck
), so you might start looking for a source to buy from in the future OR better yet build a pigeon coop, get a few homers and raise them---You'll have a supply forever that way.If you list your location, you might have some members close to you that would mentor you when you get your pup. Good Luck
Penny4--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3227
Shooter--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3228
Penny5--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3229
Star--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3732
DeSeeker Britts 402-426-4243
Shooter--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3228
Penny5--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3229
Star--http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=3732
DeSeeker Britts 402-426-4243
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
Fixed my profile to reflect my location! Thanks for the heads up.
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
welcome bud! I was in the same boat as you not too long ago having owned all started dogs in the past. However, my puppy is teaching me that I was putting too much pressure on myself. They are smart and as long as you are responsible you wont have a problem
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RayGubernat
- GDF Junkie
- Posts: 3309
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:47 am
- Location: Central DE
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
Jaeger62 -
Let me ease your concerns a bit. I have been working with bird dogs since I was about 15...and I just turned 67. I have YET to bring a dog to its full potential. I'm getting better, but then maybe its really the dogs that are getting better.
That is NOT what you need to be concerned about. A well bred bird dog come out of the birth canal knowing more about finding game than we will ever be able to comprehend.
What we need to understand is that it is our job to shape and mold that genetic knowledge to suit our purpose and our needs, to provide the opportunities for the youngster to learn the what and the how of hunting and a framework for the youngster to learn and develop within.
Hunting is what a bird dog is bred to do. It is what it lives and breathes for. If we can keep all that joy, that excitement, that intensity, that passion for the hunt in the dog... and have that dog hunt with us and for us...then we have done a marvelous job as a trainer.
There are as many methods to do this as there are trainers. Several have written down their methods and reading through the mechanics of methods for several accomplished trainers will serve you very well. I understand that the Perfect Start video is a very useful tool.
I encourage you to read and view several different training approaches. Why??? Because what seems right and natural to me, might be difficult for you to execute. Also, and even more important, what may work beautifully for one dog, may not work as well for a different dog.
I encourage you to go and see a pro trainer, or two, for a day, and watch them work with puppies and young dogs. You will undoubtedly see some things you want to emulate with your dog and you may see some things that you may not. You will see that the pro trainer never loses their composure, never is at a loss for what to do under any circumstance and the training goes smoothly and effortlessly.
I encourage you to find a NAVHDA training group and go watch several different folks work with their dogs. once again, you will undoubtedly see some things that you wish to emulate with your dog and some you may not.
I encourage you to attend a Smith seminar, if you can.
Knowledge is power. If you know ten different ways to get something done, you have options.
There are two things I will absolutely encourage you to do.
First...
When you get that pup, spend time with it, play with it, bond with it and do whatever you can to make that puppy think the sun rises and sets on you. if a dog likes you, even if you mess up...and you will... the dog will forgive you because you its best friend. A dog that likes you and wants to be with you will want to hunt with you and hunt for you. That s waaaaay more than half the battle. If the dog likes you and trusts you, there is literally no end to what you can teach it to do...for you.
That is the most important thing...by far. Make real good friends with the dog.
Now before I tell you #2, think about these things...
Timing is critical in training a dog. Getting the timing right can make a training session go smoothly and almost effortlessly. Getting the timing wrong can send all kinds of wrong messages to the dog .
Whenever you interact with your dog, you are training it. Whether it is play time or feed time or worktime or anything in between, every time you interact with the dog it is learning from you. What you allow you encourage, what you allow, you are training toward.
How do you make sure your timing is as close to perfect as it can be and how to you make sure your interactions with your dog areas positive and directed as they can be????
#2)... PLAN YOUR WORK... THEN GO OUT AND WORK YOUR PLAN.
Think about it.... If you plan your work in advance, you will have all the right tools in place. You will have a real good idea of 1) what you want to accomplish, 2) exactly how you are going to go about it and 3) how the dog is likely to response both when it is doing what you want and when it is NOT doing what you want. You will also know when you have accomplished your training goal, so you know when to stop.
All of those things will help you as a novice amateur, to anticipate the dog's reaction to the training and be ready with a cue, a correction, a treat, a bit of encouragement or raise...at PRECISELY the right instant. That ability to anticipate the dog's reactions and to have a plan for any eventuality is most of what separates the amateurs from the pros. The pro has seen dozens, scores, even hundreds of dog in the same situations and they have seen every reaction, so they can anticipate with minimal planning...because of that experience. If you, as a novice, think about your training session and think about what you want to do if the dog does what you wish and what you should do if the dog does any of several things you do not wish... you will vastly improve your timing and confidence.
If you are confident and having fun with the training, the dog will sense that and go with it, because it will want to have fun with you. If you are unsure of yourself and hesitant, the dog will smell that fear and be defensive, which is usually the start of a bad day.
Read and learn...watch and learn. Then go out and have fun with your dog.
RayG
Let me ease your concerns a bit. I have been working with bird dogs since I was about 15...and I just turned 67. I have YET to bring a dog to its full potential. I'm getting better, but then maybe its really the dogs that are getting better.
That is NOT what you need to be concerned about. A well bred bird dog come out of the birth canal knowing more about finding game than we will ever be able to comprehend.
What we need to understand is that it is our job to shape and mold that genetic knowledge to suit our purpose and our needs, to provide the opportunities for the youngster to learn the what and the how of hunting and a framework for the youngster to learn and develop within.
Hunting is what a bird dog is bred to do. It is what it lives and breathes for. If we can keep all that joy, that excitement, that intensity, that passion for the hunt in the dog... and have that dog hunt with us and for us...then we have done a marvelous job as a trainer.
There are as many methods to do this as there are trainers. Several have written down their methods and reading through the mechanics of methods for several accomplished trainers will serve you very well. I understand that the Perfect Start video is a very useful tool.
I encourage you to read and view several different training approaches. Why??? Because what seems right and natural to me, might be difficult for you to execute. Also, and even more important, what may work beautifully for one dog, may not work as well for a different dog.
I encourage you to go and see a pro trainer, or two, for a day, and watch them work with puppies and young dogs. You will undoubtedly see some things you want to emulate with your dog and you may see some things that you may not. You will see that the pro trainer never loses their composure, never is at a loss for what to do under any circumstance and the training goes smoothly and effortlessly.
I encourage you to find a NAVHDA training group and go watch several different folks work with their dogs. once again, you will undoubtedly see some things that you wish to emulate with your dog and some you may not.
I encourage you to attend a Smith seminar, if you can.
Knowledge is power. If you know ten different ways to get something done, you have options.
There are two things I will absolutely encourage you to do.
First...
When you get that pup, spend time with it, play with it, bond with it and do whatever you can to make that puppy think the sun rises and sets on you. if a dog likes you, even if you mess up...and you will... the dog will forgive you because you its best friend. A dog that likes you and wants to be with you will want to hunt with you and hunt for you. That s waaaaay more than half the battle. If the dog likes you and trusts you, there is literally no end to what you can teach it to do...for you.
That is the most important thing...by far. Make real good friends with the dog.
Now before I tell you #2, think about these things...
Timing is critical in training a dog. Getting the timing right can make a training session go smoothly and almost effortlessly. Getting the timing wrong can send all kinds of wrong messages to the dog .
Whenever you interact with your dog, you are training it. Whether it is play time or feed time or worktime or anything in between, every time you interact with the dog it is learning from you. What you allow you encourage, what you allow, you are training toward.
How do you make sure your timing is as close to perfect as it can be and how to you make sure your interactions with your dog areas positive and directed as they can be????
#2)... PLAN YOUR WORK... THEN GO OUT AND WORK YOUR PLAN.
Think about it.... If you plan your work in advance, you will have all the right tools in place. You will have a real good idea of 1) what you want to accomplish, 2) exactly how you are going to go about it and 3) how the dog is likely to response both when it is doing what you want and when it is NOT doing what you want. You will also know when you have accomplished your training goal, so you know when to stop.
All of those things will help you as a novice amateur, to anticipate the dog's reaction to the training and be ready with a cue, a correction, a treat, a bit of encouragement or raise...at PRECISELY the right instant. That ability to anticipate the dog's reactions and to have a plan for any eventuality is most of what separates the amateurs from the pros. The pro has seen dozens, scores, even hundreds of dog in the same situations and they have seen every reaction, so they can anticipate with minimal planning...because of that experience. If you, as a novice, think about your training session and think about what you want to do if the dog does what you wish and what you should do if the dog does any of several things you do not wish... you will vastly improve your timing and confidence.
If you are confident and having fun with the training, the dog will sense that and go with it, because it will want to have fun with you. If you are unsure of yourself and hesitant, the dog will smell that fear and be defensive, which is usually the start of a bad day.
Read and learn...watch and learn. Then go out and have fun with your dog.
RayG
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
Excellent post Ray, +1
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AZ Brittany Guy
- Rank: 5X Champion
- Posts: 1417
- Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:00 pm
- Location: Arizona
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
+1 I know that I started to think more about what "I" would do if something went wrong and how I would behave.Meller wrote:Excellent post Ray, +1
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
That is outstanding advice Ray. I especially like the idea of making a plan. I liken it to going to the gym without any idea of what I'm doing when I get there. When I do that I tend to wander around and end up getting nothing accomplished.
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
Yes there is a NAVHDA chapter that trains at the LBJ Grasslands in Decatur almost every weekend. My current shorthair is my first gundog and without their help and resources we wouldn't be half way to where we are now. I would look at their website texasnavhda.org and contact Greg Kadesch. He is the one who is typically leading the training days. Lots of good guys our there. Would gladly help out but am moving back to Oklahoma after Christmas. Good luck and get after them. It's a great year for quail down here so don't be intimidated to just get after them and hunt.
Re: Rookie Trainer - North Texas
I used Buck Henderson from backyard kennels in van alstyn just east of you. I sent my vizsla through the 30 day puppy training to be around birds everyday and become gun broke. To me it was worth it because of the exposure to the amount of birds. But from there I've done a lot of work with her. I recently joined NAVHDA and have attended some of the training mainly because there are just certain things I don't have access to. Good luck