Hunting Dogs

Using Benchmarks

I frequently hear questions like, “At what age do I introduce my dog to the gun?” and, “How old should my dog be before I use the e-collar?” The problem is that these training benchmarks are not related to a dog’s age; approaching these and other milestones successfully can happen only when a trainer has properly prepared his dog.

Training dogs for excellent performance in the field is not as simple as putting a meatloaf in the oven at 375° for an hour and —d—Voila!—it’s done. Dogs’ genetics vary greatly, even within well-established breeds. Some dogs progress less rapidly than others, and personality traits vary, with some dogs being bold and confident and others  more apprehensive. Environmental exposures, particularly during the imprinting stage, from six to 20 weeks, play a huge role in how well and how soon a dog will respond to structured learning.

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