Hunting Dogs

Having the proper training equipment is a prerequisite for developing the gundog into a stellar hunting companion. A combination of yardwork, birdwork and fieldwork is the formula for molding a pup into an athlete that finds birds, hunts in control within desired range and has solid manners around birds. A finished dog is a work of art. A gunsmith has an assortment of tools that he uses in performing his craft; a dog trainer does as well.

Below I have listed alphabetically the key pieces of equipment we use in our training programs along with a brief description of each and its use. We train, develop and breed dogs for upland hunting. This is our forte. The waterfowl trainer would not use all of the equipment that I cover but would use additional items.

Backing Silhouette
A backing silhouette is used in teaching a pointing dog to honor, or back, the point of its bracemate. We use a silhouette of a dog in our backing exercises—rather than another dog—because a silhouette never breaks point and does not require the trainer to divide his focus between the student and the dog on point. We eventually graduate to a live dog on point, but our initial exercises are with a silhouette. A backing silhouette can be made out of plywood and painted. Easier still is to purchase one from a gundog-supply company.

Bark Collar
A dog that is barking in the kennel, trailer, crate or dog box or on the tie-out stake is burning glycogen as if it were running. After depleting its glycogen, the dog will be less able to focus on the training exercise and have less stamina in the field. Bark collars are an inexpensive remedy. We use rechargeable bark collars from D.T. Systems that have eight levels of stimulation and turn on and off with the touch of a magnet embedded in the collar strap. Tri-Tronics makes a dependable collar that incorporates a bark odometer, which lets you know how many times the dog tested the collar in your absence. SportDog’s NoBark 18 has a patented design requiring both the sound of the bark and the tangible vibration from the bark to occur at the same time before it makes a correction.

Barrel
Much of our work on “Whoa” and steady to flush & shot takes place on a 55-gallon barrel. We first teach the dog to stand and “Whoa” on the barrel. Once the dog is remaining on the barrel, we launch pigeons or quail and require that the dog continue to stand on the barrel. If the dog learns not to chase birds, it becomes easier to teach it to be staunch on point. We attach a piece of carpet to the top of the barrel to make the surface non-skid. The barrel rests on its side and is supported by a floor stand. Tire chocks serve to keep it stabilized. The entire unit is portable.

Bird Bag
When working dogs in the field on a place board (see p. 52) or barrel, we need to be able to carry birds with us. Loading bird launchers, throwing clipped-wing pigeons for retrieves and teaching a dog to stop to the flush all require birds. The best way I know to carry birds is to wear a Coyote belt and bird bag. Coyote Company Leather makes a modular belt system to which trainers can add bird bags, gun holsters, dummy carriers, water bottles and a varied assortment of pouches, clips and rings for holding shells, crimps, dummy-launcher loads and other essentials.

Bird Launchers
We use several bird launchers in our training exercises. Bird launchers make training by yourself easier. We incorporate bird launchers into our barrel and board work, pointing drills, stop-to-flush exercises, and marking work. D.T. Systems remote launchers can be loaded from the top, and they have a side-entry-loading door that allows for loading multiple quail to simulate a covey rise. In addition, these launchers have built-in beepers that can be activated from the transmitter for locating the units and getting a dog’s attention. Dogtra and a few other makers also produce remote-activated live-bird launchers; look to gundog-supply companies for comparisons.

Blank Pistol
There are cheap blank pistols and expensive blank pistols. Don’t buy the cheap ones. It is very frustrating to have equipment malfunction while training. I recommend two different blank pistols, and we use both. The NEF blank pistol sold by Lion Country Supply comes in either .22 or .32 caliber. The .22 crimps are the ideal way to introduce a dog to the gun. The Alfa blank pistol is a zinc-aluminum alloy with a rust-resistant blued finish. The Alfa pistol has an orange rubberized grip and is of extremely high quality. The Alfa is available in .22 and .32 calibers and for 209 primers, which we use because the primers are less expensive than the .22 crimps.

Buddy Stick
A six-foot piece of 1-1/4"-diameter PVC pipe with a snap fixed to an end cap—commonly referred to as the Buddy Stick—is a valuable training aid that serves many purposes. When the snap is attached to the dog’s collar, it acts as a rigid check cord or lead. When teaching the stay commands of “Whoa” or “Sit,” the dog often tries to go to the handler. With the Buddy Stick, the handler is able to keep the dog stationary. We use the Buddy Stick for pointing drills, board work, “Whoa” and “Sit” drills, and “Here” and “Heel” exercises. Buddy Sticks are inexpensive and easy to make, with all necessary supplies available at a hardware store.

Check Cord
A check cord is the most used piece of equipment in our toolbox. We use check cords for patterning work, pointing drills, teaching sit to flush, training steadiness to wing & shot, and “Here” work. I like a stiff check cord—as opposed to a flimsy piece of rope—and prefer a 20-foot cork-filled or solid-core version. Quality check cords are available from a variety of suppliers.

Clicker & Treat Bag
As discussed in “Clicker Talk” (March/April), clicker training is a major part of our program. The timing of the treat following the click is important. Fumbling around in a shirt pocket for a piece of hot dog is not the way to go. A belt treat bag with an easy-to-access pouch allows the trainer to quickly deliver the paycheck following the click. Quality clickers and treat bags can be ordered from Jeffers Pet Supplies.

Dummy Launcher
A launcher that fires either canvas dummies or PVC dummies is a great way to vary the length of retrieves and improve marking skills. Dummy launchers are also effective for water work. Dummy launchers use power loads to fire dummies, and by changing the number of the power load, the distance of the retrieve is changed. Launchers are available from a number of gundog-supply operations.

E-collar
The electronic collar is the way we make the transition from clicker training and yardwork to avoidance training in the field. A dog needs to be properly introduced to low-level stimulation in yard- work with the commands it already understands. I prefer systems that offer a wide range of low-level stimulation, not units with only a multitude of high-level-stimulation buttons. The D.T. Systems 2420 series is my choice, as it incorporates a jump mode that the handler—not the factory—sets and a rise mode that will escalate from level 1 to 50 as long as the button is depressed. This unit also has momentary- and continuous-stimulation modes. I recently tested Tri-Tronics’ top-of-the-line 500 G2 EXP and was quite impressed. The unit is user-friendly, and the consistency of stimulation levels and gradation between levels is superb. Both SportDog and Dogtra make e-collar systems offering a multitude of stimulation levels as well as the ability to operate more than one collar from a single transmitter.

Lead
A slip lead for teaching “Heel,” walking the dog to and from the fields, or for an evening walk around the block is a valuable piece of training gear.

Pinch Collar
We use pinch collars in pointing drills with certain dogs. A pinch collar with blunted spikes is less aggressive than a prong collar. I believe the collars by J.A.S.A., with their spring-back function, are the best force collars available. These collars are carried by Lion Country Supply.

Place Boards
Place boards are used for teaching the stay commands of “Whoa” and “Sit.” We use place boards for pointing drills and in line-steady work for retrievers. Once a dog has been taught to stand or sit on a board, the board can be moved to different locations to help the dog generalize the desired behavior. A place board can be simply a 2' x 2' piece of plywood nailed to a couple of 2" x 4" supports to raise the board off of the ground.

Prong Collar
A prong collar is our choice for teaching behavior in yard training. A prong collar releases quickly when the dog makes an acceptable effort and provides immediate feedback. The Herm Sprenger prong collar is our choice and can be purchased from a number of suppliers.
Roading Harness
Conditioning is a big part of our program. Dogs that are in shape train better and have more endurance and bird-finding drive. We road-train dogs from an ATV, with the dogs harnessed to roading bars. We also free-run the dogs with a six- to eight-foot length of welder’s cable attached to the harness. A quality roading harness can be ordered from R.R. Supplies.

Shotguns
Shotguns are a necessity, so you don’t have to feel guilty about buying a few. We use a .410 for initial shotgun work around dogs. Either a 28- or 20-gauge works well for shooting quail and chukar. I prefer a 12-gauge for shooting pheasants when training flushing retrievers.

Tracking System
Not knowing where a dog is or being afraid of losing a dog will put a damper on any training session or hunt. I have used a Tracker locator system for years. I always put the lightweight collar transmitter on a dog when going to the field. Not only does the Tracker tell me where the dog is, but it also tells me if the dog is on point—allowing me to make the proper training decisions. The Tracker is good for up to 11 miles, removing any fear of losing your dog. The unit can be ordered directly from Tracker Radio Systems.
Garmin recently introduced the Astro, a GPS-enabled dog-tracking system. The range (up to five miles) is not as great as the Tracker’s, but as a functioning GPS unit, the Astro can help you navigate back to your vehicle. The Astro also can notify you when your dog is on point. I have not used the unit, so I don’t know if it has the same limitations as all GPS units in the woods.

Of course you may find that you need a dog topper or trailer to transport your dogs and equipment and other related gear I haven’t mentioned. My advice is to buy top-quality products when you can, because they will function better, last longer and give you greater satisfaction in your training. And whatever gear you end up owning, don’t forget the most important component in developing a well-trained bird dog: birds!

Training Supply Vendors

For more information on dog-training supplies or to purchase training products, contact the following manufacturers and retailers.

• Cabela’s: www.cabelas.com.
• Coyote Company Leather: www.coyotecoleather.com.
• D.T. Systems: www.dtsystems.com.
• Gun Dog Supply: www.gundogsupply.com.
• Jeffers Pet Supply: www.jefferspet.com.
• Lion Country Supply: www.lcsupply.com.
• Mendota Products: www.mendotaproducts.com.
• R.R. Supplies: www.raystackshop.com.
• Tracker Radio Systems: www.trackerradio.com.
• Trail Blazin’ Innovations: www.tbicatalog.com.
• Tri-Tronics: www.tritronics.com.

George Hickox’s DVD “Training Pointing Dogs” covers developing a gundog from puppy to polished performer. It can be ordered by visiting www.georgehickox.com.