Bird Dog Training

Dog Training Commands A good command to teach first is to "Come". Next you can teach them to "Heel".

People are amazed at watching a well trained bird dog in action. We are often in awe at how well and quickly they obey their owner’s commands. When you see them perform you may begin to ask yourself, how did they do that? You may wonder if bird dog training will help bring out the best in your dog.

The simple answer is yes, but you have to invest hard.

There are several dog breeds that could be trained into being excellent bird dogs. Training them in obeying commands could be a good starting ground. Dog training professionals acknowledge the fact that dogs need to understand what command is being used in order to make them respond. For this basic voice command training, there are basic words a owner should use to train the dog.

The "Stay" Command

Teaching your dog to respond to your ’Stay’ command, is very important for them to learn early during training.

Dogs that follow their masters command without hesitation will demonstrate obedience and respect to his owner. Complete obedience is shown by obeying the command no matter how far the distance is between the giver of the command and the dog.

Using the command ’Whoa’ or ’Easy’ is very useful for dogs that get excited about flushing out birds, because they may begin to get out of control, and start mouthing or playing with the birds. When this happens it is easier for the owner to come to the dog and reward him for a job well done.

Commanding them to ’Come’

This command simply suggests that the dog should approach you as commanded. This command is one of the easiest to use. Say for example, retrieving would be a lot easier if the dog would come to you the instant you tell him to do so. Some dogs can be stubborn and may want to play or even begin to go off in another direction. Giving this command will help cut down on the distance between you and your dog in case he decides to do things his way.

Teaching them to ’Heel’

If you want your dog to walk by your side, the right command to teach your dog is, ’Heel’.

Another command that is often used after the ’Heel’ command is the one word command ’Ok’ or to ’Go’. This will let him know that he has performed favorably and he is again allowed to hunt for you.

Each and every time your dog performs correctly for you as he was instructed, always reward or praise him generously. Dogs are born with the desire to make their owners happy. When you begin to reward your dog in this way, let him know he is behaving correctly and that you want him to continue that type of behavior. Over a period of time, he will learn to do the same actions for which he was rewarded and praised.

Bird dog training takes dedication and persistence. This is the reason why there are not many bird dogs around. Always be confident that your dog can become a fine hunter if you do what it takes to make him successful, by showing him patience in teaching him to obey basic commands.