Starting with your Puppy
Before you puppy arrives, you should get your hands on a few good training books and videos. Trust me, you won't have time once the pupster arrives!
| Attachment 130 | Sound Beginnings Retriever Training DVD with Jackie Mertens This is a really good DVD that goes training your puppy from 7 weeks until 8 months. Jackie Mertens is one of the most successful amateur retriever trainers and breeders in North America. She has trained and titled numerous FC/AFC retrievers. She is a six time finalist at the National Open/National Amateur Retriever Championships. She won the National Amateur Championship with her NAFC FC Topbrass Cotton, who is also the all time high point Golden Retriever in field trial history. You can order this DVD from GunDogSupply: http://www.gundogsupply.com/soberetrdvdw.html |
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Water Dog - by Richard Wolters This book has been around for several years, but it has stuck around because it's good. This book is written for the person who wants to train their dog themselves. It covers everything you need to do from the day you bring your puppy home. You can order this book from Amazon.ca: Water Dog |
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The 10-Minute Retriever: How to Make an Obedient and Enthusiastic Gun Dog in 10 Minutes a Day - by John & Amy Dahl The 10-Minute Retriever reflects the authors' belief that daily ten-minute training sessions best suit a retriever's attention span and lead to rapid learning. This book is easy to use for the absolute beginner and yet deeply informative for the serious student of retriever training. The text has the information most needed by the owner of a pet retriever: how to make it reliable obedient and well-mannered. It also has the information for which amateur retriever trainers are clamoring: how to force fetch, how to set up tests in the field, and how to use an electric collar humanely and effectively. The emphasis of their training method is on obtaining necessary control and good manners while maximizing the dog's enthusiasm for its work by establishing training situations where the dog desires to cooperate. Primary importance is placed on developing and enhancing the desire to retrieve, from early puppyhood onward. The method presented provides a solid foundation to the dog and owner continuing to advance retrieve training (blind retrieves and competition). You can order this book from Amazon.ca: The 10-Minute Retriever: How to Make an Obedient and Enthusiastic Gun Dog in 10 Minutes a Day |
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Whistle I bought a Roy Gonia whistle, as pictured to the left. The neat thing about these whistles is that they don't deafen you! The way they are built projects the sound of the whistle outwards so your dog can hear it from a distance. GunDogSupply carries these whistles: Mega with Roy Gonia Orange & Black "Special" Whistle |
| Attachment 131 | Training Dummies You will need some training dummies (aka bumpers). For most of your dog's first year you'll just need the 2 inch x 12 inch ones. When your dog matures you can use the 3 inch wide ones. I recommend the dummies that are half white and half black. They are easier for you, and your dog to see. I have heard that dogs can't see the orange ones so I have stopped using them. There will be a couple months - usually between 3-5 months - where your dog shouldn't be asked to pick up a bumper - because he is teething! You don't want your pup to associate any of the pain in his mouth with retrieving the bumper. During his teething time period you can use canvas dummies, a clean paint roller, or even just a couple of gloves rolled up the long way and enclosed in a sock. Be creative! |
| Attachment 132 | White Jacket Gunners and handlers in field trials wear white jackets. It is much easier for your pup to see you, and the gunner (or dummy thrower) if you are both in white. Once you start training your dog on blinds, you will also have to wear black gloves while you give your dog his directional signals. |
| Attachment 133 | Check Cord You should get a 50 foot section of sash cord. Sash cord is a thin dense cord used for curtains. Attach a leash connector on one end. This is now your check cord. Attach it to your pup's collar. Now he can safely run off leash to get the bumper, but if he doesn't come back to you, you can be within 50 feet of him and you'll be able to grab onto the check cord and pull him back in to you. Trust me, you'll be grateful for it! |
| Attachment 134 | Starter Pistol You will want to either own your own, or have access to a starter pistol for your training sessions. Starter pistols shoot blanks. Pick up some ear plugs as well - you don't want to damage your ears during all the years of training you and your dog are going to enjoy together! Gun Dog Supply has several brands of starter pistols in stock: Starter Pistols |
Retriever Clubs
There are many retriever organizations across the country. Usually they are made up of people (historically mostly men, but there are more and more women training their dogs every year) with varying training skill levels who run their dogs in field trials, working certificate tests, and/or hunt tests. Some clubs have their own training grounds, or the lease access to a property for training purposes. Retriever clubs usually host a trial or series of tests every year.
Here is a list of Field Trial clubs in Canada: http://www3.telus.net/tkmurray/memberlist.html
Get in contact with a club near you. They will probably be grateful to have a possible new member. Be willing to help them out as much as you are hoping they will help you out. Usually only one dog is trained at once, so while your dog is waiting in his crate in your vehicle for his turn to train, you can help out the first dog by being a gunner (a gunner is someone who stands out in the field and when he is given the signal from the judge (or handler during training), he shoots a blank with a starter pistol and throws the bird (or dummy in training sessions). You might want to keep some gloves with you in case you are throwing dead ducks during training because they leave a stench on your hands that is uncomparable (I found that lemon juice and salt works to wash it off later!).
Titles
As mentioned, there are different tests and trials you can enter your dog in. You can earn titles by entering. The following website lists the titles, and their shortforms (eg. JH, WC, FC) with definitions and explanation: Retriever Titles: What Do These Letters Mean?
Force Fetch
Force fetching is a period of training which teaches your pup to become a completely reliable retriever - one who doesn't drop the bird/dummy or fail to pick it up. There are 3 major tasks you need to teach your dog - the fetch, the hold, and the release. After you teach these tasks, pressure is introduced to reinforce the commands.
Here are some links to read more about force fetching:
- Force-Fetching Without "The Collar" Part I - by John and Amy Dahl
- Force-Fetching Without "The Collar" Part 2 - by John and Amy Dahl
- Teaching Retrievers the "Force Fetch" - by Gun Creek Labradors
- Conditioned Retrieve - by Pamela O. Kadlec
Links to Retriever Online Supply Stores
Good Retriever Training Websites
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