Trust Your Dog Training Methods
Jeff and Katherine Fuller 05.07.13
Your four-legged pupil is ready for formal training to begin. This period takes us to the age of six months with the average retriever pup. It’s now time to change our training methods from one of fun to one of expectations.
With this change in expectations our new team, both two- and four-legged pupils now have to find a good trainer or training program. This can be done by many methods. Finding a training program includes a well-written guide on how to teach your floppy-eared friend how to learn, as well as the game of expectations. The dog has graduated from the fun times of puppyhood to the more adult time of learning with the carrot and stick method. There are many training programs out there for retrievers and essentially 90 percent of the methods are the same. Some have slightly different patterns and drills, but almost all achieve the end goal of a well-trained gun dog through similar means.
The same can be said about finding a quality professional trainer. There are many good trainers across the country and most achieve their pupil’s success through the same methods. The use of electronics and the methods of using positive and negative reinforcement are quite similar in most training programs. Note that a good background check on your possible trainer and a visit to see them in action is suggested.
Whether picking a trainer or training program the one thing that is needed is consistency! Bouncing from trainer to trainer or program to program to try to achieve faster results will only serve to confuse the four-legged pupil. After all, the research was done on the front end of our decision to ensure that the future team has been put in the best possible position for success.
Once your program begins realize that it takes patience, understanding, and a steady hand. Keep your expectations high and the speed that your floppy-eared partner achieves goal at a realistic level. This will ensure success as the transition is made from a ball or fun and fur to a well-mannered and fearless hunting companion.
This article is brought to you by Soggy Acres Retrievers and DT Systems.
Jeff Fuller, Host and Executive Producer of SportingDog Adventures, always loved dogs and hunting, but never expected to make a career out of it. Jeff followed his college career and time in the Army Reserve with a career in law enforcement, until a squad accident ended his career in 2005. Looking for a new path, Jeff began to expand his Labrador breeding program and incorporated Soggy Acres Retrievers. Appearances on local television shows inspired him to aim higher, and SportingDog Adventures was created to provide wholesome, family entertainment geared towards those with an interest in dogs and the outdoors. The show is now in its 4th season, with new episodes beginning each July on the Pursuit Channel, as well as several other networks including The Walk, Tuff TV, and Wild TV Canada. The show is also available year-round online at www.carbontv.com.
Katherine Fuller, wife of Jeff Fuller, came from a dog-loving family with a history of hunting that goes all the way back to her European roots. Still, she never expected to end up using her years of accounting experience and her marketing degree in support of a Labrador breeding program and a hunting show. In addition to her accounting and PR duties with Soggy Acres Retrievers kennel and SportingDog Adventures TV, Kate also appears on many of the episodes, and has also formed a marketing company, Brown Dog Communications, offering the outdoors industry media kits, press releases, web content, social media management, and more. Her contributions to OutdoorHub and other samples of her work can be found at www.browndogco.com. When she’s not writing or chasing after the dogs or the kids, she enjoys researching recipes and natural products, as well as organizing the family’s extensive photo collection.
