Friday, March 16, 2012

Online references for gun dog training

Natasha's training is now expanding from the show ring to also include the field, and gun-dog training. Trying to decide among friends and family just how to do this has been the greatest challenge, especially when time that must be focused on her training is limited by work, travel and experience.

 While Jorge is busy with  work and travel, I have been working with her on basic commands and have ventured a  into learning more about field and gun-dog training. I by no means am an expert and look forward to reading my first issue of Gun Dog Magazine as well as the field/gun dog books that Jorge will be bringing back to Chile with him from the USA. Field and gun dog training is not as prevalent in Chile as it is in the USA. 

To fill that gap until we are able to inform ourselves better I have been busy gathering my own resources/online bibliography on gun dog training. Many sites are commercial sites, either for products or puppies that also include tips on training. Others are blogs or articles associated with field and gun dog magazines. Below is the beginning of an annotated reference guide which is in random order right now and mostly from what I have been able to locate online. I will be adding more articles, references, e-books as I discover them on this page. Later I hope to placea more formalized reference guide on its own tab once it is developed a little further.  If any readers have other recommendations or comments on training please feel free to add it here in the comments. 

Google Books with sample pages available 
Weaver, R. (2007) Training your pointing dog for hunting and home. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpool Books, from Google Books, http://tinyurl.com/6nkbum2

Roebuck, K. C. (1983) Gun-Dog training: Pointing dogs, care and training of all pointing breeds. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpool Books, from Google Books,  http://tinyurl.com/7puxntx



Gun Dog Magazine (http://www.gundogmag.com/): Magazine of upland and waterfowl dogs
The magazine provides online the following sections:  Gear,  Breeds, Training, Video, and Store.
I found the video section very useful as a beginner. Videos are about 5 minutes long and show essentials in training and commands. For example click here to learn about the Double Marked Retrieve
There are also blogs on training experiences. I recently read "You're Bring Who? How to Handle a Friend's Dog"  given not only am I but others are working with Natasha. Another interesting article, Proper E-Collar Use While Hunting Pointers  gave me great insight on this ticklish topic.


 SportDOG Brand
While looking for information about e-collars, I discovered SportDOG Brand's website's article  Is Your Hunting Dog Ready for an E-collar . It also has other short General Training and Obedience Articles. However, because SportDog sells e-collars, each article discusses how to train using an e-collar product.


North American Gun Dog Association

North American Gun Dog Association (NAGDA) was formed to provide bird dog owners the opportunity to hunt upland birds in a competition format. Their events are held across the country at private hunt clubs. Competition events begin in September and ends with a national championship in April.

Gun Dog Training
This website is building a set of instruction sheets for both the novice and intermediate trainer. The author has also included an e-book on training. It's author also has a blog site that began in Dec. 2008. It appears to originate from the UK. I was not impressed with the information available at this time.


Gun Dogs Online
This impressive website provides  articles, video tips, talk radio, hunting supplies, dogs for sale, and photo gallery. It also has specific information or "Channels" including: Hunting Dog Training   |   Bird Hunting   |   Shooting Sports   |   Puppies   |   Health Care   |   Wildlife Conservation   |
Retriever Training   |   Pointing Dog Training   |   Spaniel Training   |   Waterfowl Hunting   |   Upland Bird Hunting. Each channel includes articles specific to that topic. The site also sells hunting and dog training equipment .

Fusion Vizslas
I really enjoy this site. The authors are founding members of Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club--"The Specialty Vizsla Club of Colorado", and members of the Vizsla Club of America. They are also members of the American Kennel Club's Breeder of Merit Program. This blog site is my inspiration. It has super articles and great photos. The Insight page includes links to articles they have published, including Training Vizslas and A Vizsla to Hunt With among many others. I really enjoyed reading Whoa and the City: Bird Dog Training City Slicker Style.

Online Vvideos for dog training (on YouTube or Training Websites)
http://www.bestgundog.com/weeklytraining is a weekly video Gun dog training program where i send you a weekly Gun dog training video plus Documents to take you from novice to the best trained Gun dog on the shoot.  For all 4 Free pre-training videos go to http://www.bestgundog.com/weeklytraining

Bird planting tips Bird planting tips for pen-raised quail, chukar and pheasant for bird dog training.

Teaching Commands
"Whoa"
Using rope:
Using table -

Gun Shyness
How to cure gun-shyness offers a straight forward step by step means of desensitizing the dog to loud gun shot noises.




Gun Dog Forums
All of these forums require registration to participate.
GunDogForum. com  also on FaceBook
Gundog and Bird Dog Training
GunDog Training Forum
Gun Dog Chat
Versatile HPR Continental Gundog Forum

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