Archive for April 27th, 2009

Training Supplies for Your Bird Dog Puppy

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If you’re the happy new owner of a puppy that you plan to train to someday be a hunting or gun dog, then you’ll be wondering what you’ll need to make that happen. Besides patience, love, and a sense of humor, you’ll need some tools to make the training process easier. Before you bring puppy home, make sure you have the things you’ll need to make him comfortable and get him off to a good start.

Dog Crates

The fact of the matter is, puppies aren’t born housebroken. Sad, but true. This means you’ll need to housebreak puppy and the best way to do that is through create training. A lot of other benefits come from this as well and crate training utilizes puppy’s “denning” instinct to make it all happen. Crates also keep your dog (and your house) safe while he’s unsupervised.

Crates are easy to use, come in a variety of sizes and styles to fit your dog, and many can be collapsed for easy transport or storage. Some dog owners use a crate for the dog’s entire life while others use it only to get through puppyhood.

Most dogs enjoy the crate because their instincts are to “den” in a quiet, comfortable, almost-confined space. It helps them feel protected, secure, and safe. Whether you get an aluminum or metal-wire dog crate, you will want to make sure it’s the right size for your dog. For puppies, get one with a divider to put inside so you can let the crate grow with your puppy. It should be just large enough for the dog to stand up straight, turn around in, and lay down flat.

Dog Training Collars

Let us be honest, dogs do not train themselves! For those who are training hunting dogs, you will want to find the best possible dog training collar that can be found in the same supply store that you purchase your other hunting dog supplies. Whether you elect for an electric dog collar to teach your dog to hunt or a simple choke collar for simple obedience training, make sure that the collar is the right one for you and your dog.

You will have to decide if your dog responds best to positive discipline (i.e. give him a treat when he does the right thing) or if electronic stimulation offered through electronic collars are best for him. Many owners of hunting dogs (especially larger ones) find that the electronic stimulus collars work best.

Other Hunting Dog Supplies

Start working with puppy early to begin the training process and to set a schedule of training, play, and down times. The earlier you begin obedience and hunting training, the more effective it will be. There are a lot of products out there to help you accomplish these tasks and they are generally available at all hunting and pet supply stores:

1. Dog whistles to train your dog to listen to you at home and in the field
2. Dog training bumpers/dummies – for teaching retrieval and flushing, they simulate the bird to be hunted.
3. Launchers – for sending the dummies into the field or from hidden positions to better train your dog for outdoor hunting and retrieving.

Your new puppy will be a part of your home and hunting experience and will become your best friend for many years. Make sure you have the right hunting dog supplies and tools to make your training effective and fun!

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