Online Dog Training Resources

[bowhunter1023]

Whether Lulu ends up pregnant or not, I'll be training a puppy come January. I'm an intermediate dog trainer looking to move towards "seasoned" trainer. I'm looking to get more advanced with this dog in terms of hand signals, blind retrieves and multiples.

Any online videos, brands, reading you guys have used that you'd recommend, I appreciate the referrals.

My plan is to dig deep in some education and instruction over the next 4 months, hammer away at obedience until June, then start working on becoming much more than just a dog from there!

 

[Dustinb80]

A buddy of mine is a dog trainer for local police and fire departments for bomb, accelerants, drugs etc. Not you area that you are looking for but I can ask him if he knows anyone.

 

[triple_duece]

Ok if you know the basic obedience training your ahead of the game.

Couple quick pointers. Don’t teach your dog something you will have to train out later. Don’t give a command that your not willing to enforce.

About me. I’ve trained duck dogs since I was 15. I’m 51 now and last year I got into hunt test. The last 15 years my dogs have been trained to fetch ducks and blood trail deer.

A friend of mine told me about some YouTube videos so I could learn some of the finished stuff. By finished I mean from having a great dog to a excellent dog. Look up Freddy king he has some short instructional videos that follows steps you should use. It all builds on another. It’s a set of 27 videos. Watch them and watch them again. Keep in mind each video is after your dog “has” that step and you go to the next one. Some things your dog will pick up quick and others might take more time.

One thing I’d like to stress is....
Make training fun
Keep it relatively short
Always end with something fun, even if it’s not training.
Remember dogs have bad days also so when your dog isn’t having a good day, make it a fun day and wait for the next training opportunity. 3 times a day for 10-15 minutes is plenty. Two is ok also but try at least once a day for sure.

You will need some training tools.
Bumpers
Collars (choke chain)
E collar
Slip lead
Dummy launcher
Scent for bumpers
Whistle
Sky crate


Remember the dog can do anything, it’s the owner that holds the dog back from learning.

Remember to have patience, what your dog has done perfect yesterday and may not be perfect today. Repetition is the key to all good training and creating the environment where your dog is telling you to “lets go work”.

Socialization is always key. Take your dog everywhere if possible. By just being with you, your dog will know how to act without training.

Final thing is HAVE FUN!

You do all these things and your friends will think your the dog whisperer.

If you have questions you can always ask me.

 

[triple_duece]

pearl turned 1 in May. She has a started title and needs another pass for seasoned. This spring we will get the pass and go for her HRCH title which we should knock out before summer.

I really like the UKC hunt test. It realistic to actual hunting. There is also AKC hunt test and field trials. Pick the format you like best or both. You can look online for hunt test and just go and watch. You will learn a lot. I will say ukc is more family atmosphere and akc tends to be snobbish. Form your own opinion. I will probably run some akc after we complete finished level.

 

[jagermeister]

@triple_duece is spot on. UKC hunt tests are great, but I wonder how many clubs are in SE Ohio. I will second the Freddy King videos. It's some great content. Also Bill Hillman and Evan Graham have some excellent YouTube channels. I highly recommend the Smartworks training by Evan Graham. I have both Smartwork and Smartfetch hard copies. When I round them up from a buddy I'll mail them to you to borrow. We should chat some time about this whole dog training process.... There's way more to it than can be discussed in a thread. I don't have the patience to type that long. Lol. I will say this, there aren't many things more gratifying than training your own retriever, especially if you take one to a "finished" level.

 

[triple_duece]

 

[jagermeister]

SBHRC is my home club up here in NW Ohio.

 

[bowhunter1023]

Solid advice @triple_duece ! I appreciate you taking the time to type that up. @jagermeister I plan to pester you on this topic! Almost text you earlier as a matter of fact.

I really enjoy being with dogs and working with them, but I know I have a ton to learn. Some guys are willing to pay for training, but not me. I view it as something I can learn to do well enough and well enough is well, good enough for this hillbilly.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I would add that I've had the "pleasure" of hunting with a dog that cost twice what I paid for either of my labs and has had $5K worth of professional training and the dog is a train wreck. Only good thing is it has a ferocious appetite for cripples. Other than that, the dog is a hot mess. I don't blame the trainer since I don't know much about him, but I know the handler/owner and while I consider him a friend, he doesn't possess the "heavy hand" that I think it takes to train stubborn dogs. Whether it's very firm commands, use of the e-collar or actual physical reprimand, he doesn't do anything. Dogs are like kids, if there's no consequences for negative behavior, they don't learn to not behave that way.

I have a simple philosophy when it comes to modifying the behavior of dogs and kids: They don't like things that suck. So when they suck, you return the favor. They'll figure it out pretty quickly.

 

[triple_duece]

What kind of dog are you wanting to train? Some breeds can be more stubborn than others when it comes to teaching. Also I like females because the pick it up quicker and retain it.

There are exceptions to everything so don’t battle my opinions lol.

I couldn’t believe what trained dogs go for, but once I started hitting the circuit I understand and there is not a lot of money made by the trainer that is getting titles. Now he he’s training 10 dogs, there is money to be made.... but also that’s a shit ton of work.

I’ve done the math on what a weekend of trying to get two passes with a motel because it’s not real close to the house. The cost is around 500$. Most levels are two weekends considering you pass both Saturday and Sunday.

I would suggest you start at the lowest level and go up from there. Professional trainers skip some levels and depends on what the client wants. Most will start in the finished level and have to do extra weekends because the dog don’t have the title below. Also they most likely won’t pass everyday and will have to run extras.

Running test is very addictive, exciting and frustrating. I get butterflies lol. You can train your dog and it does perfect, take it to the test and your wondering who swapped your dog out cause your dog acts differently. The venue is totally different than the home setting. Lots of people and dogs, duck calling, whistles and gun shots. Also you will run into that “asshole” judge. Yes I have learned my lesson.

I ran my dog in started and got 4 passes. Of course my dog was way passed that level when I started. Then I went to seasoned. First day she blew the field away and one of the judges said to put my dog in his truck lol. The next day (different area and judges) well this mofo started cutting dogs left and right. Sunday’s there are ready to go home... you get the point. Everyone said my dog should’ve earned a pass but we went home tail tucked. The next weekend at a different event a month later, my dog got another pass. Sunday my dog thought she could do it on her own. That second part of the day was the easiest test I’ve seen and I was asked to pick my dog up (meaning we wasn’t going to pass. Rightfully so because I had no control over my dog. A different dog showed up Sunday lol. Cost me a season title which I was trying to get before hunting season. It’s all good but I was disappointed, not with my dog but with me. You see these test will show the trainer the holes in you training, things that you didn’t cover well enough.

So with all this said I hope I explained it well enough. My journey with Pearl continues and I’m excited about it.

For the record I’m not a professional trainer nor would I send my dog off to be trained. The process of training my dog is what it’s all about.

 

[bowhunter1023]

To clarify, it is a 0.01% chance I ever enter a dog in a contest. I'm too busy and broke for that hustle. I'm training a homebrew (hopefully) AKC bloodline lab. My female is simple farm dog stock. My buddy's lab, who is likely humping her right now, is out of champion bloodline in Iowa. He's built like an English lab, mine like a traditional "American" style lab. I take first choice male and female, he gets choice female, we split profit 50/50. My cash will pay to have her spayed and the rest to kennel and training supplies.

I'm going to train both puppies together and they'll complete our stable of dogs. Best one, gets to hunt with us on the boat. Other one will be relegated to field hunts. I'm just an old hillbilly that likes to mess around with all sorts of hobbies. I don't plan to go down the rabbit hole any deeper than necessary!

 

[triple_duece]

I get that and respect that. I have done that all my life. There is tons of champion dogs out their with no titles, I’ve had a few. This is my first dog that has titles, doesn’t make her any better than others but it does say she’s trained to a standard.

I usually only bred my dogs because I wanted a puppy from my dog to continue on.

I haven’t bred a couple of my dogs because they had issues.... skin problems and such. People breed for money when we should be breeding to improve the breed.

Good luck with your new companions and I’m here if I can help.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I appreciate the offer to help!