Gun dogs! No, not dogs with guns, silly. Gun dogs are a group of dog breeds! Bred to work with men (or women for that matter) with guns or gamekeepers on hunts and shoots. Out in the forests and fields, their job is to find, flush and pick up game. They are a pretty regal bunch, these Gun dogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gun dogs can be Spaniels, Setters, Retrievers, Pointers, and Water Retrievers \u2013 each is bred for a specific job that they do amazingly well at! You also get \u2018HPR\u2019 that\u2019s hunt point retriever dogs who manage to do it all, they are the real smarty pants of the Gun dog group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Gun dog puppy will be bright, eager to learn and generally have a fantastic relationship with humans. They\u2019ve been bred to work with and for us, for thousands of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guide to Gun dog puppy training will give you a great 8 week intro to the basics, but we really do recommend downloading a trial of the Zigzag puppy training app<\/a> for the full monty. We have a personalized program specifically made for your breed of Gun dog, and a team of experts <\/a>ready for any questions you might have about training your Gun dog puppy, 7, yes 7, days a week! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve brought your Gun dog puppy home you can, and should, start to train them immediately. Never fall into the trap of thinking you\u2019re not training your puppy to do something, Gun dog puppies and puppies, in general, are always learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re either learning what we want them to do, because we\u2019re actively training, or they\u2019re learning what we don\u2019t want them to do and are getting up to mischief! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Training a Gun dog won\u2019t require a huge list of equipment but it\u2019s much easier to train a puppy when you\u2019re prepared and have some of the following list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A <\/strong>collar<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>2m training lead<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 In many countries, wearing a collar with ID tags is the law, wouldn\u2019t want you to get in trouble! A 2m training lead will also be really useful and can be used for many different purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A <\/strong>well-fitting harness<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 We think dogs are much better off wearing well-fitting harnesses that don\u2019t tighten or restrict their natural gait. Of course if you\u2019re out shooting or on a trial somewhere, your Gun dog may well be \u2018naked\u2019 because they\u2019re working, but that\u2019s not the case when you\u2019re just off to the park with the family! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Food and water bowls<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 You should always have fresh water available for your puppy, and they\u2019ll want something to eat out of too! Bowls come in all shapes and sizes<\/a> depending on the size of your Gun dog, and yes they\u2019ll probably try and swim in the bowl if you let them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A <\/strong>treat pouch<\/strong><\/a> or treat bag<\/strong> \u2013 Food is a primary reinforcer<\/a>, and a great way to teach your Gun dog what you want them to do. Having a treat bag means you\u2019re always able to reward them quickly for a job well done. Always remember though, should you not have your treats to hand \u2013 praise and a good rub will do the trick too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vet bed<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>travel mat<\/strong><\/a> or blanket \u2013 <\/strong>Dogs appreciate knowing when they\u2019re working vs when they\u2019re not, and having some kind of settle mat is really useful for this. You can also teach them that is their place to go when you go to cafes, restaurants, or the local bar too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enrichment toys<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 <\/strong>the most enriching thing for your gun dog is likely to be doing the job they were bred for. But other kinds of activities can use their problem-solving skills and keep them busy too. Puzzle toys<\/a>, Kongs<\/a> and other brain games<\/a> will also positively affect their wellbeing and help them cope with frustration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two identical toys<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Identical toys will come in handy for retrieving work and for teaching them how to swap. Gun dogs have large mouths, so find something suitable that they\u2019ll find easy to hold like the mallard or pheasant shaped toys, they go wild for these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tasty treats<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Their usual kibble will work just fine, but you\u2019ll also want to use some tastier treats like bits of sausage or cheese to pay \u2018high wages\u2019 at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A <\/strong>crate<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>playpen<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 When training your Gun dog puppy, it can be hard to get them to switch off and have downtime. A crate or playpen can really help get them into a structured nap time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grooming brushes<\/strong> \u2013 Some Gun dogs don\u2019t need a huge amount of grooming, while others will do (hello poodles!). A soft rubber grooming brush<\/a> will help keep them looking dashing and clean, and a wire slicker brush<\/a> will get through any knots. Having a grooming routine <\/a>will also help strengthen your bond as most love being touched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A squeaky ball on a rope<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 You\u2019ve probably seen the Gun dogs used by Border Force or the police. What do they always have as a reward for them? Yep, a tennis ball. They\u2019re obsessed. Try having the ball on a rope to make it easier to get back \u2013 we also think it\u2019s safer as there\u2019s no chance of it getting stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gun dogs are a group of dog breeds and carry out the following jobs when out on a hunt<\/p>\n\n\n\n These dogs would track down the game birds by scent, then drive them out from the cover or undergrowth for the hunters to shoot. Typically flushing dogs are Spaniels and Retrievers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pointing dogs track down the game and then freeze to tell the hunter where it is. They don\u2019t actually point with their paws\u2026 although that would be amazing! Pointers (obviously) and Setters are both types of Gun dog who do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retrieving Gun dogs would bring the game back once shot. Most Gun dogs will retrieve. Hence why they all love a game of fetch!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is some overlap as to what a Gun dog will do. Depending on what other dogs are out on the shoot will mean that dog does that particular job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So you probably don\u2019t own a gun and go out shooting, but knowing what your breed of gun dog is bred to do will be useful to understand their motivations when training and why your Gun dog puppy behaves the way they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, your Labrador Retriever is likely to pick up socks, or other items in your house, it\u2019s literally in their blood and is hard wired, it\u2019s not something you should tell them off for, or be worried about. You\u2019ll notice how happy and proud they are parading around with whatever it is they have! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, you\u2019ll want to teach some self control around water to your Nova-Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever or your Irish Water Spaniel because they are bred to want to swim. The clue is in the name \u2013 they\u2019re water Gun dogs! But that doesn\u2019t mean they can be jumping in every lake and pond they want. It might not be safe and results in stinky dogs and some ruined walks! <\/p>\n\n\n\n So rather than thinking about how we stop your Gun dog from doing the things they want to do, think about it more in terms of what can you train them to do instead and how can you make that reinforcing? Also giving them plenty of opportunity to carry out those breed-specific behaviors and behave as they\u2019re bred when you want them to, will mean you\u2019re meeting their needs. We\u2019re not saying never let your water dogs swim, far from it, but we want to be able to manage them doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guide to training your Gun dog puppy we\u2019ll be covering the following topics<\/p>\n\n\n\n Push, drop, stick sounds like some sort of exercise class, we know, but it\u2019s a really effective way of increasing the difficulty of training. Using the push, drop, stick method means that we know when our dog is ready to try that little bit harder without frustrating them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What exactly is Push, Drop, and Stick?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Push, Drop, Stick is a method of gradually increasing the difficulty of an activity or behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If exercises are always made too easy, dogs will continue to complete them correctly because they are rewarded. However, they will make slower progress since they will become \u2018stuck\u2019 at this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the lessons are too difficult, they will most likely give up because the treats will be less plentiful and frustration sets in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By keeping enough momentum, \u2018Push, Drop, Stick\u2019 can help avoid both scenarios: it will keep your puppy interested and prevent them from quitting, but not so much that they aren\u2019t thinking about how to get rewarded by trying harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how does Push, Drop, Stick work? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We will count how many of the exercises the dog correctly completes after five repetitions. Then we can decide which of the following to do based on how they perform:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Push means we advance to the next difficulty level (raise criteria)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drop means to return to the easier level (lower criteria)<\/p>\n\n\n\n To stick means to continue at the current level of difficulty (stay with current criteria)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a handy table to help you figure it out \u2013 you\u2019ll want to refer to this throughout our guide to training your Gun dog puppy to keep things interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPrerequisites for training my Gun dog puppy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What age can I start to train my Gun dog puppy?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What do I need to train my Gun dog puppy? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Good to know about training Gun dog puppies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are Gun dogs bred for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What does this have to do with how I train my Gun dog?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Overview of the training program and topics we\u2019ll cover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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