Small Munsterlander EARLY PUPPY TRAINING 2 mos to 6 mos |
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When you get your Hunting Hills puppy comfortable in your home and it will be
ready to begin his/her basic training. It is important that from the beginning you let
the dog know you are the boss or leader. When you get the pup home tell the
family what the game plan is for the puppy's training, commands to use, and have
everyone follow it. This gives the pup a consistent base to learn from. Remember
if not done properly everything the pup learns may have to be unlearned and
retaught .
At this stage make sure your pup enjoys their training. Basics such as your puppy
learning its name, coming when called, retrieving, sitting, learning the meaning of
‘No’, learning to go into the kennel when told, learning not to bark unnecessarily,
leash manners and getting into the vehicle are all elements that should be learned
in your pups first 2 to 6 month.
Use your pups name often, let it become used to all house and outdoor noises in
a safe way. Don't allow children to tease or scare the puppy with a vacuum
cleaner, fireworks, or other loud noises. Your puppy should be properly
socialized to everything. Take it everywhere possible with you. Keep it safe, keep
it in a crate for short rides when in a car or on a leash for daily walks in the city.
Get your pup used to being handled. Check its mouth, paws, lay him/her on
his/her back, rub its tummy and put it on a low table to get him/her used to being
examined.
An important rule at this stage is to keep it all brief and enjoyable. Always end the
training session in a positive manner. Stop the sessions before they become
boring and always on a positive note. Never give a command to your pup unless
you can back it up. Use a check cord or leash when training. The first commands
to teach are "here or come", "kennel", and "no". When these commands are
learned teach "whoa", "heel" and "sit". Yard work must be learned fully before
your pup can perform the commands in the field. 80% of hunting is successful
yard work so train daily for a short time and keep it fun. While there is a place for
more rigorous training, it is a long way in the future.
One of the great motivating factors for all young pups is food and a lot of valuable
training can be done around meal times. Blow your whistle just as you put your
pup’s bowl of food in front of him/her and it won’t be long before a toot on the
whistle will be enough to bring it running.
You can also introduce ‘Whoa’ to your pup by placing his food bowl on the floor
and setting him/her down about a foot away from the food bowl saying the
command ‘Whoa’ if he/she takes a step forward gently pick him/her up with both
hands by its tummy and say ‘No’ firmly and softly. Again set him/her down again
about a foot away from the food bowl saying the command ‘Whoa’. When you
first begin, a short hesitation is enough to give him the release command you will
use for him/her. I use the word ‘Free’ and tap its head softly. Each time you feed
your pup, expect a longer pause before releasing him to eat. Eventually, he/she
will stand for how ever long you wish before releasing your pup to eat.
When out giving your pup a walk, wait until its attention is on you, toot your
whistle, call his/her name, bend over with your hands out and open in front of you
to make a target for your puppy to come to you. If the puppy comes to you slowly
then step backward a few paces as he/she comes in to you and then reward
him/her with a tasty tidbit when he/she arrives at your feet. Vary this by sometimes
not giving him any food, replacing it with a lot of patting and praise. In time you
will be able to remove the food from the situation completely. Add to this program
a sit when he/she arrives in front of you. To do this place a small piece of soft
treat above his head and when he looks up at it and eventually sits, say the
command ‘Sit’ and follow up with the reward of the a treat. After he/she sits
regularly you can replace the treat with patting and praise.
When your pup is eating, introduce a few loud noises in the background, clapping
two pieces of wood together is a good idea. Throughout a period of weeks,
introduce a starting pistol if that can be arranged. Before too long you will have
imprinted a number of valuable field lessons, whistle recognition, name
recognition, recalling, sitting and gunfire, all in a no-stress, happy situation.
Basic retrieving lessons can be started in much the same way. Select a hallway
with the doors closed or a similarly long space from which no real deviation is
possible. Hold your pup gently in position, quickly get him/her really interested in
a soft object such as a rolled up sock by saying here it is and shake it in front of
him or tap it on the floor and throw it a short distance while he is watching it.
When the object hits the ground, command - ‘Fetch it!’ - And let him/her go. If you
have aroused its interest correctly, the moment you let him/her go he/she will be
after it in a flash. The instant he/she picks it up, call its name in a joyous tone,
getting their attention. Run back two or three paces, squat down so that you are at
his/her level and nine times out of ten he will come bounding back to you. Don’t
rip the object out of its mouth straight away, instead play with him/her for a few
seconds of petting and praise and then gently remove it, using your release
command or the word ‘Give’. Again, follow this up with a mighty dose of praise.
Do this three times each night and on the fourth throw pretend to throw the
object, except hide it from view (place it in the back of your belt) and ask ‘where
did it go’? The next day your pup will be so excited that the object appeared
again for his/her pleasure of the three retrieves. A Small Munsterlander usually
gets bored with too many repetitions so a very good excited three retrieves is
better than having him let you know that he has had enough and he does not
want to bring the object back for more retrieves.
A big aspect of the your pups training that must not be neglected is socialization.
The gun dog that gets on well with everyone, people and dogs, and is not upset
by new and unexpected experiences is a joy to own. Get your pup used to
everything - noises, children, older people, delivery people, other dogs, trucks
going by, stairs, the dark, wind, aircraft, other people’s cars, everything he might
conceivably come across and then some. Be sure that no person in your family, in
your neighborhood, or a passer by teases your puppy. A dog that is teased or
frightened by children or adults becomes a dog that snaps or bites to protect
himself from the teasing. This can carry over to others who do not tease him. So
make sure your pup is always treated in a safe and secure way.
Obedience classes are a great place for your pup to meet all sorts of dogs. If you
begin a class don’t just go for a few weeks, stick to it. The learning experiences
that both you and your pup will get as he/she moves up through the obedience
ranks are not going to be wasted when he/she is in the field. Some of the best
versatile, field or retrieving trial gun dogs have spent time at the local dog
obedience class.
Basic training for your pup in these first crucial months is in many ways identical
to that which applies to any dog that is going to spend many years as a
performance or working dog. Learning to know and respect the boss or leader,
becoming a good citizen, adjusting to his/her new home, combined with
enjoyable play training appropriate to the future role in life, is of basic importance
for gun dogs.
ready to begin his/her basic training. It is important that from the beginning you let
the dog know you are the boss or leader. When you get the pup home tell the
family what the game plan is for the puppy's training, commands to use, and have
everyone follow it. This gives the pup a consistent base to learn from. Remember
if not done properly everything the pup learns may have to be unlearned and
retaught .
At this stage make sure your pup enjoys their training. Basics such as your puppy
learning its name, coming when called, retrieving, sitting, learning the meaning of
‘No’, learning to go into the kennel when told, learning not to bark unnecessarily,
leash manners and getting into the vehicle are all elements that should be learned
in your pups first 2 to 6 month.
Use your pups name often, let it become used to all house and outdoor noises in
a safe way. Don't allow children to tease or scare the puppy with a vacuum
cleaner, fireworks, or other loud noises. Your puppy should be properly
socialized to everything. Take it everywhere possible with you. Keep it safe, keep
it in a crate for short rides when in a car or on a leash for daily walks in the city.
Get your pup used to being handled. Check its mouth, paws, lay him/her on
his/her back, rub its tummy and put it on a low table to get him/her used to being
examined.
An important rule at this stage is to keep it all brief and enjoyable. Always end the
training session in a positive manner. Stop the sessions before they become
boring and always on a positive note. Never give a command to your pup unless
you can back it up. Use a check cord or leash when training. The first commands
to teach are "here or come", "kennel", and "no". When these commands are
learned teach "whoa", "heel" and "sit". Yard work must be learned fully before
your pup can perform the commands in the field. 80% of hunting is successful
yard work so train daily for a short time and keep it fun. While there is a place for
more rigorous training, it is a long way in the future.
One of the great motivating factors for all young pups is food and a lot of valuable
training can be done around meal times. Blow your whistle just as you put your
pup’s bowl of food in front of him/her and it won’t be long before a toot on the
whistle will be enough to bring it running.
You can also introduce ‘Whoa’ to your pup by placing his food bowl on the floor
and setting him/her down about a foot away from the food bowl saying the
command ‘Whoa’ if he/she takes a step forward gently pick him/her up with both
hands by its tummy and say ‘No’ firmly and softly. Again set him/her down again
about a foot away from the food bowl saying the command ‘Whoa’. When you
first begin, a short hesitation is enough to give him the release command you will
use for him/her. I use the word ‘Free’ and tap its head softly. Each time you feed
your pup, expect a longer pause before releasing him to eat. Eventually, he/she
will stand for how ever long you wish before releasing your pup to eat.
When out giving your pup a walk, wait until its attention is on you, toot your
whistle, call his/her name, bend over with your hands out and open in front of you
to make a target for your puppy to come to you. If the puppy comes to you slowly
then step backward a few paces as he/she comes in to you and then reward
him/her with a tasty tidbit when he/she arrives at your feet. Vary this by sometimes
not giving him any food, replacing it with a lot of patting and praise. In time you
will be able to remove the food from the situation completely. Add to this program
a sit when he/she arrives in front of you. To do this place a small piece of soft
treat above his head and when he looks up at it and eventually sits, say the
command ‘Sit’ and follow up with the reward of the a treat. After he/she sits
regularly you can replace the treat with patting and praise.
When your pup is eating, introduce a few loud noises in the background, clapping
two pieces of wood together is a good idea. Throughout a period of weeks,
introduce a starting pistol if that can be arranged. Before too long you will have
imprinted a number of valuable field lessons, whistle recognition, name
recognition, recalling, sitting and gunfire, all in a no-stress, happy situation.
Basic retrieving lessons can be started in much the same way. Select a hallway
with the doors closed or a similarly long space from which no real deviation is
possible. Hold your pup gently in position, quickly get him/her really interested in
a soft object such as a rolled up sock by saying here it is and shake it in front of
him or tap it on the floor and throw it a short distance while he is watching it.
When the object hits the ground, command - ‘Fetch it!’ - And let him/her go. If you
have aroused its interest correctly, the moment you let him/her go he/she will be
after it in a flash. The instant he/she picks it up, call its name in a joyous tone,
getting their attention. Run back two or three paces, squat down so that you are at
his/her level and nine times out of ten he will come bounding back to you. Don’t
rip the object out of its mouth straight away, instead play with him/her for a few
seconds of petting and praise and then gently remove it, using your release
command or the word ‘Give’. Again, follow this up with a mighty dose of praise.
Do this three times each night and on the fourth throw pretend to throw the
object, except hide it from view (place it in the back of your belt) and ask ‘where
did it go’? The next day your pup will be so excited that the object appeared
again for his/her pleasure of the three retrieves. A Small Munsterlander usually
gets bored with too many repetitions so a very good excited three retrieves is
better than having him let you know that he has had enough and he does not
want to bring the object back for more retrieves.
A big aspect of the your pups training that must not be neglected is socialization.
The gun dog that gets on well with everyone, people and dogs, and is not upset
by new and unexpected experiences is a joy to own. Get your pup used to
everything - noises, children, older people, delivery people, other dogs, trucks
going by, stairs, the dark, wind, aircraft, other people’s cars, everything he might
conceivably come across and then some. Be sure that no person in your family, in
your neighborhood, or a passer by teases your puppy. A dog that is teased or
frightened by children or adults becomes a dog that snaps or bites to protect
himself from the teasing. This can carry over to others who do not tease him. So
make sure your pup is always treated in a safe and secure way.
Obedience classes are a great place for your pup to meet all sorts of dogs. If you
begin a class don’t just go for a few weeks, stick to it. The learning experiences
that both you and your pup will get as he/she moves up through the obedience
ranks are not going to be wasted when he/she is in the field. Some of the best
versatile, field or retrieving trial gun dogs have spent time at the local dog
obedience class.
Basic training for your pup in these first crucial months is in many ways identical
to that which applies to any dog that is going to spend many years as a
performance or working dog. Learning to know and respect the boss or leader,
becoming a good citizen, adjusting to his/her new home, combined with
enjoyable play training appropriate to the future role in life, is of basic importance
for gun dogs.
