New GSP puppy advice needed

[hayzer912]

Hello everyone. I am fairly new to the forums and glad to be here. Been soaking up as muich as I can so far. I have a question that I would like to ask. I am picking up a new GSP puppy in several weeks. Hes a great dog with excellent genetics ( parents are champions and grand champions) I want to teach him to hunt all birds and waterfowl. With all the information out there.... where should I start? I will teach him basic obdeience but at what point and age do you start witht the hunt training, etc? Can ayone recommend a great book for this purpose? or a DVD that we can use to guide us? I am really excited to bring this GSP home and cant wait to get start working with him! I really appreciate any responses and thanks for your time.

Sincerely
Hayzer912

[proudag08]

I'm always told get the Perfect Start, Perfect Finish DVDs. The biggest thing is picking a method and sticking it out throughout thebtraining process. From what I have gathered the most confusing thing for a pup is switching methods mid-way or trying to do a little bit of all the methods. Good luck!

[GUNDOGS]

Everyone has different opinions on how early to start training and some pressure but i will tell you MY opinion and what i like to do as well as the people i hunt and train with and thats start EARLY what i mean by EARLY is keep in mind in every thing you do that its a lesson leading upto a goal for example with WHOA i begin training it as soon as my pups or dogs come here by commanding WHOA before putting food down, before letting pup go outside, practice by stacking the pup on its crate and saying WHOA to show the pup i want it to be still but with no real "pressure" and these short little lessons prepare the pup for whoa that will be taught later with more pressure but the pup will know what the command is and what you expect by that time..another example is being steady in the field, this one is a HUGE debate amongst folks who do it differently..now myself i dont ever let our pups chase birds EVER and i began steadying our pups on birds on the check cord right away at about 10 weeks old so my pup never learned chasing therefore i never had to break her of it..i learned a method of not allowing chasing birds from a friend of ours with EP'S and all his dogs were steady very young so we wanted to do the same and ive never had a birddog that chased birds..again that all depends on what YOU want from your dog because i also hunt with another guy who WILL NOT steady his dogs and theres no talking to him about it, he believes a steady dog = lost birds and he wants his dog on the bird right away, to each his own i always say..my methods in the field and water have worked for me but someone else may not like them so its all about the individuals goals..there is alot of info out there but nothing beats finding a club such as NAVHDA to go to training days and work in person with folks who've been doing it for years, no books or dvd's will ever come close to having it shown to you and your pup in person, but in my opinion its a waste of a good dog to sit on them for months when they are quite capable of handling some pressure and learning many things at a young age but its all about balance and not overdoing it, JMO....ruth

[Vagabondo de Deserto]

Training books? Wolters "Game Dog"
Enuff said

[adogslife]

In training for both upland and waterfowl the training needs balance.

[volraider]

where you located?

[Vagabondo de Deserto]

Books I found worth reading





DVD's worth watching



This one you'll need a coop or traps on a farm to follow through
http://www.perfectionkennel.com/

[RoostersMom]

Perfect Start is the way to go. Jon and Cindy work a lot with GSP's though their methods are applicable to any breeds. You won't be sorry you bought the DVD - it is jam packed with good advice for starting a dog.

[Sharon]

Everyone has different opinions on how early to start training and some pressure but i will tell you MY opinion and what i like to do as well as the people i hunt and train with and thats start EARLY what i mean by EARLY is keep in mind in every thing you do that its a lesson leading upto a goal for example with WHOA i begin training it as soon as my pups or dogs come here by commanding WHOA before putting food down, before letting pup go outside, practice by stacking the pup on its crate and saying WHOA to show the pup i want it to be still but with no real "pressure" and these short little lessons prepare the pup for whoa that will be taught later with more pressure but the pup will know what the command is and what you expect by that time..another example is being steady in the field, this one is a HUGE debate amongst folks who do it differently..now myself i dont ever let our pups chase birds EVER and i began steadying our pups on birds on the check cord right away at about 10 weeks old so my pup never learned chasing therefore i never had to break her of it..i learned a method of not allowing chasing birds from a friend of ours with EP'S and all his dogs were steady very young so we wanted to do the same and ive never had a birddog that chased birds..again that all depends on what YOU want from your dog because i also hunt with another guy who WILL NOT steady his dogs and theres no talking to him about it, he believes a steady dog = lost birds and he wants his dog on the bird right away, to each his own i always say..my methods in the field and water have worked for me but someone else may not like them so its all about the individuals goals..there is alot of info out there but nothing beats finding a club such as NAVHDA to go to training days and work in person with folks who've been doing it for years, no books or dvd's will ever come close to having it shown to you and your pup in person, but in my opinion its a waste of a good dog to sit on them for months when they are quite capable of handling some pressure and learning many things at a young age but its all about balance and not overdoing it, JMO....ruth

That isn't how I train Ruth, but that doesn't mean either one of us is right or wrong. I won't put much pressure at all in the field at that age. I want pup to be curious and develop independence.

edited for spelling

[4dabirds]

Check out he George Hickox web site he has previously published article on the site, you can also buy his d.v.d. there which is very informative. There is an article on starting puppies on the site that covers a lot of material. Also try culture Clash by Jean Donaldson, this book will explain how dogs learn with great explanations on how to train. You can et it on amazon .com for under 10 dollars.

[Hattrick]

First enjoy ur pup!! Expose ur pup to water as soon as possible would be my priority and intro with birds with no preasure.I will take sum heat for this but i also would have my pup up on the table doing short little intros to whoa.vary short and slowly increase with age.This is what works for me.. Most importantly join a local NAVHDA Chapter nothing beats hands on help you cant train a gundog alone.. good luck have fun!!

[birddogger]

I won't put much pressure at all in the field at that age. I want pup to be curious and develop independence.

+1

Charlie

[GUNDOGS]

Everyone has different opinions on how early to start training and some pressure but i will tell you MY opinion and what i like to do as well as the people i hunt and train with and thats start EARLY what i mean by EARLY is keep in mind in every thing you do that its a lesson leading upto a goal for example with WHOA i begin training it as soon as my pups or dogs come here by commanding WHOA before putting food down, before letting pup go outside, practice by stacking the pup on its crate and saying WHOA to show the pup i want it to be still but with no real "pressure" and these short little lessons prepare the pup for whoa that will be taught later with more pressure but the pup will know what the command is and what you expect by that time..another example is being steady in the field, this one is a HUGE debate amongst folks who do it differently..now myself i dont ever let our pups chase birds EVER and i began steadying our pups on birds on the check cord right away at about 10 weeks old so my pup never learned chasing therefore i never had to break her of it..i learned a method of not allowing chasing birds from a friend of ours with EP'S and all his dogs were steady very young so we wanted to do the same and ive never had a birddog that chased birds..again that all depends on what YOU want from your dog because i also hunt with another guy who WILL NOT steady his dogs and theres no talking to him about it, he believes a steady dog = lost birds and he wants his dog on the bird right away, to each his own i always say..my methods in the field and water have worked for me but someone else may not like them so its all about the individuals goals..there is alot of info out there but nothing beats finding a club such as NAVHDA to go to training days and work in person with folks who've been doing it for years, no books or dvd's will ever come close to having it shown to you and your pup in person, but in my opinion its a waste of a good dog to sit on them for months when they are quite capable of handling some pressure and learning many things at a young age but its all about balance and not overdoing it, JMO....ruth

That isn't how I train Ruth, but that doesn't mean either one of us is right or wrong. I won't put much pressure at all in the field at that age. I want pup to be curious and develop independence.

edited for spelling

honestly theres no real pressure needed, i have always let my pup have plenty of independence in the field when we would go for walks, i would let her off lead and she could explore her little heart out BUT i would also take her out for a few minutes a few times a week, not for too long and with no words on the cc and bring her up to the bird without letting her jump it when she came up on it, i also never let her chase it when i flushed it..i have found many things can be done in a way that is quiet and without pressure if it is planned correctly..i never took any of jerseys independence away as she now ranges out about 250 yards when we are out in the field, but on the plus side she learned quickly and has pretty much from the beginning of her training been steady to the flush and i agree it doesnt mean either is right or wrong, just different ....ruth

[Mollyontherun]

I am fairly new to the forums and glad to be here.

Have you owned and trained a previous upland dog? Are you experienced hunting with an upland dog? Can't tell from your post.

If you are inexperienced, I recommend that you find someone you respect that has an upland dog. My friend,Dan, had a Brittany and we went out with him several times and it was more helpful than books or forums- though there are some REALLY good trainers on this site.

Here is my three cents: Since you got a GSP and you want it to hunt upland and retrieve waterfowl, you need to decide which type of hunting you want the dog to focus on the most. Because one involves making your GSP sit still in a blind and the other to run, point, and hold. IMO- the GSP is first and foremost an upland dog, so I would focus on training for upland first, and then introduce the dog to waterfowl retrieving. I have some posts on this training board on training Molly for Waterfowl. We plan on taking Molly waterfowling in early season and see how well she can cope in the blind. I think it's always good to introduce water & water retrieving early... but wait on sitting still in a blind until the dog is upland trained.

My philosophy has been to work with the natural instinct of the dogs and not do a lot of intensive training. We would never place in a field trial. On the other hand, we shoot lots of limits Also, a good number of GSPs do not have a strong retrieving instinct (I've read up to 1/2 of all GSPs do not). So you may need to force fetch if you want it to reliably retrieve.