Ground Rules for a GSP

[GSP_Hunting Machine]

All-Right as the subject line states I am seeking advice/input on training a 9 month old female GSP. I have read a few books and understand the basic principals but this is my first gun dog.

Background: I bought this pup from a breeder at 48 days old. She has excellent natural pointer instincts (soft mouth, smart, natural hunter, basic retrieving, etc). At the time I purchased her I was in a position with work in which I could spend a great deal of time with her and only leave her kenneled about 3-4 hrs. at a time. Around her turning about 5 months old, my schedule changed forcing me to travel during the week and be away from her. I left her with my parents who have a big back yard and 2 other dogs (a boxer & schitzu). Obviously, at this point in time I quit working with her daily and would pick her up on Fridays real hyper and a little disobedient, basically she had not had any ground rules put on her in my abscense. Basically, she runs around my folks house like a toddler on a play pen 24/7. My mom lets her do ANYTHING.

So here we are with a 9 month old dog that needs some attention and my concerns are as follows:

1.) If she has the ability to run all day in/out of a dog door and play with other dogs is this a bad thing or good thing?
Should she be kenneled or more restricted or just run free until she goes to sleep in the kennel?

2.) She knows Sit, Come, Kennel, Down, & we are working on Heel. I would like to use an e-collar soon BUT I have not formally introduced her to birds. I know George Hickox says to introduce the dog to birds BEFORE E-collar training. Any ideas or suggestions on this?

3.) I am a water fowl hunter and I would LOVE for her to be a duck dog. I have not been taking her duck hunting because she will run away from me AS SOON as she gets a chance. Absolutely the WORSE THING EVER IN MY OPINION. Should I not expect her to be a reliable duck dog due to her natural insticts to run and hunt?
What are your opinions on teaching a pointer to sit?

Sorry for the long winded post. In summary I would like to get this naturally awesome dog shaped into a fine tuned up land game dog. My primary hunting is doves & ducks so a retriever would have been a better choice but I really like the GSP breed. Given my circumstances any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[KCG]

I'm no expert, but I do have a 22 month old and ran into some similar problems with time restrictions and hyperactive disobedience. All of that has practically worked itself out now though. It's great to be out of that puppy stage!

My .02

1) It is great for her to be socialized especially if one of the other dog is dominant. That helps lower the overly proud dog's self esteem. Plus a tired dog is usually a good dog. Also, if the other dogs are older, it might help her to mature faster. Just keep the other dogs away when you are trying to train. A puppy is easily destracted.

2) I worked Roxy on the e-collar at around 9 months to make sure she didn't run off. I don't know how using an e-collar can kill a dog's pray drive. It sure didn't mess up Roxy's. The e-collar is a good reinforcer of commands a dog already knows, but doesn't necessarily want to do. If you are concerned about it, introduce her to birds already.

3) I too hunt Rox for ducks. She wants to go get them, but is learning patience. Last year I took her duck hunting and she sat really good for almost 2 hours with a bunch of coots 50 feet away. She was whining the whole time and eventually had enough. She took off after them and scared them all up. I had to hit her with the e-collar because she refused to listen to my commands. I was a little afraid someone would shoot her, but thankfully they didn't. After that little accident she has been fine. The e-collar set her straight. She still whines and wants to go get them, but now she has self control. She is a completely different dog when upland hunting and realizes the diference.

We all want a naturally awesome dog, but in the end a great dog will do just fine. I have stopped expecting her to be the greatest of all time and we have a lot of fun together now. Not getting to see her at all during the week is not really good for your dog though. I would be trying to fix my schedule or take her with me on trips.

[donroger]

In my opinion introduction to an e-collar has nothing to do with birds. Do remember introduction means putting the coller on the dog while the collar is turned off or even with the transmitter put up so there is no accidental shocking. You need to do this long enough for the dog to get used to wearing the collar and doing everything as usual without stimulation, I usually do this for at least two weeks every time I let my dog out. Then use the collar on the lowest setting that he responds to. Great tool when used right, terrible tool when used incorrectly.

I am surprised at your choice of breeds for a waterfowl dog. GS will do the job, but this is not thier specialty. I have one and he loves the water, is a good retriever, but is at his best when locating and pointing birds. They will learn to do both with a little work, see if there is any NAVHDA clubs near you. There are a lot of good people that will help you in the NAVHDA.

[brad27]

+1 on NAVHDA.

[Sharon]

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[Sharon]

[quote="GSP_Hunting Machine"]So here we are with a 9 month old dog that needs some attention and my concerns are as follows:

1.) If she has the ability to run all day in/out of a dog door and play with other dogs is this a bad thing or good thing?
Should she be kenneled or more restricted or just run free until she goes to sleep in the kennel? quote

Great thing. let her go . The willingness to be obedient when asked is not affected by abundant free running/play.

[GSP_Hunting Machine]

So, I guess my situation is not the end of the world??!!! LOL

I am now spending more time with her but.........boy oh' boy she is testing my patience!! She's chewing up everything (this just started this week) and she has obedience only when she chooses to listen. She's always been good about her Kennel command and now all of a sudden she wants to run away when I state the command. I know these are all characteristics of a puppy but a lot of it is just her saying "you can't get me" and doing as she pleases. VERY FRUSTRATING and makes me feel as if I have failed to assert myself as the pack leader.

So the E collar is on its way!!

I have one more question about retrieving. She gets the concept and enjoys retrieving for until she catches something she wants to check out. When she is bringing the dummy back she always runs past me (like a "bleep" crazy). Should I be using commands while playing fetch?

Also, what is the main difference between Heel and Come?

Seems to meet that heel is behind you and following and come means "come straight to me" more of a command in the house as opposed to field.

[Cajun Casey]

Heel means the dog travels with its shoulder at your knee. Come, or here, means the dog is to come to you from wherever it is.

Your dog needs motivation to obey, not punishment. As far as being a "pack leader," you're not in a pack and you're not with the dog constantly to provide leadership. Positive reward (food) based exercises will give her a foundation to build from.

[RoostersMom]

You should NEVER give a command you cannot enforce. The dog needs a checkcord on when you're working with her or want her to come or kennel. When you transition to a collar, she needs to be 100% on the command before you transition to a collar. An electric collar won't help you at all if the dog isn't already responding to the commands she should know.

[KCG]

Completely agree with the comments above. A check cord takes some fun out of training, but it really keeps you from getting frustrated at a dog you have no control of. Also, positive reinforcement is HUGE! If you go to any obedience school they will almost entirely focus on using treats to get a dog to obey. Once you do that enough it will become second nature to them...

The chewing thing is AWEFUL! We have replaced our lattice work around our porch twice now. They are chronically bored so they chew. This may be the time to start putting her in the kennel more. Let her learn to deal with boredom without chewing random things that she shouldn't be chewing and if you do let her out keep a constant eye on her to discipline the chewing out of her (Might have to sign your parents up for that job, my wife had to do it for me). Roxy has finally passed that stage of chewing everying, but if you give her a toy it will be destroyed in a matter of minutes.

[MillerClemsonHD]

You should really post your location. You might live close to someone on the board or you can be referred to a trainer that can help you get started.