My Brittany Pup

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:23 am

I just picked up my first gun dog, a brittany spaniel, 3 days ago. He's 3 months old and has been pretty good so far. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on training Brittanys specifically? I'm going to get the George Hickox DVD great beginnings and start him on clicker training. I've never trained a dog before so really any advice would be helpful.

jeffkrop · Post by **jeffkrop** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:02 pm

So my Brittany is 18 weeks. I dont know if it is true for all brittanys but mine is soft. He learns fast but scares easy. I read somewhere that they are submissive. I know they make great gun dogs just sometime I think they are a little soft for me.

Post by **Sharon** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:08 pm

ScottE wrote:I just picked up my first gun dog, a brittany spaniel, 3 days ago. He's 3 months old and has been pretty good so far. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on training Brittanys specifically? I'm going to get the George Hickox DVD great beginnings and start him on clicker training. I've never trained a dog before so really any advice would be helpful.

Congratulations. I can only suggest you start reading all you can and ask specific questions on here I sent you a PM on house breaking.

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:36 pm

I always suggest a book by Brian Kilcommons called "Good Owners, Great Dogs". It is not a bird dog book but is excellent for the beginning trainer for a "how to teach a dog" reference. Apply his concepts to your bird dog training and you will see the results!

By the way, Brits are by far the most forgiving of the breeds, in my experience, when it comes to errors in training. Many become effective bird dogs despite some really ineffective training. Err on the side of too little training instead of too much and you will probably be ok.

whatsnext · Post by **whatsnext** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:51 pm

If you plan on training him yourself get a source for pigeons or get a coop started NOW !! And some remote bird launchers.

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:31 pm

Don't let that cute face let you think they are soft. (They can be soft, they can be "emotional" etc.) They just got a different way about them. Sometimes they act out, pout, sulk and make you feel like a dirt bag, Don't let them do that. You need to be consistent, repetitive, firm, and friendly just like all dogs. One thing, make them bird crazy early on in their puppy lives and you will be able to work through any issues that may come up. Some times you make things seem like it is their Idea.

Brittanies are passive aggressive, they can manipulate less experienced and even more exeperienced.
Birds, Birds, Birds,
Play fetch in a hallway. Don't praise them untill you have the rolled up sock, ball or toy or what ever, in your hand then praise them up.
Hook a short check cord on them, Let them have their heads out in the field let them learn how to use their nose, to see what other creatures are in a field or woods. Don't talk to them to much while they are learning, don't try to get them to come along with you. You follow them. Let them gets some independence and confidence.

Find other dogs for them to interact with.

Follow one method of training, Hickox is good. (still not sure the clicker is needed but that is what he is doing now so go for it)
Have fun and enjoy.
Rick

Post by **kninebirddog** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:19 pm

As with any breed sometimes you have to look at the breeding program as to why a breed may act the way they do. And as also explained Brittanys are great actors and if they learn that acting soft gets them out of something then they will play that game to the hilt.
Get the Brittanys on birds and see how much they change in attitude..
If they act shy or scared Do not coddle them or pet and say it will be oK as you are only rewarding that very behavior you do not want...Just act like all is OK and ignore them when they are acting soft do not talk to them nor give them any kind of eye contact while they are in that state of mind.
As for training that is "brittany" only There is no "breed specific" training
Maurice Lindley ...Training with Mo is a very good book he also has a DVD you can look for Lindley Kennels...
If you can make a seminar like Rick and Ronnie Smith..That would give you some hands on...As no matter how good a book is a book can never teach you timing which is so often the short comings of a book. JHMO

Good Luck

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:57 pm

Thank you for all the replies. Here is the current status of his training.

He comes when called. There have been a few times when he hears me call him but he chooses not to come. What do I do then?

I taught him to play fetch but he's not that into it. Sometimes he'll start running for the toy but stop and go do something else.

House breaking is going well. I take him out and he has his favorite spots to go.

He generally walks on a leash well but sometimes he'll just stop and sit down.

Hoosierdaddy · Post by **Hoosierdaddy** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:10 am

You can use treats to get him to come,it works real good early on,but there is a time to get rid of the treats.
Bringing anything back to you at this young age would be a big bonus.Puppies at 3 months have almost no attention span.The same goes for walking him on leash.Concentrate on potty training and bad behavior like biting for now.He is going to be a little knucklehead for a while,it comes with being a pup.Get him around other dogs,and other people.

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:32 am

ScottE wrote:He comes when called. There have been a few times when he hears me call him but he chooses not to come. What do I do then?

Don't call him any more unless he is on a check cord and you can give him some "direction" with it. Quick jerks, not a hand over hand retrieve.

Post by **Sharon** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 12:22 pm

ScottE wrote:Thank you for all the replies. Here is the current status of his training.

He comes when called. There have been a few times when he hears me call him but he chooses not to come. What do I do then?
I taught him to play fetch but he's not that into it. Sometimes he'll start running for the toy but stop and go do something else.

House breaking is going well. I take him out and he has his favorite spots to go.

He generally walks on a leash well but sometimes he'll just stop and sit down.

You go and get him - no words - EVERY time. ... even when it is inconvenient.

$1 000 000 advice :

Never give a command you can't/won't enforce ,and you will be well on your way to a very enjoyable gun dog.

joshlaugh · Post by **joshlaugh** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:39 pm

You have gotten plenty of good advice from others already. I have a 1 year old Brittany and found with him lots of verbal praise works great. I wouldn't call him "soft" but I have a buddy who can't raise his voice/swear around his Brittany without upsetting the dog and having him sulk. Still a great bird dog for him but every dog is different in how they respond to their owner. And I second the advice that you shouldn't give a command that you can't enforce. My Brittany would take advantage of that if given a chance.

Most important thing is to have fun and enjoy your dog.

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:30 am

Tons of great advice so far. So how should I enforce my commands?

Post by **Sharon** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:46 pm

The best enforcer is your hands. AS long as you get your hands on pup to enforce come etc... do it.
When pup is hunting too far away to do that an e collar helps a lot.

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:59 pm

So when I call him and he doesn't come. I go and bring him to where I wanted him?

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:04 pm

When you get him back to where your commanded from. Then and only then do you give modest praise.

whoadog · Post by **whoadog** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:42 am

ScottE wrote:So when I call him and he doesn't come. I go and bring him to where I wanted him?

Again, a checkcord is by far the most effective way for enforcing "recall" in a young dog. Don't give the command unless the cord is in your hands. Then, give it only once and immediately (read that: as you give the command) change his direction and make him move toward you with the checkcord. If he stops or turns, check him again with a short jerk. If you understand that a checkcord operates the same way as a leash at heel and apply it as such you will get faster results.

Post by **Sharon** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:31 pm

Scott - I thought you were talking about in the house.Definitely follow the above advice for in the field.

BigTub · Post by **BigTub** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 5:14 pm

And NO PICS?????????????/

IndianaBritt · Post by **IndianaBritt** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:14 am

Congrats I love Britts. I tend to like the process Perfection Kennels uses over George Hickox. I've studied both methods and loved the perfection kennel approach more for my brittanies.

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:41 am

Thanks for the feedback. He's progressing well and getting big quick! Here are a few pics

rileypoint1.jpg

BigTub · Post by **BigTub** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:42 am

Thanks for the pics. Where did you get him?

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:36 am

Nice pup, he will be fine just follow George's program.

Enjoy the journey,

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 7:25 pm

This is a great thread! I just got two Brittanys. Man, they are really neat dogs. These are my first gun dogs. I got a female from a breeder at 6 weeks and told him I would be looking for a male in about a year. Well, he had a great, young male I got interested in and have him, too, now. He's 8 months and has been started on birds. I've hunted with folks that had dogs before but never had any myself so I am new at training. I've read Ben Williams book and ordered the Great Beginnings video.

Looking forward to the future with these dogs. Here is the female. This is the first time I worked with her with a quail wing:

I pretty much read this section of the forum almost daily. Thanks to all you guys for the advice you give. It really helps us new guys.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:48 pm

For those that hesitate to use treats, I have been using them since the mid-60's, with a number of trial winners and hunters.

But if that is not enough, I know for a fact that the current National Champion was trained with treats.

Neil

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:56 am

My pup is learning really quick with the clicker training and get's really excited to train. I've found it helps to have special treats just for training.

IndianaBritt · Post by **IndianaBritt** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:02 pm

Chiwawa... great looking pup!

Fran Seagren · Post by **Fran Seagren** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:41 pm

After looking at all the cute pics of the Brit pups, I had to post one of ours. This is from last December when "Seven" was 6 months old - his first rooster. My husband was pretty proud of the little guy. I also realized I don't have any new pics of our youngest pack member. So, next training session, I hope to get one of him pointing.

Britts do have "that face" don't they.

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:11 am

Fran Seagren wrote:After looking at all the cute pics of the Brit pups, I had to post one of ours. This is from last December when "Seven" was 6 months old - his first rooster. My husband was pretty proud of the little guy. I also realized I don't have any new pics of our youngest pack member. So, next training session, I hope to get one of him pointing.

Britts do have "that face" don't they.

Wow! Great job on the rooster and definitely a fine pup.

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:16 am

ScottE wrote:Thanks for the feedback. He's progressing well and getting big quick! Here are a few pics

rileypoint1.jpg

rileypoint1.jpg

Great looking pup!

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:03 pm

Great to see so many fine Brittany pups getting started with nice families

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:16 pm

I have been wanting to put up a pic of my male brittany. His name is Ace. It's hard to get a good photo of him outside as he is always moving. Pretty much every picture I have taken of him is either blurred or he is almost out of the picture. I did get a pic of him sleeping after playing with our little girl in the pic above.

He is a great dog. Next weekend I am getting some farm-raised quail to work with him and my female, Belle. I have become friends with the breeder and he has volunteered to work with me on training these dogs. I am looking forward to see how they are going to do. This male has already been worked with birds and has had some obedience training. He hasn't been shot over yet, so we may try a blank gun next weekend. We'll just have to see how he does first...

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:50 pm

Great looking Brit you have there. How old?

ibbowhunting · Post by **ibbowhunting** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 4:16 pm

whatsnext wrote:If you plan on training him yourself get a source for pigeons or get a coop started NOW !! And some remote bird launchers.

great idea

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:20 pm

ScottE wrote:Great looking Brit you have there. How old?

He'll be nine months old next week. He is a fine dog with a real sweet nature. He changes when he gets out in a field, though. He's all business then.

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:52 pm

ibbowhunting wrote:
whatsnext wrote:If you plan on training him yourself get a source for pigeons or get a coop started NOW !! And some remote bird launchers.
great idea

just got my bird launcher from lc suppy today and birds on tuesday. I can't wait to get started with bird introduction. I decided to go with perfection kennels over george's dvd.

Redfishkilla · Post by **Redfishkilla** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:12 am

Just my two cents, Scott, before launcher work the pup should have been introduced to birds (and like them) and introduced to the launcher. I launch tennis balls out of it in the back yard a few times. You don't want the dog concerned about the sound the launcher makes when it's time to train. Once this is in order, launch a first scent and see how quick pup starts pointing and holding point. I can't wait to train another dog.

mobeasto123 · Post by **mobeasto123** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 7:30 am

Chiwawa

do you think they are cousins ??

David

DoubleBarrel GunDogs · Post by **DoubleBarrel GunDogs** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 8:28 am

ScottE wrote:I just picked up my first gun dog, a brittany spaniel, 3 days ago. He's 3 months old and has been pretty good so far. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on training Brittanys specifically? I'm going to get the George Hickox DVD great beginnings and start him on clicker training. I've never trained a dog before so really any advice would be helpful.

I realize I'm a little late to the party here, but I really think you should have stayed the course. Now that you've experimented with various training methods you need to do yourself and your dog a favor. Stop changing training methods! George Hickox is a great dog trainer and teacher, and no clicker training is not just a phase with him as has been indicated. In fact George saw the value of the clicker 5 - 6 years ago and embraced it. His puppy training program is now encompased by the clicker. Don't be so quick to abandon it. If you want I can send you rules of the clicker and some good tips. I've learned a great deal about clicker training from George and his assistant Carol Brown over the past few years.
I'm not familiar with the program you've been using recently. You may consider attending one of George's seminars this spring there are 3 scheduled for the eastern states in April. You'll get 100 times more experience and confidence in the system than you will from a book or DVD. I understand that its easy to get distracted and change course. Just keep in mind that you are not the only one who's confused here, and that the anxiety and confusion in training philosophies will transfer to your dog. Check out www.georgehickox.com for more information.

Nate

Chiwawa · Post by **Chiwawa** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 9:44 am

mobeasto123 wrote:Chiwawa

do you think they are cousins ??

David

Too cool!!! You gotta love these dogs!!! That is a fine looking Britt you have there.

I did finally get mine to stand still long enough when he is awake to get a pic: