Picking up my dog from Bird Dog School this weekend!

Putt4Doe · Post by **Putt4Doe** » Tue May 06, 2014 1:21 pm

Hi guys - so I'm picking up my 8 month of GSP from bird dog school this weekend. He's been away for 2 months working on basic commands and pointing birds/gun breaking/retrieving birds/ learning basic commands/etc... generally starting the training process of turning him into a bird dog.

I'm trying to put together a list of what questions I should ask the trainer when I go pick the dog up this weekend. What do you guys recommend?

Thanks for the help!

Post by **Sharon** » Tue May 06, 2014 8:09 pm

It's wise to work with the dog yourself with the trainer watching for an afternoon. You want to see how the trainer operates . You also want to know what are the next steps.

Fun dog · Post by **Fun dog** » Tue May 06, 2014 8:44 pm

Sharon wrote:It's wise to work with the dog yourself with the trainer watching for an afternoon. You want to see how the trainer operates . You also want to know what are the next steps.

I agree. Working with the trainer should generate questions as well. It does no good to have the dog trained if you don't know how to handle it once you pick it up. I would ask, what is the next step to training once you leave the trainers?

RayGubernat · Post by **RayGubernat** » Wed May 07, 2014 7:25 am

First thing I would ask the trainer...before I went to pick up the dog is :

Can I see exactly where the dog is at? Can we do a training session together, so I know how you are doing the training and the dog is responding.

A half hour to 45 minutes should show you much of what you need to see. Just watch and say nothing ...let the trainer do their thing with the dog.

When done, you should ask the trainer: "What is next, and how would you go about doing it?" If they were unclear or hesitant, ask them: "Show me how you would proceed... please."

Do not expect miracles. The puppy is, well, still very much a puppy. It has only been two months of training. That may seem like a long time, but it really is not.

RayG

Putt4Doe · Post by **Putt4Doe** » Wed May 07, 2014 2:30 pm

Thanks guys - keep it coming.

Carolina Gundogs · Post by **Carolina Gundogs** » Wed May 07, 2014 2:40 pm

RayGubernat wrote:First thing I would ask the trainer...before I went to pick up the dog is :

Can I see exactly where the dog is at? Can we do a training session together, so I know how you are doing the training and the dog is responding.

A half hour to 45 minutes should show you much of what you need to see. Just watch and say nothing ...let the trainer do their thing with the dog.

When done, you should ask the trainer: "What is next, and how would you go about doing it?" If they were unclear or hesitant, ask them: "Show me how you would proceed... please."

Do not expect miracles. The puppy is, well, still very much a puppy. It has only been two months of training. That may seem like a long time, but it really is not.

RayG

Very good advice!

Fun dog · Post by **Fun dog** » Wed May 07, 2014 3:35 pm

You should also handle the dog yourself so the trainer can correct anything you may be doing wrong, but think you are doing correct. Take notes.

deseeker · Post by **deseeker** » Wed May 07, 2014 7:08 pm

Ask the trainer if he has worked the dog in different locations or just the same place. Dogs that are trained in one area only might not respond to commands in a new area(when you get him home is a new area). You might have to go back over commands in new areas until he learns that a command means do it in ALL training areas.

Putt4Doe · Post by **Putt4Doe** » Thu May 08, 2014 5:08 am

Awesome advice guys. Thank you. If you think of anything else keep it coming!!

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Mon May 12, 2014 10:50 am

May seem dumb, but I'd watch a few training videos still from start to finish, and use those to have a good basic understanding. Your pro will likely semi-follow one so it will help you see what he has done and he can guide you along which program most similarly mirrors how he trained. Helped me a ton to maintain progress. If you just go home and hope all the training has permanently stuck, you're gonna have a bad time.

Putt4Doe · Post by **Putt4Doe** » Mon May 12, 2014 8:19 pm

Thank you guys and gals for all the help. I picked up my boy and the trainer worked him for 20-30 minutes with me. I'm very happy with how far he has come. I've now set up a program with the trainer where I can go down once a month and train with her and the dog to work us both. I'm really looking forward to it!

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