Getting Started with Your New Pointer Puppy
So you just got a new puppy. If you were like me with my first bird dog, you were a bit overwhelmed with all the advice and do’s/do-not’s that come along with being a new puppy parent. Especially if you want your new pup to be an excellent bird dog.
If you want your new pup to be your future hunting partner in crime, there’s a lot you’ll eventually want to teach your dog. But for the most part, the hunting training can wait.
Your pup is going to be a furry ball of energy with the attention span of a goldfish for its first few months on this earth. Most experts will agree that dogs should wait to start actual “hunting” training until about 6 months. But there are a few things you can do before then to make sure they’ll be ready.
We’ll talk about a couple of these things later on, but for now, I want to focus on the number-one command you can teach your pointer pup at a young age. This will drill it into their brain so that it becomes second nature once out in the field and for the rest of their lives.
The Most Important Command to Teach Your Pointer Puppy
When your dog is older and out hunting, you will want your pointer to locate a bird and “freeze” up, locked tight, and pointing his nose in the direction of the bird. While he is doing this, it is very important he does not move while on point.
Sometimes, pointer dogs will have a tendency to “creep” forward while on point, potentially frightening the bird and flushing it into the air. You want to try and correct this behavior.
You can ensure your dog stays perfectly still while on point by teaching him the simple command “whoa.”
Most hunters use the word “whoa”, others may use the word “hold”, others may say something else. Heck, you could use the word “Oldsmobile” as long as both you and your dog know what it means. You just have to teach the command early and use the word consistently during training and out in the field.
How to teach your dog to “whoa”
You can teach your dog to “whoa” as soon as he comes home with you. Pointers are typically smart dogs and will pick up very quickly. Some may learn faster than others. Just make sure that you’re consistent with training, maybe a few times a week for a couple of weeks, and your pup should soon start to learn the drill.
To start teaching your dog to “whoa”:
- Take out a treat and bring it to your pup
- Wrap you hand around your pup’s chest, holding him back, and place the treat on the ground in front of him
- Strongly and firmly tell your pup to “whoa”. Your pup will struggle to try to break free from your grip, but keep holding onto him and repeating the word “whoa”.
- Give him a gentle tap on the head, release your grip, tell him “release”, or “okay”, or whatever release word you want to use, and let him go eat the treat.
The first few times you do this, your pup will struggle with all his puppy strength to break free from your grasp. That’s okay. But after a few sessions, he will calm down, hold still, and wait for you to let go.
Once he is doing that consistently, try moving the treat a little farther away. This time slowly remove your hand from his chest while still repeating the command “whoa”. He will try to run the moment he feels the pressure released from his chest. However, you will need to grab him and move him back into the same position he was, repeating the command “whoa”.
Eventually, he will learn to stay in place until he feels the tap on his head and hears your release command. If he tries to break the hold, simply grab him and move him back until he waits properly.
Each time you do this, have him hold a little longer and a little longer. Don’t try to push your luck too early. Having him wait too long will run his patience thin and he will break the hold. If he breaks and gets the treat before he hears the release command, he may learn that he doesn’t really need to wait for you. So start small, calmly but firmly correct his behavior, and make sure he always gets the treat in the end.
Why is teaching to “whoa” so important at an early age?
Doing this will teach him delayed gratification. When puppies want things, they want it now. However, teaching your pointer puppy to be patient will help their impulse control and will go a long way toward training them to be an effective pointer dog.
Teaching your puppy to “whoa” at an early age helps establish good habits early on. During adolescence, dogs tend to be a little more hard-headed and won’t listen as well. It’s a lot more difficult to convince an adolescent pup to wait patiently for his treats, so teach it while they are young.
Just after a few weeks of practice, your little pup will be a pro and will impress your friends and family with his obedience.
Why is teaching a dog to “whoa” important for hunting?
Pointers are supposed to locate birds for the hunter. Once they locate the bird, they should “freeze” up and stay perfectly still.
This lets the hunter know where the bird is and will give him and his hunting buddies enough time to get ready to shoot. A good, solid point allows everyone to ensure they can flush the bird in a safe direction away from any people, roads, buildings, or anything else that shouldn’t be in the line of fire.
While your dog begins to point, keep commanding him to “whoa” until someone can flush the bird into the air, and safely shoot it down. Then it will be okay for your pup to break the hold and go chase the bird.
