We are adopting a 6 month old Brittany tomorrow My question is what commands should I start training him? Are gundog commands different from basic obedience training commands? Also should I enroll him in a <normal> reputable training facility, or should I just start out at the more expensive hunting training facility with the hope of a better gundog? Or is it easy to train a Brittany on our own with the help of books/dvd, etc.? Also, I see alot of E-Collars online for gundog training... What are your thoughts on this...any advice would be greatly appreciated.
this is a british forum. e collars dont have the level of acceptance that they do in the states. as, quite rightly, most people other here find them cruel and unnecessary. in fact, in some areas, they are illegal. if you are training gundog, one assumes you would go with a gundog trainer. however, i would find one that use kind and fair methods using treats and toys as rewards. but gundog trainers can be known for relying on harsh methods, even in the UK. i think you will get many other posts saying the same as me, bar one person in particular whom states he is a uk e collar trainer.
Your dog needs to have all the basic commands off pat such as sit, stay, walking correctly on a lead etc (as a show person, I don't always use some of the basic commands - and did come a cropper when we started - as going back to basics didn't cover it) Find yourself a good simple gundog training book and, as above, a good gundog trainer using KIND training methods. I appreciate you are not in the UK - but why on earth would someone consider e-collars an effective training method for anything poor dogs Krusewalker - they are illegal in Wales, and I think I am right in believing this could eventually cover the whole of the UK?
you are correct, they are illegal in wales. im not too sure there are any plans afoot for the rest of the UK yet? (although scotland makes their own law on this issue)
As has been said you need to ensure that you have all the basic commands firmly in place first. You are taking on an adolescent dog, so you need to ask yourself what sort of gun-dog were you looking for and ask have I bought the right sort of dog for what I will want to do - hpr, retriever, flushing, setting, pointing - or maybe everything. You have to put in the time to get to know this dog, you need to gell with it and it needs to trust you. You have to know its strengths and weaknesses and adapt your training strategy to suit. I cannot understand why anyone would use an e-collar on a gun-dog, its cruel and unnecessary. I cannot believe an e-collar could create a "sound" gundog - let alone any type of dog. I notice that you do not own a dog at the moment and I wonder if this will be your first dog - if so there is a going to be a steep learning curve about what it is to have a dog. I hope you are not wanting the perfect gun-dog (which doesn't exist). The Brittany is a lovely, versatile breed and will make a lively, intelligent companion. I hope that this will be enough if he/she doesn't live up to your expectations as a competent gun-dog. Best wishes.
From a novice gundog person, I'd just add, recall is one of the most basic of commands you need to get in place, use different training scenarios where the dog is rewarded for coming back, not always just popped back on lead. I use retrieving combined with recall to give them a reward, sometimes I let them run in, sometimes I make them sit and wait before they're sent. I'll sit them up, walk away, drop a ball or dummy, walk a bit further on, and then recall with the dog getting the retrieve on the way back. I'll also hide things, and get the dogs to come back and hunt for them, which they love. Have fun with your dog, and get it focussed on you so that training with you becomes a reward in itself. Also, don't let it chase anything, so try and prevent situations where the dog will run after birds or game, before you can get that basic training in place to prevent them running in in the first place. Good luck, hope you will be posting some pictures
Just another thing, I'd find yourself a good HPR trainer as I tended to find Gundog trainers that aren't used to training HPRs aren't all that helpful. Some good advice I was given by a Weim trainer whilst learning to work Oscar - "keep your hands in your pockets and keep your gob shut"!
Thank you for all the advice. This is our first gun dog! Also, I'm glad to hear that one doesn't need to use e-collars to properly train a hunting dog! To, me it's cruel, and I was hoping to hear this bit of good news... unfortunately, you guys are right about the States, so far, every gun dog trainer I found uses e-collars, which begs the question, how difficult would it be to train ourselves? We want our dog to be versatile. I'm not looking for a perfect dog, just a good (and fun) hunting companion.
I know this is way off topic, but will my chickens ever be safe? They are supposed to be in their pen, however, chickens are chickens, and there is always one loose! Will training my dog to leave the chickens alone ruin any future plans?
Replying quickly because I'm multi tasking, house work, work work and baking bread, but no, having chickens and training him to leave them alone won't ruin his chances of being a gundog. One of the very basic rules for any gundog, is that they are sent to retrieve what you tell them to, not to choose to retrieve anything whether it's moving or not.
I think with a Brittany you have chosen a versatile breed and from the little I know about them they can be good all-rounders. I think if I were in your place I would have a try at training myself. You will become closer to your dog and can learn together. As others have said buy a good book(s) as well as one or two breed specific ones. Joining a club is also a good idea - a breed specific and/or a general gun-dog club. Many people starting out with flatcoated retrievers begin this way and become "bitten by the bug". You will get a lot of help offered and you can progress at your own pace taking the help you find useful and using your own judgement with your dog . Good luck and I hope all goes well.
Brittany's are very hard work, and every person i've spoke to who own/works/breeds them has said this. HPR's in general are probably the most difficult type of gundogs to train but I think you will find that a Brittany is in a league on it's own! I thought I wanted to own a Brittany next but after seeing them in action and talking to people i've realised I need alot more experience in training a gundog before I tackle a Brit! They are very hard hunters, very stubborn and i've heard them described as being "self employed" i.e they like to work for themselves! They are also known for not being brilliant retrievers, much prefering to hunt so I think you will need to keep this desire well under control. Good luck with your pup and i'm more than a touch jealous!
I would pm you but can't, I don't really have advise but some thing that might be useful but don't know if I'm aloud to put the link on here it would be to a hpr forum.
