Training my friends 9 month old English Lab now also and she has been a great dog also should have some videos of Her
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^Nice video. Perfect place to run the baseball diamond for blinds. Good stuffComment
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Originally posted by mechhead View PostExcellent advise here. I have a 5mo old GSP and he knows the difference in his collars / leashes. Don’t take em’ long to figure out the business and the dress up one. Be consistent and follow through with commands given. As said above burn some of their energy before having them focus on tasks. Mine loves his place board. It’s like home base for him during workout sessions. And by all means crate / kennel train him or her.
That is a gorgeous GSP.....
Love the idea of different collars/leashes. I hadn’t thought of that. Kind of like different “modes” for the dog.
Kennel training is definitely in the plans... along with a diy furniture grade kennel.
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That GSP is going to be a high energy dog. Since you don’t intend to work it on upland game birds, you will have to find some constructive to use up that energy. That may be your biggest challenge, especially if your pup comes from a hunting or field trial blood line. No matter the ultimate training method you use, the very first thing you MUST teach your dog is the meaning of NO!! Without that, you will not have a disciplined dog.
Richard Wolters has a book titled Family Dog that is primarily focused on discipline and making the dog fit in with the family. I’d highly recommend you get that book and use it. Go buy or order the book, a 6’ leather leash and a choke collar. You’ll have everything you need to train up a disciplined pup.
For retrieving, Wolters also wrote the definitive book on training a retriever. Water Dog.
Easiest way to start training the pup to hunt sheds is to use sheds for play toys instead of rubber balls, stffies or other chew toys. Constantly tell the pup to find the shed. That will get you started.
Good luck!Comment
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Definitely expecting high energy. Lots of structure is the plan.
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So I’ve got a 3 year old GSP and I trained him myself.
I don’t hunt upland but because I now have an upland dog I want to get into it. But I’m a big duck hunter so I got him for retrieving mainly.
GSP’s are great all around dogs. But sitting still is absolutely the hardest part for them. The other hard thing - at least with my dog - for retrieving - to use his eyes and not his nose.
What I’m doing now that I wish I would have done in the beginning is bought a 12ft crappie rod and tied a pheasant wing to it and work on pointing in low grass. He’s starting to understand he can smell the wing but he can see it that much faster. Their natural instinct will be to sniff first and see second. When it comes to retrieving its see first then sniff second.
When I first started working on retrieving drills with ducks he would get within 10ft of the duck but would be so zoned in on the smell that he would walk by it several times.
The good news is dove hunt retrieving is easy, he doesn’t have to be completely still. My buddies with labs like when I bring him especially when it’s in thick brush. If I get him in the general area, his nose is so good he’s going to find it. The other upside is if it’s crippled he’ll point on it before retrieving. Which can be some what useful in case it tries to pop up and fly off.
To tire him out I would do about 5-10 minutes of pointing exercises then Segway into retrieving.
Other than that all the other recommended reading material is good.
As far as physically training, my dog is tough as hell. I’ve seen him run into barbed wire several times and not even be phased. I’ve tried spanking him, using a stick, even shock collars and they don’t phase him. I ended up figuring out pinching the inside of his ear with my thumbnail seems to work the best. I did see a guy training GSP’s on Instagram the other day and he had shock collars on their belly. Not sure if that’s more effective but something to try.
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Pretty good read. My catahoula still wants to use her nose first when retrieving.......cCComment
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You sure picked a good breed for DIY training. I had my GSP 14 years, and she was a great dog. Every GSP I’ve been around, including my Molly dog, LOVED to run. You have heard that enough already, but it is just the way that breed was developed. Lots of good advice here on this post on DIY training books, videos, etc. But be confident that your GSP pup will likely be a smart dog that wants to please you, so you are off to a “running” start already. Also, pointing birds is right in their name, so if you ever do get a chance to put your GSP on quail, pheasant, etc. take it. Your GSP will likely surprise you with hunting and pointing ability that is just DNA talent with them.
Always be consistent in your training. Your GSP pup will be smart and will know and get confused if you try to cut corners, skip something you usually do, hurry training or just go through the motions, etc. Some days you will just not have the time to “work” your pup, so consider maybe that day just make it a fun time and cut it short. My Molly learned real quick the routine, and would actually run to the next “training area” for whoa command, retrieve, sit, stay, come, etc. Your GSP pup will learn the drill, make you proud, and you will have a wonderful time training a great, smart, loyal buddy who will love your times together. Best of luck, and post pictures!Comment
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Have a 2yr old and i will say my hardest hurtle on training myself was to socialize him enough. He hit a little slump for about a year that he became very anti social but now with covid 19 and the move have been out of the yard more and he is starting to really warm up to other dogs and humans.
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