woah

dakota hunting

dakota hunting

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what are your methods to have your dogs woah. one guy said let her run on a 100 foot leash than yell woah and if she doesnt stop yank her off her feet (not my fav) woah post? or what is there
 
go to the book store and buy Gun Dog by Richard Wolters. it will give you the right technique for every aspect of training a good gun dog. I bought it, read it cover to cover. Best hunting investment other than my pointer and my gun that i have ever made
 
I found it simple to do. With a walking leash I just took the dog for a twice a day for 20-30 minutes. every time I stopped I would say "Whoa". Always hold up your hand with the palm to the dog as you say "Whoa". After 2 days of that I added dropping the leash and alking a short distance away saying "Whoa" as I left. If he followed me. I picked him up and set him back in the spot I said "Whoa" After a few days Of that I took him to a field and let him run, and said whoa and he stopped. From there every time I said "Whoa" I blow my whistle in my whoa command. From there it was just doing it over and over until. He was stopping only on whistle or me holding up my hand. You will find when the dog is on point or you want it to stay steady. Just hold up your hand to reinforce the point.......Bob
 
I don't usually take such a strong stance against another post but the last book I would recommend is Wolters Gun Dog. His methods for teaching whoa in particular are roundly criticized by professional trainers.

First thing is to decide if you even what to use whoa. The silent methods are getting more popular and some think are easier to use for trainer and dog.

Couple of thoughts if you decide to use it though. Starting while on walks that occur daily is a great idea. I like the pinch collars--the leather slip collar with blunted spikes that when the dog puts pressure on the lead pinch their neck. Snap the lead and thus the collar tightens while commanding whoa. Keep this up and over time start alterring the timing so the command is given before the pinch...when they start stopping just on the command they are ready for doing the same thing all over again in different, ideally more tempting--locations.

Example you do it along the road walked down first--once the dog gets that, take it somewhere else and run through the same progression. Dogs are place learners--they could have whoa down cold along the road it's first taught on and when let loose in the field have no clue that whoa means stop there. Have to use the same commands in a variety of places and evenutally in the field where birds are found, or could be found.

Some folks use the Smith Wonder lead with essentially the same training plan and swear by them.

Most eventually lay the e-collar over everything. Another thread topic needed for that but basically you go back to the beginning and while giving the familiar cues you use a nick of the collar at the same time, eventually they learn that the e-collar nick is the same as a verbal whoa or a pinch collar sensation that means whoa....
 
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TMR, I am sorry, I disagree, if he has a soft dog, your methods could ruin it. I have trained soft dogs and they train just fine with no rough stuff. It is very surprising what a little TLC will do..........Bob
 
Bobeyrite, I completely agree with the "no rough stuff" training. However, Wolters recommends scaring pups into whoa by jumping out at them, and also talks about beating a dog at one point. If those are things that work on soft dogs, it would be news to me. His promotion of the wing on a string as a substitute for live birds is another concern for many.

The methods using a pinch collar--pioneered by Bill West, Dave Walker, and Bill Gibbons--are felt by many to be one of the methods that works best on soft dogs. Gibbons reportedly developed his ideas while working with visla's--a breed not known for being responsive to pressure in training. The collar does all the work for you. Some of them suggest not using any verbal commands at all to take even more opportunity for perceived pressure out of the situation.
 
TMR, The dogs I have trained, when I used the spiked pinch collar. They would not even walk with me. They wanted nothing to do with it. I went to a plain pinch collar no spikes and all was fine. They did get trained and in a very short time. That is why I say try to train using TLC and if it don't work then go rough. I have seen many a dog snap under the rough training and are good for nothing. Admittedly there are some dogs you need a 2x4 to the..... you know the expression, to get their attention. But I have found those dogs to be very few......Bob
 
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wow thats my dog, she is soft. one time i got so mad at her i bipped her on the nose not hit but bipped and after that for a while she would come near with a raised hand even for just a good girl petting
 
A friend told me he was tired of missing shots at pheasants. I told him that some guy said if he tied a rope to his nuts and that everytime he missed another guy would yank on the rope and knock him off his feet and that would fix his shooting problems. Long story short my friend stopped shooting after only two attempts and quit hunting!! So much for some guy said.
 
There are several ways to go about whoa breaking a dog or teaching a dog to whoa. One of the most simple way to whoa break a dog is with a lead while walking where as other dogs need a different approach. A simple way is to take a lead or rope and tie it to a tree or some other fixed position, fasten a swiveling clip to the other end because at first the dog may throw a bit of a fit and you don't want it to get tangled. With two colllars on the dog take and put the fixed position rope on the back collar while tieing another check cord to the front collar, walking the dog to the end of the fixed position rope and when the dog reaches the end give a gentle but firm tug on the front rope which will be in your hand. Say the whoa command and put your hand in the air with the palm facing the dog. This will take a short time and the dog will get to where when you tug it will freeze in it tracks. Progress until you can walk all the way around the dog saying the whoa command. You will soon get to the point once the dog is whoa broke where you can say the command along with the hand signal and stop the dog anywhere. Hope this helps you and know that this can be used on any dog no matter the disposition.
 
whoa

I have found the George Hickox meathod works good. Attach a leash to collar and around flank so you can pick them up like a suitcase, walk with them and stop them saying whoa. Eventually work an ecollar onto the flank. They learn that stimulation on their belly means stop, then you can transition to whoa after that.
 
I put my dog on a bench I made, stands about waist high to me, it is a 2x10 board 4' long, I firm him up, lifting tail and chin, pet his back while repeating "whoa" I then walk around the yard and repeat "whao' while holding a hand up, after a week or so I just hold the hand up and only say whoa if he trys jumping down, at first the dog may jump off as soon as u walk away but you go get him and very firmly put him back, they quickly get the message, after several weeks transition the same process to the ground. 10 minute sessions daily are enough, lots of praise after dog holds for awhile! Also used a whoa post at times!
 
I'm a Better Shot, but My Voice is High

pheasantaddict said:
A friend told me he was tired of missing shots at pheasants. I told him that some guy said if he tied a rope to his nuts and that everytime he missed another guy would yank on the rope and knock him off his feet and that would fix his shooting problems. Long story short my friend stopped shooting after only two attempts and quit hunting!! So much for some guy said.
Click to expand...

That's how I learned to shoot; that is, when I decide to pull the trigger. However, whenever a bird flushes, I squeal no matter what and hit the ground in a fetal position. From there I try to make a shot if possible.
 
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Whoa Training

My dog is totally obedient to whoa. This is how I trained him. 1. I took him for a leash walk everyday before our first season and said "whoa" and stopped him with the leash about 3 -4 times per walk. As he caught on, I would "whoa" him and then walk around him or ahead of him. If he moved, I said "whoa" and stopped him. 2. On the weekends before our first season I put him on a check lead with a spiked collar. As he got toward the end of the lead, I said "whoa" and if he didn't stop, he felt the spikes, although I never jerked the lead. I used the check lead and spike collar to train him to hand signals by drawing his attention to me with a whistle, turning him with the lead, and extending my arm in the direction of our movement. Around the house I always use hand signals (arm signals actually) so that they stay with him year round.
 
You Made Me Laugh

pheasantaddict said:
BritChaser,

You're a better shot than me...:laugh::laugh::laugh:
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You made me laugh and made your point very effectively. Good show.
 
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