How much whoa to train

D

duckn66

Well-known member
Didn't know how else to title this question.

Can you whoa your pointing dog while he is out away from you a distance? I've been continueing to work on whoa and heel and just general check cord stuff because of a hawk problem I am having right now.

I've never trained pointers and was just wondering how instilled whoa should be. I have them so that when they are on a check cord they will put the brakes on when I say whoa. Is this going overboard? Now mind you this is on a check cord.
 
What response do you want from "whoa?" Stop...slow down...?

If the dog isn't close to you, selective hearing starts, hence the dog is usually off to the races!

Lots of good books on training a pointing dog...and some videos.
 
Whoa is the second most important Command IMHO. I was hunting in Kansas a few years back and had four dogs on the ground, roster ran over by the bar ditch when grain trucks were screaming down the road getting the crops out of the field. I was able to holler Whoa! To prevent a dog from being hit by a semi. The more Whoa training the better.
 
Rather than use whoa - I use stay. Whoa sounds too close to "No."
My dog understands stay and I use it when he gets close to a bird that's holding and I can sense he's about ready to charge.

If the dog is well out of gun range and about to cross road traffic...he'll get a call and probably a stimulation! Hunting near any road can be problematic and the dog loves to chase low fliers, until I call him off and use "NO." Seems to be a puppy thing.
 
Ok, Okiegunner that answers my question.

Well, no whoa training or even touching the mutt until he gets a bath. He and his older kennel mate went on a hike this morning while I fed and rinsed out pens and both rolled in something so bad I can't even hardly go to the kennel without gagging! Generally they stick around close because they are chow hounds and want food but for some reason today they decided to go on a hike over the hill to smell the roses :eek:
 
I use it like Okie! All the time. Even when I feed them, they want to rush right in and I use whoa. They stop until I give them the go ahead. So, they here it every day and gets instilled in the brain 365 days and nights . When on a bird, I use EASY!!! Calms them down and slows them down. You hunt with them enough to tell the signs of when your dogs are just about ready to go on point and are moving back and forth every 3 feet in panic mode to find it, the word easy works and they slow down and bam, point. Then it is a Whoa or more of a Whup . But I have used it since they have all been puppies and we have an understanding. They learn from you and you learn from them!
 
If the dog is fairly close I will say "whoa." If more distant, I will vibrate or light up (if need be) his ecollar to avoid yelling. BTW, excellent thread heading annd thread.
 
Last edited:
duckn66 said:
Didn't know how else to title this question.

Can you whoa your pointing dog while he is out away from you a distance? I've been continueing to work on whoa and heel and just general check cord stuff because of a hawk problem I am having right now.

I've never trained pointers and was just wondering how instilled whoa should be. I have them so that when they are on a check cord they will put the brakes on when I say whoa. Is this going overboard? Now mind you this is on a check cord.
Click to expand...

A check cord and choke chain spike collar is how I trained "whoa" and directional hand signals. Effective. No harm to the dog.
 
I started out whoa training while teaching heel. I doubled up on the training. When I stopped I said "whoa" and if they kept going I picked them up and placed them back to the original spot.

Didn't take long to learn. I can walk all the way around them in a circle, throw my hat on the ground in front of Obie, Bob still wants to grab it. And also whoa from a distance of about 20ft or so. I probably wont ever use whoa from to far out due to the distance they hunt.
 
I've used this technique also, and does work. When I have the dog on a lead during a walk, I'll initiate "easy" and gently pull back on the lead.
 
I use it every time I go out with Mick (ESS) (well, "hup" but same thing.)

I got him untrained at about four years old and have had him for four years. Weather permitting, we work on whistle turns and hup every long walk in the fields AND on hunting outings.

Reinforces training and pleases me. :)
 
Whoa Command. Having trained my share of Bird dogs in my days, the order in what you train a dog is important as well. All of my shorthairs were taught the command Come first. I start them as early as possible, teaching a pup at six weeks old is not that hard. Using plenty of praise and be sure not to be too harsh and leave the dam collar at home, as it does not belong on a pup.

I have alway's thrown in Whoa training next. I take the least amount of pressure but you need to be firm at this point. A Whoa board method can be effective if you always correct the dog, by placing him back on the board if it breaks Whoa. A check cord with a ground stake also works well! It allows you to walk in front of the dog while still having control of forward movement of the dog. Last, you can take a leash, attach it to the collar and bring the lead down the back end and cinch it around the butt around the belly and put a half hitch in the top of the back. Convenient handle. If properly tied the dog won't want too move.

Reinforcement of Whoa is done daily and always. Every time I let the dogs out of the kennel, I give them the Whoa command. I always release them from this command by giving them the Okay command. Every time I go through a gate or door with the dogs, I give Whoa, Then I walk through the gate or door, and then give them the release command Okay. If you stick to this training regime it will allow you to use a pointing breed as a flushing dog when hunting in the field later on. there have been thousands of time in thick cover when a dog(s) are on point in a large plum thicket, that I can give them the Okay command to flush the covey, enabling me too get a good shot on the flushing birds. Trial dogs of course need to be trained for steady to wing and shot, which can be discussed in a different thread!

There're exception to every rule and some breeds of dogs. My daughter brought home a rescue EP several years back. After a few days of getting acquainted with the dog, I decided to take the dog out to teach the Come command. I took the dog off the leash and of course it took off like a bullet. I found the dog two days later about 8 miles up the road. I guess EP dogs need too be taught the Whoa command first!
 
OKIE, that EP was probably just looking for scent!!!lol Was his name Rocket?
 
i train my dogs to woa on voice and whistle, they will always here the long scream of a whistle and stop dead in their tracks, whoa is my #1 command.
 
It appears that people who at one time trained to whoa to tell a dog when to stop and point. Still,see it all the time. Makes no sense to tell a dog when he should be scenting birds. A dog can't point what he doesn't smell and dog owners can't decide what he should smell. Then some people figured that part out so to justify still training whoa they start to claim that now whoa training is needed for safety issues. Again this makes no sense. Ever wonder how all the other breeds besides pointers are trained to stop from running into a dangerous situation? Either a come command or sit command. It works for all the other breeds why does a pointer have to be any different? Whoa is the most abused word in pointer training. The only time it should be used is to reinforce a stop to flush situation. I personally don't use whoa per say but use the e collar to stop him

The best trainer are wild birds. Keep your mouth shut and let the birds train the dog
 
Last edited:
Kodiak, Sir?

Might I suggest you offer your opinions on how much whoa to train ONLY, and delete your opinions on other posters' viewpoints?

Some might take offense at such belligerent language coming from someone with 5 posts in the forum. It might be construed as deliberately contentious and provocative, and contributing less than nothing to the original post.

I'm sure you didn't mean to present yourself as such a person.

Thank you.
 
Whoa training is great, but if the dog is way out there it may be alittle tough,

If you teach Manners on birds might go along way to getting to your objective, after the Whoa command is very well known by the dog, put him in a bird pin and teach him manners on birds, I can push birds right past my dogs, they will run right past them and they stay steady not trying to catch, Knowing that is not the objective,I hope this helps.. I think this might be the West Gibbons method? Not sure....
 
I think it the manner of the dog! The hard flying mile out all-age pointer is a candidate up close an in yard work, and I have seen many that way! Out there on a "limb" as we say, it takes a mounted scout to hoorah him back into judgment, as in I saw a flash of white cross our path a mile up. Foot hunting dogs of all persuasions are better of with " all you can" attitude. One in tighter quarters, safety is first and foremost. Some hunting cover might well be a highway access, adjacent to the chicken farmer!, or natural issues, porcupines, skunks, rattlesnakes, a confident Whoa! means everything. Better for you, better for the dog. Sometimes re-enforcing it may be the death of you or the dog! In my experience.
 
keskam said:
Whoa training is great, but if the dog is way out there it may be alittle tough,

If you teach Manners on birds might go along way to getting to your objective, after the Whoa command is very well known by the dog, put him in a bird pin and teach him manners on birds, I can push birds right past my dogs, they will run right past them and they stay steady not trying to catch, Knowing that is not the objective,I hope this helps.. I think this might be the West Gibbons method? Not sure....
Click to expand...
I saw that in Great Brittan where the Labrador trainers would us a " rabbit pen" to solidify the whoa response. After establishing whoa, using live game paraded in front of the dog, put him in a rabbit pen, sit stayed, and allow ducks, rabbits, pheasants to wander around the pen. Sure impressed me! My pointers would have destroyed and caught everything before returning snooze on the veranda! I came back home with a "saintly" lab, I still have pointers and setters though! The fear of a big wide open pointer fan, is absolute Whoa, and it's re-enforcement might diminish the drive? Sometimes we need to train the trainers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top