New Pup arriving january any suggestions

C

chumscustoms

New member
I just put a deposti on a gsp last week and am looking forward to receiving her. I got the dog for a friend for my great dane and also to be a hunting partner for me. I will be getting the dog at 8 weeks, i have purchased it from Pointers of the Valley on rock valley iowa, I would like to start with a good foundational training as soon as i get the pup, my question is, is there a good traing set or book to read up on or any good websites with videos or information, I want to focus on the dog ranging controllably, I understand it will not be a award winning dog and i dont expect it to be, but i would like to spend quality time preparing the dog for next fall
thanks
 
Buy the book "Training with Mo".

Great book, he's a great trainer and a good man.
Gentle training methods. Highly recommend.
 
water dog or gun dog by Wolters is the best book out there. Compliment with the book with another book by Joann Bailey called how to help gun dogs train themselves and you get 2 different methodologies on the exact opposite of spectrums from eachother. Wolters gave me the core trainig fundamentals and Bailey gave me the insight into understanding a dog and bringing out its own instincts. Using both books were great and they are both fun and easy to read. Especially Baileys.
 
The Perfect Start/Perfect Finish videos are towards the top of the list as far as training a pointing dog. Training with Mo is another great suggestion. I would stick to modern training materials from well known, successful trainers. I would honestly avoid Wolters especially for training a pointing dog. Not that it can't work, but there has been a lot of advancement in dog training since those books were written.
 
Last edited:
Gun Dog is NOT the best book out there. I wouldn't use that book to wrap fish...

Just my opinion.
 
Last edited:
I would look at the puppy development DVD's by Rick and Ronnie Smith. They have some great information.
 
Best Way To Train Your Gun Dog by Bill Tarrant, Has been like my gundog bible!:10sign:
 
I don't necessarily think the books you get are important, I got Gun Dog, and while the methods I might not have agreed with, the outcome is undeniable.

I went the route of buying a BUNCH of books, and then reading all of them and taking bits and pieces I thought were great ideas.

Now, I should mention my dog is by no means a world class hunting dog. And he won't be a good one, at least for a few years. But the important thing is, he's YOUR dog, you train him the way YOU want him.
 
I have got a lot of dog training books, and there are some really good ones out there including Training With Mo and both books by Joan Bailey. I recently checked out Karen Pryor's book "Don't Shoot the Dog." Not a hunting dog training book per se, but nevertheless a fantastic book with in depth discussion on how and why both positive and negative reinforcement training works.
 
Ah yes, opinions will certainly vary greatly on the value of various training resources. I bought quite a few different books and DVDs. Some I abandoned immediately based on what I read/saw, and others I adopted wholeheartedly. Funny thing is, when I went back to some of the ones that I tossed aside at first (after having had a long series of successes/failures/modifications/learning) I was surprised glad that I had not thrown them out - there was some useful material there. I won't bother giving you the details of what I did and did not like in particular, in part because I have a flushing lab and don't know squat about pointers, but also because I think the best advice for far is for you to obtain a variety of materials and try to evaluate what you think will work for you and pup. And be prepared to change/re-evaluate and you and pup "grow up" together. I should also point out that I spent at least 300$ on books and DVDs etc..., but I also spent 90$ for a dog trainer (not a gun-dog trainer) to come to my house and spend three hours with the family and pup, and then I spent a further 100$ for an afternoon with a group of labs, some live quail and a pro gun-dog trainer. I probably got 500$ worth out of the 190$ I spent on professional help, and only about 50$ worth out of the 300$ I spent on books. something to consider...
-Croc
 
Forgot to mention one of the best things you could do above any book or video, would be to join your local NAVHDA chapter. There are people that you can meet there that will help you along and provide great training opportunities. Not sure if you are close to Rock Valley, but if you are there is a chapter in Sioux Falls. You can find more info at http://www.midwesttristatenavhda.org
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top