Training The Pointing Labrador

In today's episode, I break down two "dog problems" I helped with.  One a dog with solid basics of handling choosing to not get into the water on either marks or blinds; the other a puppy who refused to retrieve any puppy bumper but its' own.  Addressing behavioral problems is never about what they should be doing, but what you've done that allowed the problem to generate.  Interesting study...

We address the more advanced training in this discussion.  The more advanced training can be accomplished by staying in the most fundamental aspects of the training.  Dogs learn more and have substantially more confidence not by practicing all the hard things, but by consistently practicing the components of the 'hard things'.  It is a powerful tool for those with the patience to use it.

In this episode, we discuss how training your dog is a process, and your expertise is something that should continually progress - it is not a destination you reach with no further learning required. Our dogs continuously reflect us right back to us, if we are wise enough to perceive that phenomenon. With curiosity and strong enough self-evaluation tools, we can become accomplished to a level equivalent to our personal investment in the process.

In today's episode, we break down one of the biggest causes of training problems:  looking right through your student.  We often take our timelines and recipes and then stick the dog to them.  This can work, but what do you when it doesn't, and how do you go about preventing problems by created by fitting your square peg into a round hole?  Read on....

In today's episode, we talk about the reasons early and appropriate bird introduction is important, sometimes critically so.  We often believe that "pointers will point" and "flushers will flush", but it can be problematic if they've been taught to be very concerned with you when they are performing their ancestral work of hunting birds.  Emphasis on what is most important on the developing brain of a young pup can shorten the entire training process.  Many of the problems in the young upland hunter stem from what their bird introductions taught them...

A recent discussion with a world class athlete reminded me of the importance of our attitude toward daily training, regardless of what you are training to accomplish. It is a good thing to have lofty goals and ambitious attitude, but the secret to the success of the best trainers in the world isn't the desired "trophy".  It is the appreciation and love of the daily process that actually gets you there.  Put all your effort and heart into that, and the rest usually takes care of itself....

In today's episode, based on a question I received, we breakdown why it is very possible to train upland and technical retriever work at the same time in a consistent routine retriever training process.  Done correctly, upland hunting does not "ruin the retriever work", and retriever work should only enhance control in the upland field.  The key is to approach this balance in light of what the dog tells you in training, not how it is 'supposed to go'.

In today's off-season episode, we talk about the elements necessary to run blind retrieves successfully.  Dogs aren't robots that should 'go straight' and 'take every cast'.  They are living creatures basically having an ongoing conversation with you on their way to get the retrieve they didn't see.  A program that builds their trust in what you are telling them and assures they are very clear on what you are saying is enjoyable for you both. It also leads to running even very difficult blinds well.  As with most really effective techniques, it takes patience, teaching and lots of practice.

In today's episode, we break down the elements that go into having and training a dog in its optimal state:  healthy, willing, understood and living the life it was bred to live.  A dog that can't always fit into the round hole we want it to, but if we learn about the nature of our dogs, we can just adjust the hole to fit them.

Blake Haddock, pro trainer from Greenville NC is running for the first time for the Board of Directors. Having had a good deal of success and experience in the pointing Lab world, he talks about who he is and why he is running.

Another in the series of interviews for APLA Board of Directors Candidates.  This time it is a candidate for the VP position.  Dr. Lo had held a few positions on the board, and been involved in most of the changes the organization has undergone.  It is an interesting thing to hear about.  Please listen in.....

As promised, any candidate wishing to have their ideas and positions extended to the PL public, here is my first of several interviews.  Julie Moore is current APLA VP and is running for a board position, leaving her VP position.  Today she explains how she got involved with these dogs, what her successes have been, things she's done for the organization and further plans she has to keep the national organization growing, expanding and improving.  It was a thoroughly delightful conversation.  Please listen in.....

In this episode, written expressly for Spicy Bill, Link, Sally, Roscoe and a few others, we talk about how to train through the winter off season to come back out next spring and be ready for running with the Big Dogs.  How to convert the T and Swim-by into mastery of running blinds with marks or without.  There are ways to do this without much pressure or confusion.  Instead, a methodical approach that works with the way your dog processes and thinks is a pleasant process for you both.  Be nice to see you all with purple ribbons next year....

In this episode of the ongoing puppy series, we talk about passivity in dog ownership.  Very often, people attribute unacceptable or irritating behavior to the dog 'just being a puppy.' When youngsters are allowed to do certain things with no intervention, they are learning that those things are perfectly acceptable.  Then later, it often takes more harsh training to undo what was initially taught.  So much of later training can be made easier by teaching the pup to problem solve for itself, and how to respect your requests, and take them seriously.  Some food for thought on the topic....

In today's trainer/handler-oriented episode, I share a little personal philosophy about where you are in your dog experience, and why it's likely just where you want it to be.  There is no big secret about how to be successful.  But the willingness to do what that takes is most often the main issue.  It isn't easy to excel at anything.  And those who do generally aren't the most talented or most fortunate.  It comes down to putting in the time, work and personal humility.  

In this third of the new puppy series, we discuss beginning to "read" your dog.  How do you learn the inner workings of your new partner?  How to you optimize your training program to fit this new little one?  How to you learn to adjust what you do to fit this particular dog?  It is a fascinating topic if you're willing to think objectively...

Second episode of the Puppy Series, a discussion about what 'love' actually is when it comes to our dogs, and how to develop a dog that is a full team player and excels in its job with you.

In today's episode, we talk about bringing that new puppy home.  Do you have a plan?  Do you know what bad habits you want to avoid, and which ones you want to develop?  If you back-engineer this from what you want this dog to be as an adult in your life, it can help in your approach to creating that dog.  Above all, teaching your dog how love learning is a thing you'll never regret.  Listen in for a few ideas....

In today's episode, we break down the real purpose of the word "no" used in so much dog training.  It really breaks down to how you view the training process and what your real responsibility is.  It is often more a reflection of your thinking, and not so much your dogs'.  

Freshly back from judging the 2024 Triple Crown in Freeman SD, we go over how the Labor Day Weekend went.  Setups, upland fields, people, young dogs, old dogs and why this process can be so important on a personal level. It was an amazing experience, and as always, a real privilege to watch the best pointing Labs in the galaxy do their thing. If the sound quality seems different on this, it's because I failed to turn on the microphone and it's just the computer recording.  My apologies.