The Bird Dog Training Manual by Dave Walker

Read more about the The Bird Dog Training Manual by Dave Walker

Dave Walker, professional dog trainer for over 30 years, has won more than 3,000 field trial placements, trained and handled three national champions, and many other state and national winners. Dogs he has trained and/or handled have been inducted into the ABC Hall of Fame, Brittany Field Trial Hall of Fame, and have become national amateur champions. Dave gives training seminars in the United States and Canada and has developed a series of dog training videos and DVDs.

"Why Not Train Your Own Bird Dog"

You will discover how easy it is to:

Train your bird dog effectively and humanely.

Choose the dog that's right for you.

Start your pup on his way to becoming a reliable hunter or field trial champion.

Use an electronic collar in all phases of your training.

Train with a check-cord and "no hurt" training collar.

Train your dog to be steady-to-wing, steady-to-wing-and-shot, steady-to-wing-and-shot-and kill.

Use pigeons and game birds to train your dog in the field.

Teach your dog to retrieve to hand.

Prevent or correct over 25 common behavior problems such as gun-shyness, blinking birds, chasing trash, cat walking, flagging, fighting and ignoring commands.

Take good care of your dog, condition, groom, and show him.

Hardcover -- 185 pages
B/W Photos and Illustrations

CONTENTS:

What people are saying about this book

Dedication

Foreword by Bill West

Preface -- Note to the Reader

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Chapter 1 -- CHOOSING YOUR DOG

Breed

Bloodlines

Breeder

Picking a Pup

Choosing Older Dog or Pup

Classifying Dogs

Puppy Phase

Adolescent Phase

Mature Dog Phase

Chapter 2 -- STARTING YOUR PUP

Puppy-Proofing Your Home

Socializing Your Puppy

Controlling Chewing

Providing Toys

Housebreaking

Crate Training

Introducing the Leash

Supervising Your Pup

Kenneling

Beginning Yard Work

Introducing the Art of Walking

Introducing Retrieving

Value of Early Basic Training

Enhancing Curiosity and Interest

Limiting Chasing and Pointing

Reading Your Dog's Body Language

Chapter 3 -- COLLARS

Identification Collar

Providing Information

Flair Collar

Bark Collar

Tracking Collar

Choke Chain

Training Collar and Check-Cord

"No-Hurt" Training Collar

Appropriate Check-Cord

Electronic Collar

Exercising Caution

The Lowest Possible Stimulation

The E-collar Alone

Reinforcing Previous Commands

Removing the E-collar

Introducing E-collar at Right Age

Protecting Your Dog

Chapter 4 -- TEACHING BASIC COMMANDS

Verbal and Nonverbal Commands

Field Commands

Kenneling

Teaching the Art of Dog Walking

Verbal Hee-YOH Command

Verbal HERE Command

Nonverbal STOP Command

Stop-Stand-up-Stand-Still Command

Patterning

WHOA Command

Teaching Your Dog to Heel

A Resistant Dog

Your Hunting Dog

Training for Competition

Chapter 5 -- TEACHING RETRIEVING

Introducing Retrieving

HOLD Command

GIVE Command

Walking and Holding a Dummy

Retrieving a Feathered Dummy

Retrieving Dead Birds

Dogs That Like to Retrieve

Retrieving Birds in the Field

Releasing Birds on Command

Force Breaking Mature Dogs

Teaching FETCH, HOLD, and GIVE

Walking and Carrying a Dummy

Reaching for Dummy

Reaching, Holding, Walking, Releasing

Hunting Dogs

Chapter 6 -- USING TRAINING BIRDS

Pigeons

Obtaining and Caring for Pigeons

Controlling Flight and Launching

Tethering

Matching Tether and Cover

Training in Confined Area

Bobwhite Quail

Chapter 7 -- TRAINING IN THE FIELD

Beginning Bird Work

Letting Your Dog Chase Birds

Preventing Gun-Shyness

Letting Your Dog Run at Birds

Steady-to-Wing

Flying Birds Over Your Dog

Rekindling Interest in Birds

Steady-to-Wing Reliability

Steady-to-Wing-and-Shot

Flushing Birds and Firing a Gun

Making Corrections

Steady-to-Wing-Shot-and-Kill

Steady-to-Wing-Shot-Kill-and-Retrieve

Turning Your Dog Loose on Birds

Relocating Your Dog

Stop-to-Flush

Honoring

Honoring a Silhouette

Working Edges

Chapter 8 -- CORRECTING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Barking Excessively

Blinking Birds

Bolting See Running Away

Bumping or Busting Birds

Cat-Walking

Chasing Trash

Chasing Vehicles

Chewing or Eating Birds

Collar-Wise

Cutting Back or Running Behind

Fear of Horses

Fear of Water

Fighting

Flagging on Point

Gun-Shyness

Ignoring Verbal Commands

Over Training

Pointing, Dead

Pointing, False

Pointing, Sight

Pottering

Refusing to Hunt with Other Dogs

Relocating after Pointing

Running Amuck

Running at Birds

Running Away

Running Too Big

Sitting, Lying, or Dropping on Point

Tracking Bird Planters

Trailing, Another Dog

Trailing, Head

Chapter 9 -- MAINTAINING YOUR DOG

Providing Shelter

Crate

Portable Exercise Pen

Outdoor Shelter

Keeping Your Dog Healthy

Feeding

Emergencies

External Parasites

Internal Parasites

Grass Awns

Do's and Don'ts

Safety

Conditioning Your Dog

Appendix 1

Grooming and Showing Your Dog

Basic Grooming

Bathing Your Dog

Caring for Your Dog's Coat

Checking Your Dog's Ears

Removing Unwanted Debris

Caring for Your Dog's Toenails

Cleaning Your Dog's Teeth

Purging Anal Glands

Showing Your Dog

Preliminary Training

Taking a Conformation Class

Taking Your Dog to His First Match

Conditioning Your Dog

Appendix 2

Scenting