|
While there are some
dog breeds that need a firm hand during training,
this is not one. In fact, the Brittany is sometimes
considered overly sensitive, doing everything
possible to please its master. Therefore, during
training, you will have the greatest success if you
are firm but never cross. Even raising your voice
too much or giving your dog a “dirty look” could be
enough to undo all the hard work you have
accomplished. Instead, you want to be patient while
training the Brittany, using only praise and special
treats for reinforcement opposed to punishment.
Being a highly intelligent dog, you will find this
particular breed among the easiest of all breeds to
train. Keep in mind that while puppies, the Brittany
loves to play so you want to make training time
enjoyable, almost a game. Otherwise, you would
expect to have a few battles of the wills. However,
providing the dog with consistency and praise, you
will be amazed at just how quickly it learns. Having
a close relationship with your Brittany will
certainly make training far more successful.
Obviously, the type
of training you provide would depend on how you want
to use the dog. For instance, if you were interested
in show, then the Brittany would need to learn not
just common obedience but also anything special to
stand out in the ring against competitors. If you
wanted to use the dog for field trial competition,
other training, often more intense training, would
be involved such as pole-bending, jumping, crawling
through tunnels, etc. On the other hand, if the
Brittany were going to be used for hunting, the dog
would need to learn to be around the sound of a gun,
to stay within a certain range of you, to know when
to and when not to flush out birds, and so on.
In this article, we wanted to address “sound
conditioning”, which would be imperative to dogs
used for hunting but also in the ring. Obviously,
you do not want to take your new Brittany puppy out
to the firing range and start shooting,. This method
would cause confusion and instill permanent fear.
Instead, you want to start the introduction to your
puppy with a decoy bird. The goal here is that
around age eight weeks, you want to start getting
your dog excited about birds. Then, it would
certainly help if you could take your puppy to a
place where game birds are raised, allowing it to
see and smell, which helps stimulate the natural
hunting instinct.
Once your dog shows interest in the bird, over the
course of several weeks, have a friend bring a small
caliber gun, possibly a .22, to a safe place where
the gun could be fired. While the dog is being
allowed to smell and touch the decoy bird, have the
friend stand about 100 yards out and fire.
Typically, the puppy should raise its head to look
in the direction of the gun and nothing more. Over
the course of an hour, repeat this process, bringing
the shooter in a few yards until you are within 50
yards of each other.
Another great brittany spaniel training tip
for sound conditioning is that while your puppy is
feeding, we mean seriously gulping down the food,
drop a pan in the next room. Be in a position or
have someone with you that can watch for the puppy’s
reaction. You may notice the puppy startle and then
return to eating or not paying any attention at all.
Do not repeat this process until the next day, again
while the puppy is in the midst of a good meal.
Continue this training method for about a week and
then move the pan to the room in which the puppy is
eating. Standing on the opposite side of the room,
you want to drop the pan, or bang on the bottom with
a metal spoon.
Finally, invest in an expensive cap pistol and
again, start in a different room from where the
puppy is located, click the pistol a few times. This
would be repeated over several days and then slowly,
begin taking the gun closer to the dog but never
immediately over its head. Allow the dog to see the
gun, which will soon become a familiar object. Soon,
the Brittany Spaniel will register that the gun will
make a noise but not cause any harm. In all, you
should expect to sound condition your dog anywhere
from two to six weeks depending on the reaction of
the dog. Remember, nature will kick in and soon,
sound will have no effect at all, only bringing with
it excitement as you begin training with real birds.
Sitemap |
Web Feeds |
