I have hunting dogs, i trained hunting dogs i trained a hunting dog this morning. WE did off leash, stay and come to heel at least 5 times around teh block AND there were plenty of squirrels cats and cars and people. When we got home and i released them into their yard I backed little miss pepper up when she started barking at a squirrel and on the third time i said sit she sat and looked at me...not at the squirrel that is 3 feet in front of her in a small bush where she has it cornered. THis is a real milestone for her. YOU TEACH your dog what you will allow. YOu go out in the yard, in the woods around your neighborhood and you say yes you may and no you wont and you enforce every single command that you give. You teach your animal to control him/herself. I have a pointer for pete's sake. ANd have taught prey driven maniacs to do exactly the same thing. IT IS UP TO YOU to do this. THe dog doesn't get it on it's own. Left unchecked ANy dog will be a barker, a roamer, will be possessive and obnoxious. I saw a man this morning holding a leash in on hand on his porch, the cell phone in the other. THe dog was barking and leaping about, a woman stepped on the porch with a dog in her arms, that dog the man had on his leash was all over her, and he never stopped barking. THat man never interupted his conversation. Never took one step to correct the bad behavior three feet away from him. I can tell you what that dog will be like in a few more months. IT was sad. I guess he is just one more person that thinks good behavior comes magically with age. It does not. I am focusing on Pepper's behaviors one by one. ANd backing that up with basic obedience. WE work this three times a day out in the world and constantly at home. I wont' have to do this forever, already 4 months have gone by and she is 75 percent a better dog. I get offers from people to take her,,now. Where were they when she was a runaway door dodging barker? That jumped all over people and swallowed them with her tongue. WE practice meet and greet with every human willing to be helpful. WE go everywhere. SHe does not try to get around me anymore. SHe looks at me to see when i say that more then magic word that allows her to run like crazy. SHse knows COMe doens't neccessarily mean lock up..it might mean TAG a pat and that magic word..that has become her all time favorite game. YEs i could ignore the barking, let her tree things and say ..that is what a dog does. IT is their prey drive, i can't do a thing about it. But would i be doing her any good if i did that? INstead i get UP and March myself OVER every TIME and get it done. Every single time. AND that doesnt' mean it is going to be like that forever. WE watch squirrels, we did that today. I said oh i see the squirrely too. SIt. THey sat, WE watched. I said chuck chuck chuck to the squirrel to see if i coudl get it to talk back. SOmetimes i can. WE watched together. THen i said come. I don't have to say leave it anymore to break their focus. THEy know because i taught them. Mary just laffs and wags her old tail with a big smile on her face because SHE knows what i am doing. SHe waits patiently. SHe sees the squirrels too but has no need to chase them up a tree.
HUnting dogs that really hunt learn that they cannot eat the bird, rabbit or the squirrel. THey learn to point and hold the point. Freezing is an instinct. VIctor does that all the time, so does Pepper, to freeze until the animal forgets your there and comes closer IS instinct. TO learn to wait until your master comes up, kills it, and then has the dog pick it up blood and all and deliver to hand is NOT instinct. THat is taught behavior and i believe that ALL dogs can learn to control themselves. If pointers can do it, if VIctor can do it, then the chi around then the yapping jack russell around the corner can do it too. THe difference is that jack russells' owner in 3 years that i have seen, has never taken it out of the yard once nor put his head out the door to tell his dog to shut up. IF you tolerate it, they will do it.
