Mutt Hut Training

[Scott M]

I want to buy a mutt hut for next year after having some good field hunts this year in MN and ND. Problem is I don't think I could get the dog to sit still. She is good in the boat, but this is all new. Any advice? I don't have an e-collar. I imagine that would be the fast track into training.

I'm guessing I will need to build a nearly religious adherence to the stay command. She (my dog) started getting too smart for her own good this year and was jumping out of the boat a couple times when she saw birds and heard us shooting. That's task #1A for fixing this year. But I'd also like to work on getting her to stay in a mutt hut until she gets a fetch command.

It's a high risk, low reward situation. Invest in the dog, work with her, go out on a field hunt, and potentially risk her ruining the hunt by leaving the hut, moving too much, etc. The only payoff would be not having to get off my butt to retrieve birds.

Thoughts or advice?

[pureinsanity]

I think a collar would be your best trick for helping you.

Getting that stay command to really stick.

So I think my advice would be have that collar ready and get that stay command to stick in the head. usually you only need to use that collar once or twice and they remember its business when that collar is on.

I have been happy with my Dogtra collar. and it was pretty cheap in price too!

[LABS4ME]

Work with a sit mat. ie: an old carpet scrap etc. Teach the dog to 'stay' whenever placed on the mat. He may never get off that mat until released. Use it all the time... before feedings, in the family room, on walks, throwing bumpers, hunting in the boat, mutt hut etc.

In essence it is an extension of the sit and stay command using a physical place for them to be... they are trained and reinforced that they must always stay on that mat until released. It works great for hunting both in marking ability and honoring other dogs, no flaring of birds from leaving early etc. It works great in the house to reinforce manners and places where it is acceptable to be.

Get an old scrap of indoor out door carpet and start your training now. Eventually get to the point where you try to coerce the dog off the mat with birds, shots, treats, kids etc... always immediatley correct them and do it again... use a release command each time ( call name works great) and the pieces will begin to fall into place.

Good Luck!

Ken

[brittman]

Seems like you could do this basic training in a back yard almost anytime of the year.

[Todd Caswell]

Sounds like she could be sharper on her basics ( as with most of our dogs) no matter to what degree they are trained some of it will deterate during the hunting season, happens to the best of them, too much hunting and not enough training is like running to many HT or FT in a row. You sound like your truely interested in having a well trained obediant dog for next fall, not sure if you have been following any type of program but I advise it. It gives you the tools and the foundation for a well trained dog, if your going to put in the time you might as have it be quality structured time.

When someone asks a question like this it's hard to answer because you never know what the dogs training background is, the answer can be different for every dog.

With my dogs KENNEL means KENNEL and SIT means SIT no exceptions, get in there and stay there untill told otherwise. I don't use stay as it is redundent.

With young dogs I put the mutt hut in the living room to get them used to it, using the kennel command, then move it outside in the yard, start throwing marks for the dog when he is in the hut, recieve the bumper and tell him kennel, youd'e be suprised with a little work you be doing stand alone marks out to 100 yards, and be able to send him back to his kennel.

And in a hunting situation youd'e be supprised how much better they sit still when they have there own place to be.

PM me if your interested in recomendations on a training program.

[TylerS]

I'll agree with the OB stuff. Is she crate trained? If so, you ought not have too tough a time transitioning the dog to the mutt hut.

I trained my dog in a couple sessions. He already knew how to sit and stay, as well as kennel. So I kenneled him, and then made him lay down. After a very short time, I let him come out and gave him a piece of hot dog for reward. We repeated the process, gradually lengthening the amount of time in the kennel. Eventually, I did some retrieving training using the blind. I'd kennel him, throw a bumper, send him for the retrieve, then return him to the kennel. By the time hunting rolled around, the transition to the new situation was very small.

[Scott M]

She's crate trained. I like some of the ideas and plan to proceed with the training. I feel bad leaving her in the truck when she can hear us shooting in the field, so I can get rid of some guilt. Saw a couple Cyber Monday deals on Mutt Huts too, but i didn't pull the trigger.

[UMC]

My lab knew the kennel command so it was pretty easy to get him in there. Work on steadyness in the yard. The blinds are often a little lower than they are used to so some treats to get him to go in initially worked well. In the field I used a stake-out with about 18 inches of rope tied to it just in case he broke he would get a quick correction. Worked well.