New to Hunting Dogs, advice?

[TattooedHunter]

I am considering adopting and training a dog for hunting. I've mostly been just deer hunting for the past few years, with a little bird hunting here and there. I would like to do a lot more upland and waterfowl hunting, but have felt limited due to not having a dog. Not to mention miss having a dog around as my family has had dogs for as long as I can remember.

I have trained German Shepherds (mostly just obedience) but have never worked in training a hunting dog. So where to start in my training before I start working with a dog?

- Live in the city, small yard but access to tons of green space

- Cabin in central MN

- I have two younger children, both eager to hunt

- looking to hunt upland (mostly grouse, some pheasant), small game (rabbits mostly) and waterfowl (mostly geese and a fair bit of duck)

- no other pets in household, but rest of family has German Shepherds (2 total)

- someone is always home, but I will be doing all of the training (wife will assist as needed)

I'm very partial at this point to getting a German Wirehaired Pointer, I've done some research but have a ton more to do on the breed. And I wouldn't be looking to bring one home until at the soonest, this next spring. I am open to the idea of pups and rehomed/rescued dogs.

[Jmnhunter]

hey Tattoo, some key points I've learned:

-Find a reputable breeder (ask for references)

-choose a book in regards of your type of dog eg. pointer dog training and start reading it now-you will probably reread it a few times

-you will learn obedience is key, the other training fine tunes their skills

good luck!

[herm]

Some thoughts:

1. As noted already, determine the breed first then research for a good breeder.

2. Read the Dog/Training Material topic on this board. It has great resources mentioned, especially for DIY trainers.

3. The dog will hunt a few weeks/months a year, but it will be part of the family 24/7/365.

4. Visit here often. I've learned a ton from this site. (Some good, some bad, but all of it helpful!)

[nofishfisherman]

Like others have said find a good breeder for the breed you have chosen. Talk to the breeder and confirm that the breed is still the right fit for you.

A small city yard isn't a make it or break it deal. I live in St. Paul with a smallish yard and my high energy Vizsla doesn't seem to mind. It does make it hard to keep the grass looking nice so I more or less gave up. The small yard just means you'll want to make more frequent trips to the dog park or take the dog for a run. Walks don't seem to be enough for some high energy breeds. For the first few years I was at the dog park with the dog every day of the week all year long. He needed at least an hour to run so that he wasn't crazy at home. Now that he's almost 6 he's starting to settle down some so only need walks and occasional trips to the park.

Like herm mentioned the biggest thing is to find a dog that is a good family dog. The dog will be with you every day for the next 10-15 years and it will only hunt a small fraction of that time so making sure its a good family dog is the most important issue.

Finding rescues for particular breeds can be a challenge. If you are set on going that route look into rescue groups for the particular breed, they'll be your best bet. Looking at Pet Finder or other sites is a dump shoot, most of the time they are just guessing at what breed the dog is. I've seen dogs listed as vizslas that are more pit bull than anything. Most are also rescues for a reason and will likely need considerable work in both basic obedience and then hunt training. Also you'll have no idea what sort of natural hunt skills that particular dog will have if you don't know the history behind it. You might end up with a diamond in the rough but you might also end up with dog that isn't going to hunt for you. Doesn't mean it can't still be a good family dog. You just need to figure out what your expectations are ahead of time. If you want a dog that you can be relatively certain about then a rescue probably isn't the best idea.

[TylerS]

No matter what you buy, how you train, or where you live, please, please, please socialize the dog. Get it out early and often. Take it with you places. Let others pet it. Bring it around other dogs, too. I've trained with a ton of other dogs and dog owners, and I can't tell you how many times I've ran into aggressive dogs that shouldn't be.

[Ray Esboldt]

I will agree with the notion of staying away from rescues. If you had a large amount of experience training dogs, you may be able to make one into something good, but I have not heard of a lot of success stories.

I'll throw my plug in for training groups. It changed my life (as far as dogs go). You'll learn more about training your dog there than anywhere else. And, if you are willing to follow a book or DVD program, the group can help you work through the problems that will arise.

If you have any questions about a training group, let me know at bornofice at yahoo dot com.

[Catfish_Nuggets]

Check [note from admin: please read forum rules before posting again. Thank you]

I have hunted with his dogs and you can see he believes in breeding the right way if you look at his pedigree sheet. The dogs are great hunters and his price is good too!

Also, I agree with advice for training above...obedience, obedience, obedience. The rest will fall in line.

[Ufatz]

Patience. Control your temper. Show the dog plenty of affection and make sure the family gets in on the affection, fondling, ear scratching and tummy rubbing. Of the DOG I mean.

Patience. When the training session is not going well forget it. Make it into play time.

More patience.

[TattooedHunter]

Thanks for the info.

I'm going to check out the German Wirehaired Pointers Association at the Game Fair this weekend, as they'll have the first hand info on the breed and training. Most of the stuff online is just the same breed summary from other sites.

Also will be making a bookstore run for a few books tomorrow on Pointers and Versatile dog training.

Ray - definitely will hit you up about training groups. Thanks.

Catfish - gmail account is steelslinger, seeing as the forum censored your info. Thanks.

Gotta start working on making the house/yard ready for a dog.

Further advice welcome.

[jstrommen13]

I agree with reading books on training. I have had a lab and now have a german wirehair. Lots of people ask all the time, how do u train your dog. I tell them I read a few books, watched some DVDs and used what I wanted from each according to how and what I hunt. It's all in the time spent with the dog. At least ten minutes a day every day. Everyone has time for that. So far I think your on the right track with the wire hair, I think they are awesome dogs. Good luck!!

[TattooedHunter]

Catfish - Thanks for the info, will be talking to a lot of breeders. Hoping I can find one of them that is having a litter just after the first of the year.

jstrommen13 - Thanks, I am a big fan of the "jack of all trades" breeds, like German Shepherds and the wirehairs. I did the same training method with my Shepherds. What's the most important/useful thing to know in regards to raising a solid GWP?

I figure a good hour exercise and a few minutes of training every day just before I go to work should do both the dog and myself some good.

[jstrommen13]

I can't say there is one thing that is important/usefull with raising a solid gwp. There's lots of things that are factored in there. It's good that you have access to more land than just your yard because they are an active dog and Need room to excersise. I invested into an e-collar and I think that helped me with the training. Going to a good game farm to start the dog on birds I think is a good idea. Most game farms will mark where the birds are placed so u know the birds are there. Off the top of my head that's what I can think of will help.

[TattooedHunter]

Well, talked to a few breeders. Think I found a good one that is having a litter later this year. Going to head down to their site sometime this week/weekend and check them out.

Time to get the fences finished and the remodeling projects completed so we can de-clutter.

[Kyhl]

If you are set on a pointer I'd really recommend a club for training. Seek books and videos related to pointer training. Training a pointer is different than training a retriever which is different than training a Shepard.

Examples, many owners don't like to teach a pointer to sit. I have a rescued pointer that will sit after she finds the bird. (not the one pictured) She's a hoot/clown and I wouldn't trade her for another.

Also pointers aren't necessarily retrievers and some will take some coaxing to get them to retrieve which can be frustrating for the owner. Patience and repetition.

The most important command for a pointer is whoa in lieu of sit. And find a place where they can run, 5-7 days a week for the first 18-24 months. It's good for you too.

[TattooedHunter]

Update: I'll be picking up my pup a week from this friday from High Island Wirehairs. 1st pick of the males. Going to be a long & short week and a half.