Getting too excited?

[spearingboy]

Just a quick question for anyone that hunts pheasants with a lab. When my female gets birdy she gets really excited and likes to follow that scent FAST. My problem is that when she's on the scent she runs way ahead. Is this something that should be corrected with the E-collar or don't I want to discurage her from following the scent? It's a pain trying to keep up with her and watching the birds flush 50 yards out. Should I teach the "whoa" command? Will that help? Thanks for any advice.

[LABS4ME]

I teach my dogs to sit on a whistle. One sharp whistle blast means "SIT". If they get going too fast, the one whistle blast will sit them down till I catch up and I 'release' them to hunt on. They will pick the trail up again, no problem. A lot of times this will also slow the bird up. If I do use an e-collar correction, it is for dis-obeying the whistle sit command, and not for running a rooster down. I wouldn't burn the dog for running a bird... you don't want to correlate the correction to birds.

I usually let them 'take chase' for 30 yards or so at first before I slow them up... A lot of times when they GO, they are right on top of the bird... but I refuse to run across a field or a 1/2 mile of ditch. Not safe, nor fun!

Good Luck!

Ken

[Ufatz]

Lab's be right, don;t use the collar as described and the sit-on-whistle thing is something EVERY dog should learn early and obey INSTANTLY!...think of your dog running toward a busy highway, obliviosu to traffic. You want to STOP that dog INSTANTLY!

Working with my little girl now to SIT on flush and shot. Try that for a little challenge! Ha! She's a smart and sweet little cookie though and she is already getting with the program.

My biggest problem is draggin my fat old assets up and down the fencelines. Unfortunately SHE is always ready to go!

Patience and love man, works every time.

[SDbowhunter]

I too use the one whistle to stop/sit my dog. It works great to stop them from chasing birds or just getting to far ahead with out making the dog work extra to come back to you if you were crossing a plowed field to get to the good parts.

[spearingboy]

Thanks for the adivce guys. Training to sit with a whistle would just be like giving the "sit" command followed by the whistle and then switching it to whistle and then "sit"? Or is there a better way of teaching it?

[Ufatz]

Okay.This is simple. Command (and I mean COMMAND) SIT, and the whistle TWEEEEET! When he's got it down you just slowly drop the voice COMMAND and blast the whistle ONCE! I stress COMMAND because there is no place for whimpy, whiny pablum puking COMMANDS to a dog. He has to know you mean business. Later you will find, as I always have, that a quiet sit command works just fine. Got it? Sit! Whistle, quickly after the voice. One blast.

Have a good time.