
New Beginnings - You and Your New Puppy
So, you have a new puppy! Welcome to the exciting journey of training your versatile hunting companion!
You may be a little daunted by the undertaking, but don’t be. Although the ride may be a little rough from time to time, along the way you will have some of the most rewarding experiences of your life, and hopefully make a lot of new friends in the process!
The first question most people have is, what is the best time to start training? That’s an easy one – NOW! Everything you do is training. All your interactions with your puppy, whether you know it or not, is information that the pup is absorbing and learning from. So even if you are not in a formal training session, the puppy is learning what you teach it. Therefore, start good habits early!
With the positive methods available today and their integration into gundog and versatile HPR dog training, it is possible to start puppies at a very young age. Therefore, do not wait for your puppy to “grow up”! Start your training journey early and see the benefits as your puppy matures into a proper, well-mannered young hunting dog!
The video series we recommend (Cortney Schaefer and Welpenferkurs with Ueli Bartschi) are good examples of starting early and how good results can be obtained when you do. Both series show positive methods, and both use food as motivation and as a reward at times. But what if you don’t want to use food in your training? No problem! But, you have to be extremely positive, energetic, use play, and be able to communicate immediately and effectively with your dog. One of the best examples of this kind of training comes from a trainer that has been to South Africa several times: Jeppe Stridh. Have a look at how he handles this puppy:>>Jeppe Stridh – Puppy Training Bobby – 4 months
So you see that whatever method you choose to go forward with in your training, you don’t need to be concerned that your puppy is “too young”. Far from it! So jump in and get started.
Even though you may have gotten your puppy to be a “hunting dog”, he must also be a good companion in the home as well as the field. So, there should be some house rules that the pup abides by. Housetraining should be undertaken immediately. Crate training should be introduced early. Basic commands should be instilled from a young age. You should establish a routine with your puppy from the beginning – they need this, and it helps them understand their place in your life. The articles and video links on the main page give practical advice to help you get started on the right track. So be sure to check them out!
You may be asking, “if this is a guide for South Africans, why are there links to other international training or trainers?” Well, the training links we provide are excellent and we would be hard pressed to do better (although we will be adding more and more of our own content)! The general progression they follow is what we suggest and follow: train from young, use positive and proven methods, basic equipment, and common sense. We integrate a “Down” command and a structured approach to retrieving. We bring in some different aids, such as the electronic pigeon releases, dummy launchers, and may use a placeboard – these aids can be extremely helpful. This type of training approach is proven to work here. Finally, we advocate testing your dog to set goals that will enable you to develop a good hunting companion!
We hope that the information on this website helps you to make a good start training your puppy and we look forward hearing about your journey along the way!
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