5 Starter Tips for Raising a Great Pointing Dog

So, you've got a new pointing dog pup at your place. Good on ya! I hope all your hopes and dreams about turning that little one into a bird-finding expert come true. But, as with everything in life, being top-notch doesn't happen overnight. Everything's a process, and that's especially true with training dogs.

Before you start the hard yakka of developing a finished pointer, you've gotta lay the foundations. That starts the day you bring your new pup home. There's heaps you can do with a young dog that don't count as what we reckon as 'formal' training, but they're deadset important in your dog's development. Let me give you the drum on a few of them here.

1. Socialise, socialise, socialise. I can't stress enough how crucial it is to get your new pup involved in new situations as often as possible. Every day is another opportunity for your pup to have a new experience of some sort. A well-socialised pup is going to be more confident and better able to handle pressure when it's time for formal training.

When I say socialising, I'm not just talking about getting your dog comfy with the people at your place. Try to take your puppy to as many new spots as you can. Whether it's a stroll in the park or running an errand to the shop, include your pup. The new sights and smells, and interactions with a variety of people, combine to help your pup more quickly adjust to new environments and new training exercises in the future.

2. Keep experiences positive, always. A puppy will remember a negative experience much longer than a positive one. Puppies do puppy stuff. If you lose your temper every time it gets into mischief, believe me, your negative reaction is going to slow down your training later on because you’ll be creating a dog that’s scared to death of making a mistake.

It's up to you to avoid situations that make your pup shy or uncertain. A clear example is making sure toilet training is a positive experience. If you let your pup out of its crate and it has a little accident on the floor, the right thing for you to do is not to punish it. You need to take responsibility for what's happened. When the pup comes out of the crate, you've got to get it outside and onto the grass to do its business. And then lay on the praise thick. Before you know it, your pup will be beelining for the door because going outside will be a good experience.

3. Get your pup into some feathers. Just 'cause you're not formally training yet doesn't mean you shouldn't let your pup learn how much fun it is to be around live, flapping birds. Quail are top-notch birds for introducing puppies to feathers. Get a quail that can't fly away (you can pluck its longest flight feathers to make sure it can't go far) and chuck it right out in your yard in plain sight. Note that I don't bother with hiding birds in cover at this stage. This isn't about hunting, it's just about getting your pup keen for feathers.

Let your pup chase the quail. It might catch it or it might not. It'll probably even point it a few times. It's all good as long as the idea that birds are fun is getting through. Pigeons are fine to use for an introduction to feathers too, but use caution with a very young pup because a pigeon can flap pretty hard. You want to avoid having your pup get whacked on the nose before it has learned what birds are all about.

Note: You’ll find a four-part series I wrote on training with live birds. Note that everything I covered there is taking place during the formal training stage, while right now I’m talking about puppies.

4. Don't rush the process. It's natural to imagine your new pup as a finished dog that'll give you bragging rights among all your mates. I hope you get to that stage someday, I really do. But the fact is that you have to give your young dog time to mature.

I don't put any real pressure on my dogs until they're at least 18 months old. Now, that doesn't mean we're not getting out to the bush. During their first year, I definitely take my dogs out hunting, but I never let anyone else come with me. I don't need a bunch of people shooting and yelling and creating a bunch of unnecessary distractions.

The only thing I want my dogs to know before we've gotten into formal training is that hopping into the ute is something to look forward to. Once we're out in the field, I don't care if they chase birds or point them. It doesn't really matter, because we're going to work on patterning and bird manners and all of the other 'big dog' stuff later.

I should add that even though I said we're 'hunting,' I'm not shooting at birds that aren't pointed. However, if a young dog holds a point for any time at all, even if it's just a flash point, I'll go ahead and shoot. That dog is learning on its own that it can't catch birds, but if it stops, it might very well get the chance to retrieve one.

5. Get your pup used to wearing its e-collar. When my pups are about 3 or 4 months old, I start chucking a SportDOG e-collar on them whenever we head outside. You should give it a go too, BUT, and this bit's dead set important, you're not turning on the collar. In fact, don’t even bother bringing the transmitter with you. E-collar training comes after you’ve taught your dog the actual commands. In some ways, I reckon it’s not quite right to call it a “training” device; I see the e-collar more as a “reinforcement” device.

So, you might ask why I bother to chuck an e-collar on my young dog if I’m not gonna use it. The answer's straightforward: If a dog links wearing the e-collar with something ace (have a squiz at No. 2 above) like getting to run around chasing birds and having a blast, the switch to using it for reinforcement during formal training will be a breeze.

Keep these five factors in mind as you welcome your new pointing dog pup into the family and I can practically guarantee you that if you do your part, your dog will become everything you hoped for.