A Dog Ready for the Field

Hunting seasons are in full swing. In bird fields you can hear the cackle of a bold rooster taking wing, along with the hoarse voice of a hunter yelling at his dog as it chases the flashy pheasant to the next paddock. It's easy to hear all about it as a handler shouts to the far end of a field, demanding that a dog cut short a mad dash to fun and freedom. It's easy to see who hasn't put in enough time and effort training a bird dog for the hunting fields.

We've all had a doggo decide it's suddenly gone deaf as a post. For some reason the pooch can't make heads or tails of a simple command, which is usually 'come over here'. For seasoned trainers, that usually happens in the training sessions. By the time a dog's ready to go hunting the deafness has been sorted. Trainers know the dog can hear 'em. The dog's just decided to chuck a wobbly and pay no mind to the bloke who's meant to be the boss.

When this happens on a bird hunt, the hunt should be over for the dog. Some of us might give the dog another go, but that's risky business. A dog that won't listen or chooses not to obey needs to go back to the training sessions to reinforce the dog as a capable performer and ready for the hunt.

The amateur trainer doing the most damage to a dog isn't the bloke yelling pointless commands at a dog with selective hearing. It's the dog handler who slaps an e-collar on his hunting dog's neck and reckons it'll give him complete control over his dog.

An e-collar is a training device. It should only be used while hunting as an insurance policy for an excited young dog. A young dog can get caught up in the excitement of the hunt and decide to chase after a bird. An e-collar will stop the youngster from bolting to an open road and a disastrous run-in with a car or truck.

Some might reckon that a doggo trained up with the help of an e-collar's gotta always have the collar on, or a weighted dummy collar. The idea is that the dog'll suss out when it's not wearing the collar and won't perform unless there's the threat of an e-collar around its neck. A quick comeback to that is all the field trials happening across the country all year round, especially in the autumn and winter. Field trial officials won't let a dog compete with an e-collar or a dummy collar, even if heaps of dogs have been trained with 'em. The field trials are like simulated hunting tests. Top-notch hunting dogs shouldn't need to wear such gear to show off their skills and follow a handler's orders.

An e-collar shouldn't be used to teach a dog a command. It's a tool to reinforce a command the dog's already learnt. The e-collar can be dead-set invaluable for training any hunting dog. The device can also be a fast track to disaster if not used right. A rookie dog trainer should team up with an experienced handler who's clued up on using an e-collar. While an e-collar can be handy, it's not a magic wand that'll turn a rough hunting dog into a top-notch performer overnight.

Always check your local and state regulations related to dog training and the use of game birds on private and public property.