Playing vs. Training: The Do's and Don'ts of Training Your Gun Dog Puppy

When you get your pup at seven or eight weeks everything you do with him is a learning experience. This includes the walks in the yard with new smells, petting and cuddling with you and the kids and even the games you play in the front room. Puppies love to play tug-of-war. This is the worst game a hunting dog can play with people. Visualize a beautiful ring necked pheasant being torn in two; one end in the dogs mouth and the other being held by a frustrated owner. Don’t play tug-of-war with any hunting dog. The meal you save may be your own!

To this end your toys should be sorted into two groups: play toys and training toys. The play toys are those that he can gnaw on and rip apart whenever he feels like it. This can include a variety of pet shop toys, old rags, rawhide bones and the like. If you give him old shoes or knotted socks don't be shocked when your new hunting boots are missing laces, and the tongues are chewed up, or your dirty socks from the laundry are torn up and scattered all over the house.

As far as training toys go, these need to be toys that are played with only when you have specific rules, like 'bring this back to me'. You might reckon a tennis ball's a training tool, but you'd be better off with a small canvas puppy dummy. Starting with a canvas dummy gets your new mate used to handling and carrying a training dummy. We use canvas at this young age because their chompers and gums are soft and don’t toughen up until they've grown their adult teeth. When you chuck it across the room, it's meant to be brought back to you, not nicked off and gnawed on. Lure him back with heaps of excitement like clapping and yelling 'Here puppy puppy!'

Don't forget to use your whistle. A few tweets mixed in with the verbal excitement will get him used to the whistle and the reason it's being blown. When he does come back, heaps of pats and praise will reinforce the good job he's done. Don't overdo the training at this young age. A couple of minutes several times a day is much better than one long session. You're dealing with a very short attention span that you'll be able to watch grow and intensify as he matures over the next several weeks. After a few days of play/training with these 'training toys', just the sight of them will initiate excitement and maybe even a puddle of excitement. (Remember the rules about avoiding accidents?)

Training should be simple. Work on one lesson at a time using one word commands like HERE or COME with heaps of praise when they get it right. Mix in the “sit and stay training” throughout the day too, remembering that repetition is your best mate and frustration is your enemy. Hitting or slapping leads to hand shyness and even worse, a distrust of people. If you want this pup to be a well-adjusted member of your family, mutual respect will go a long way to achieving this goal. Cutting down on the physical punishment will raise a much more secure and happy dog with strong bonds to you and your mob.