 Episode 23: Training Steady to Shot Drew: Today we're going to talk about steadying your dog to shot, the techniques, and the importance of that.
Steve: It's a huge safety factor. You're in a duck blind, you've got three, four, five, sometimes six guys, you've got a lot of action going on. If you've got a dog that breaks at any point, the chances of him getting hurt are huge. And there's just no value in it.
The other side of it, too, is it progressively gets worse when it starts happening if you don't do something about it.
Drew: Goes from the shot to the call, dropping them, to the click of the safety.
Steve: Next thing you know they are just breaking. And you've got situations where there are just ducks coming in and land before legal shooting time. Or if you've got a lot of ducks working and you've got a few come in, and you're waiting for more, you want a dog that can handle that. And it's not something that just comes naturally. You are going to have to work on that.
Drew: No doubt about it. A good friend of mine actually had the right ear of his dog blown off by a client. He sent the dog, a kid saw the duck fly, he went to shoot it again, thought was everything. When he did he shot the dog. So that wasn't technically a break, but it shows how quick it can happen.
Steve: You want to have those situations where you have control over the dog so that you can make sure everybody is done, everybody understands we're about to send a dog.
Joe: Well, when we teach that steadiness, it starts when they are little. You've got to start them when they're little puppies. And you teach them the sit command, and it's all based off the sit command. When you tell or teach a dog to sit, sit means sit until I tell you do something else.
And as the dog progresses, then you introduce the dog to bumpers from the sit position. And then you progress them to being on the side of you, then shooting. You can also get other dogs to go pick up the bird and make the dog sit. So he learns that he sits until he is told to do something else.
But it's a progressive training. And you have to stay after it. You can't just teach them to sit and shoot, and then the next month or two months later you take them out and you go and do it again and you say he's going to sit. It don't work that way.
Drew: How many times that happen during dove season? You know, "Well, it's just dove season. We're going to let him break when he sees doves and this, that, and the other." Then come the opening day of field season and then you've got a serious situation.
Joe: Yeah. And that thing of letting them break, I use it as an example of quitting smoking. If you never smoked, it's no big deal. But if you smoked and you quit, that urge is always there. It's the same with a dog. Once he breaks and he learns that he can break, the urge is always there.
When you have a young dog, you take them out hunting the first time, you want to put a check cord on him in the blind where he can't leave. And the best thing to do is go by yourself or with one friend. You let the friend shoot. You take care of the dog. You work your dog and teach your dog...
Drew: That's the hardest thing for dog owners to deal with, because they want to shoot just as well as they want to work the dog. You have to commit to one or the other.
Joe: Exactly. And you have to get the dog started off on the right foot.
Drew: It will be a lot more enjoyable down...
Joe: Down the road. You are looking at the big picture.
Steve: Talking about the most important things with training, one of the most important things with training is having some friends that are good shots, because you want to work that dog, you want to focus on that dog, and you also want to have somebody that can kill ducks for them and drop them right where you want them. And so that's a handy thing.
Yeah, with a young dog, you are better off to take somebody else, let them do the shooting, and you work your dog.
Joe: Yeah. And when the duck hits the water, you don't want to send your dog that second. Just let your dog watch it for a five, six second count, then send your dog so your dog learns patience. And just because it's in the water, it doesn't mean he's going to go get it right then.
Drew: You get a good wing flapping or something like that...
Joe: That's right. So it's a training procedure that you don't never stop actually training. But if you do it right in the beginning, you'll enjoy your dog a lot more at the end.
Drew: And that's your Honey Brake gun dog tip of the week.
In hunting, “steady” means that your dog sits patiently when a bird rises or when a gun is shot. The reason your dog needs to do this is so when the bird goes down, he can mark the fall. It also prevents against flushing other birds when your pup is hunting for a missing bird. Remaining steady to shot is an extremely important part of hunting. The most profound reason steadiness is so important when you are hunting, is so that everyone (including your dog) can stay safe. An unsteady, misbehaving dog puts himself in great danger of being injured. The likelihood for danger increases when you go hunting with friends, for example. You set up the duck blind and you and your dog begin the waiting process. In this situation with multiple hunters, multiple guns, and multiple dogs ready to break, there is a lot of chaos going on. Breaking means your dog takes off to find the bird. If your dog breaks before he should, he could very easily get hurt in the process. Not only does training steady to shot help ensure safety, but it also helps to ensure you have the best hopes of catching game and have a good time hunting.
For instance, while in the duck blind, a couple of ducks may have flown in but you want to wait on more before you begin shooting and before your dog begins marking. If your dog isn’t steady, he may break and scare off the ducks that have already flown in. Hunters also need to take into consideration all the regulations and rules that go along with hunting. In some situations you may be set up and ready to go before it is legal shooting time. When this happens, you really need a dog or multiple dogs that can steady, be patient, and be trained to go against their instinct to chase after birds. Though important, it is difficult and against their nature for dogs to be patient and stay steady to shot.
Patience needs to be taught early on in the training process so that later on during more advanced training, your dog can learn to break on command. If your dog breaks before it’s time it makes it much harder for him to mark the fall. This bad habit is also much harder to break once it is formed. In addition, breaking too early only gets progressively worse. So, work early on in your dog’s life to train him to know how to steady. This way you never have to reverse the effects of him getting in the habit of breaking too early. The best way to produce a hunting dog that is content with patiently waiting for his cue is to begin the training process when they are small puppies.
Training steady to shot is needed later on in your dog’s life, when he or she is ready for more advanced training, however, this kind of training really begins earlier with simple steps. The process all starts when you teach your young puppy the “sit” command. When your puppy learns to “sit”, he understands he should sit until he is told otherwise. This basic command is really the beginning of learning steady to shot. You will need patience as an owner while you are training your pup. Once you and he progress through the training process, you can add in other elements. More specifically, when your dog masters the sit command he can be introduced to the retrieving world. Introducing your dog to bumpers from a sitting position is very effective. Give him time to get used to the idea of restraining himself from just grabbing the bumper because he wants to. You should be able to incrementally increase the amount of time you make him wait to retrieve the bumper. After he is “steady” when sitting in front of a bumper, you can move on to a more advanced approach. Begin by placing the bumper on one side of you, with your dog on the opposing side. Then, (assuming he is already conditioned to gunfire) shoot your gun. This helps your dog make the association between his urge to retrieve, steadying, and gunfire. Eventually you should even be able to let your pup sit while he watches another dog retrieve a bumper, decoy, or even live bird. This teaches him that he sits until he is told to do otherwise.
Training steady to shot is an ongoing process. Don’t watch your dog cooperate and sit once or twice, and then expect him to be steady to shot a month or two later with no other training. It is a constant process and something you and your four legged friend must continuously work on, be dedicated to, and patient about. In addition, you cannot get swept up in always wanting your dog to retrieve while you’re practicing and expect him not to in the field. When you train him to always break, he learns that’s exactly what he is supposed to do. So, be sure to incorporate steady to shot when you are practicing at home (or where ever you train) and not just solely in the field. When your dog learns he can break, it is a very hard habit to break. For a dog, breaking can be compared to smoking. Ex-smokers will always have the urge to smoke. Once you let a dog break, they will also always have an urge to do so. So, try to avoid letting your dog break without a command. That also stands for when you are training. Be sure to train the way you expect your dog to work in an actual hunting situation.
Aside from making training as realistic as possible (once your dog is ready for the more advanced training that is), a great tip is to bring a friend or fellow trainer along with you while teaching steady to shot. Decide whether you want to focus on your dog or be the one shooting the gun. You can’t do both and give a young dog the attention he needs to become more experienced. Place a check cord on him and then you can commit to working with the dog while someone else shoots. It is a good idea to have the person lending a helping hand be someone who is as fluent with shooting, dog training, and killing game, as you are. If your friend handling the gun is a good shot, then he can kill and drop ducks where you want them for training purposes. You will not always need another hand when you are working with your dogs, but when they are rather young and fairly new to the whole process, you really need to have someone else shooting for you so your attention can truly be focused on working with your dog. Having a buddy to help with training is a great way to start teaching steady to shot, but another way to amp up the training is to teach it in the water. Instead of needing someone else to shoot, you and your pup can wait for the ducks to hit the water. Make your dog remain steady once they touch down. Command him to “steady” for a few seconds and then let him go.
There are many different ways and techniques to train steady to shot. Take your time and work these different situations into your training. Be patient and try to look at the big picture of this training process. Training your pup to be steady never really ends. They will always have a natural instinct to run, chase, and catch when they see a bird, so you will always have to keep working with them. Start early and be consistent with training. If you take the time and make the effort to teach your dog to be steady to shot when he is younger it will pay off in the long run and you will both be able to enjoy hunting together a lot more. |
