A Great Start

by Jim DeVoll

If you really want your puppy to get the proper start in retrieving and bird handling, you must establish a solid foundation. To do this he must learn how to handle tender game birds properly. If you just go right into the retrieving of dog training dummies, on to dead birds, then live game your pup will more than likely pick up some very bad habits. The only way to insure a good delivery and proper handling of game is to teach him right from wrong very early on. Table training is so simple and helpful, yet many well-meaning trainers skip right over this step in their training program.

Once you teach your pup how to hold properly, it will carry over to help with a good clean delivery as he gets older. Our goal will be to teach the young dog that the command "hold" means no playing, no chewing, no swinging of the head, just a firm yet gentle holding of the object no mater what it is.

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I would suggest teaching hold before ever introducing your pup to birds of any kind. It's a must to have retrieving down pat with a dummy and your pup should be enjoying this game very much. You have to be careful that the table training does not turn the pup off to retrieving.

We begin with the five or six -month-old up on a training table, which is about 32 inches tall. This puts you and the puppy about eye to eye. You can accomplish much more, and have complete control. The control comes through the use of a light cable stretched the length of the table about head high for the dog. With a collar on the pup and snapped to the cable the puppy is secure.

You must first familiarize the youngster with the table - you don't want to begin anything until your pup is completely comfortable on the table with you. Place him on the table, sit down right next to him, he will of course want to climb on your lap and that's ok. Stroke and play with the pup, get up, moving to the other end of the 16 ft. table (one 4x8 sheet of plywood cut in half will give you a 2 ft. x 16 ft. surface.) Praise the pup as he follows you down the table. You must be sure the pup can move freely along the cable. The snap must swivel, and move as the pup begins to walk along the tabletop.

It may take a few days of playing with him, (keep in mind he's up off the ground on this new surface) make it a fun romp every day, better yet a couple times a day would work. In a short while he will be looking forward to the playtime on the training table.

When you are both confident and ready to move on you can begin teaching the hold command. We begin by placing a leather glove (optional) on one hand. I use the right hand. With little effort you can place two fingers in the pup’s mouth behind the canine teeth, your thumb below the jaw will help you hold the fingers in place. The easiest way to get his mouth open is to take your index finger and force it in the side of his mouth. The pup will try chewing, he'll try spitting your fingers out, and he'll raise a fuss trying to get the foreign object from his mouth, don't let him.

At this point we do not give any command. Just calmly hold firm, keeping two fingers behind the canine teeth until the moment your pup stops chewing. At that moment say "give", and let the little guy pull his head away from your hand. You want the pup to learn that only when it stops chewing will you take your hand from his mouth. Much later on your pup will begin to hold and not want to let go of your fingers, just wiggle your index finger on his tongue when saying give.

Place your two fingers back in his mouth, give him a chance to show his dislike, once he stops and is still for a very short time give the command "give" and again allow him to open his mouth and back away from your hand.

All of this sounds more difficult than it is, if handled properly the young dogs soon look forward to holding the fingers, and you can feel if they have a warm firm grip or are holding with a sloppy attitude, or even holding too firmly.

Now if your pup happens to be too reluctant for all of this, and he wishes to move about too much you may need to place his head into a collar which is secured to the end of the table. Let him get used to this new type of situation. You cannot proceed until he accepts the fact he is secured and not going any place. As he settles down and figures out he's been had; you can proceed as before by placing your two fingers into his mouth. Many pups will not need this extra restraint.

Once the pup has learned that holding calmly will make you take your hand out of its mouth; you can begin having him hold for longer periods. To press on teaching the hold command, continue to leave your fingers in his mouth even after he has stopped chewing. When he starts chewing again, quickly grab the scruff of his neck (the loose skin on the back of his neck) give it a shake with your free hand. This usually will startle the puppy causing him to settle down and stop chewing. This is the same type of scolding he would receive from his mother, a shaking by the scruff of the neck.

Continue to repeat this lesson until the pup gives in and will hold your fingers properly for longer periods without resisting. Now begin using the "Hold" command just as you put your hand into its mouth. Gentle repetition will soon have the pup holding your hand calmly, just as you want him to hold game later on, and he'll give on command, you can now advance to a dumbbell, small buck, or retrieving dummy.

If you don't have a very small buck or dumbbell, you can use a short wooden dowel. The idea is that the unit be compact and easy to place behind the pup’s canine teeth. A small dumbbell works best as it will not fall out the side of a dog's mouth, and it hangs up behind the pup's lower canine teeth. Place one finger in the corner of the dog's mouth to open it and place the dumbbell behind the canine teeth. You must now be prepared for when he wants to spit it out. Take hold of the pup's earflap, and hold it loosely between your thumb and finger.

When the pup drops the dumbbell, and it will, at once begin rubbing your thumbnail and your fingernail back and forth on his earflap causing a mild discomfort. Keep this mild pressure on the ear as you pick up the dropped dumbbell and place it back into the pup's mouth. Stop the discomfort once the object is back in his mouth. Once he has held it for a moment, gently praise him and command "Give". You now have a good start.

A word of caution, use as little pressure as possible, but you must cause some discomfort, giving the pup a choice. Hold properly, and all is fine, or spit it out and have discomfort until the object is back in his mouth, and holding properly.

This is the method of table training that Jim Dobbs demonstrates in his seminars, and is outlined in more detail in his book Retriever Training. This gentle method works better for our spaniels than anything I have used in the past.

You must remain calm, and never lose your temper. Some youngsters are very difficult at first; others are so smart they move through this with ease.

Jim began training professionally in 1986, before winning the National Championship with "Patches". He has judged five National Championships, and has been an official gunner at the Nationals on a regular basis since 1967. Together, with his wife, Luanne, they are actively breeding, training, and campaigning English springer spaniels at Midlands Kennels on the Dogtired Ranch north of Tekamah, Nebraska.