Need Some Advice

[huntfishsoccer]

I am training my first dog. He is just about six months old. I've been working him in handling and he has been taking over and back pretty well, but im having trouble getting his attention in the field. I've been trying a whistle but he's still not responding well. I was thinking shock collar but didnt want to have to go to that. Does anyone have any advice?

[bronco1]

I am training my first dog. He is just about six months old. I've been working him in handling and he has been taking over and back pretty well, but im having trouble getting his attention in the field. I've been trying a whistle but he's still not responding well. I was thinking shock collar but didnt want to have to go to that. Does anyone have any advice?

Sorry, I ain't no dog trainer but I here that book "Waterdog is good". crazy_cajun02 trains his dogs, maybe he can help. I am sure he will read this or you can PM him.

[643]

I have trained a few using the book 'Hey Pup Fetch it up' by Bill Tarrant, its about 400+ pgs of good stuff from a puppy to hunting situtations including 'force training'. I would steer away from all Wolters books (waterdogs) and go with Tarrants, you most probally will have to order from Books a Million or the likes of. A close friend is training a 6 month old dog now and still uses the book he recomended to me 10+yrs back along with another. I'll talk to him and see what I can come up with, BTW his dog is 7 months old and is now taking 'blind triples', but works his dog at least once a day along with constant 'inside the house' training. 

[duckbutter]

I've trained a couple over the years and I learned that once a dog stops responding you need to take him back to the beginning of his training and refresh the basics for a week or two.  Only after he is responding and mastering the basic commands do you advace to the next step.  I use an E collar on my lab that I have now and rarely do I turn it on.  She will run triple blinds on land and water but likes to cheat sometimes, great hunting dog though.

[crazy_cajun02]

  DO NOT PUT THAT COLLAR ON A 6 MONTH OLD DOG...........the last thing you want is to train that dog that the collar means obay, and no collar means run ammuck.  I would bring the dog in close and not work hand signals any more than check cord length.  But what beggs the question have you been through force fetch yet.  I assume so if your working hand signals...........I don't ever use a collar unitl i'm confident that the dog responds well in any situation. The collar should be used to sharpen the long distance skill, but only after the commands are well understood.  MY personal opinion.........And what is wrong with walter's books........I personally agree more with his style of training than anyone else i've seen. I've talked to alot of trainers that use his style as well. 

[huntfishsoccer]

I've been working with my dog about everyday since I got him. He does everything great. I've even done triple blinds with one of the birds up to 70 yards away. I got the book waterdog after he was about 4 months old so I never taught him to sit on whistle and thought it was too late. He takes hand signals just fine if I sit him down with birds around him, back up 40 yards then give him hand signals and commands. I'm just having trouble getting his attention when he's 55 yards away.

[crazy_cajun02]

first off it's never to late to teach a dog anything as long you have the patience and the consistency.  I would recommend bringing him in to 35yds and and go back to the basics on the whistle. A check cord will prolly help. Teach him that while intermittently still working within his obediance range on the hand signals.  Also purely my opinion but i would not use the collar until he knows the whistle commands, and not until he is a year old at least. If he is doing what you say at six months he is gonna be a dang good dog. Just keep patient and don't get excited he's doing good and try to over train him. remember he is still a puppy and still may have a couple more rebelious periods to work through.