Ever have one of those days? One of those days when you get the boss to let you knock off a little early. You rush home, grab the pooch, throw her in the truck and make a beeline for your favorite training spot. So what if you hit a little traffic. You’re out of work, it’s a beautiful afternoon, and you have a pup in the back of the Jeep.
As I navigate the many pitfalls that come with training a gun dog I often wonder what’s the biggest mistake an amateur can make. Here’s an example of one of my errors that I feared would cost me big time.
There’s an old saying, “You can’t fall off the floor,” and as far as training Pritch as a retriever goes, I’m lying prone on the floor. At 13 weeks I shouldn’t be expecting too much from her, I know. In fact, all the books (and I’ll have more to say about the books soon) say I should concentrate more on the SIT, STAY, COME commands at this period. But I’m like most over-eager parents, expecting to see my child perform miracles.
I admit I’m a sucker for having a dog in the house. Growing up my dogs lived in a kennel, and I always pined for the day when I could have a pooch in the house. Well, now I do, and I wonder if I’ll ruin Pritch's chances of becoming an excellent hunting dog as she matures. You don’t have to venture far to find an opinion on the subject.