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Which Gun Dog Command Can You Not Live Without?
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October 14, 2009
Which Gun Dog Command Can You Not Live Without?
By David DiBenedetto
The other day I was talking with a couple of friends about the dog training command we couldn’t live without. All three of my buddies argued you could do nothing if your dog didn’t know SIT. And I agree. You need the dog to SIT for a variety of reasons, including sending it on a blind retrieve. If you can’t get it to SIT then you don’t have much. In fact, you may want to take up competitive bumper pool.
But for me, the most important command isn’t a word at all. It’s a derivation of NO—a guttural noise that can best be described as, “EHH!” (I’ve sometimes heard trainers use AHH!)
This is not the “EHH” the Fonz used to say when he looked in a mirror. (Click here for that classic.) You must say it sharply, quickly, and with authority. It means loosely “Stop what you’re doing instantly, or you’re gonna get a true thrashing.”
When Pritch is not steady before a retrieve…EHH!
When she’s about to jump for the bumper in my hand…EHH!
When she is lunging for a roll on my dinner plate…EHH!
When she decides the couch cover needs a few threads removed...EHH!
The list goes on. And I can’t explain why EHH! works better than NO, but it does. Sometimes, when the sin Pritch is about to commit is mortal, I’ll need to string together a few, rising in volume as they progress…EH! EHH, EHHHH! I realize there are other commands essential to gun-dog training, but on a day-to-day basis I’m darn glad I figured out EHH!
Got a command you can’t live without? Ever user the EHH! or some other derivation? If not, give it a try.
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Comments (19)
Dave -- A lot of times, I growl. Dogs respond well to their own language. A sharp "Aah" carries farther than a growl does, however. My cousin used "Phooey" on his dogs.
That's it, the next one is trained to phooey, though it might take too long to say.
I'd say that NO is more important than SIT in the same way that air is more important to your body than water. You can't go 2 minutes without one, nor two days without the other, but they're both indispensable.
My personal favorite is the SIT/Whistle-Blast. Once you get that combo down, all the other GUNDOG work begins to fall into place much faster.
Phil-- I've heard that about the growl...I know firsthand it works on humans, too...when I leave my smelly fishing clothes on the bedroom floor and my wife growls I know I better pick 'em up quick. -Dave
Come is the most important, if your dog won't stay with you, or come back to you on command, the rest doesn't really matter...and the most important for your dogs safety...
From a pointing dog perspective I have to disagree with the notion that SIT is necessary. Many pointing dog trainers and books recommend that SIT is the last command taught. The idea being that when a dog gets confused they do the easiest thing they know how to do - after all, they want to please. So when you're trying to teach the dog to be steady to wing and/or shot and they get excited and you get frustrated the dog will eventually just sit. If they haven't be taught SIT they'll hopefully WHOA instead - which is what you really want after all...
I agree with dneaster3, NO is most important in my opinion. Although HERE/COME is a very close second.
One more comment about SIT, where I live we have many dog friendly stores. Whenever we go into the hardware store the clerks always like to hand out dog treats but they always ask her to SIT. It is a little embarrassing to admit she doesn't know SIT yet (my brittany is ~17 months so we haven't got to SIT yet, hopefully next spring).
Great stuff especially from skipeterson on a pointing dog trainers perspective and I am a flushing dog enthusiast.Its nice to here input on all styles of training and ideas for all hunting breeds.
i do the same thing but I use "ant ant ant ant"
they know exactly what that means!
Good Stuff!
three cheers for a post that mentions THE FONZ!
I have a Boxer/Foxhound mix, he likes to remain idle (slowly walking around) when close to me, like he's watching the perimeter so to speak. I use the word "Hep", loud, deep, and quick to get his attention and to get him ready for his next task. When heard he know's that it means stop and all eyes on me. This work's great when using more than one dog in the field also. He's not the ideal breed for a gun dog, but he's the best I've ever had. Great swimmer too.
They responed better to eeh because it is sharper and gets there attetion better.
For me, the "come" command. That one has to be ingrained and the response instantaneous. Keeps dogs out of all kinds of trouble, including the "black death" that is road pavement.
Anybody know where a good English Setter pup can be found? Big Daddy Wags is gainfully employed once again so we are looking.
After having Springers all my life, I now have my first Boykin, "Nittany". She is a littermate and sister to David's "Pritch". What a great dog and a real bundle of energy. With all of my Springers I have used the word, HUP! It too is short, different from other words, and gets my pup's immediate attention. Like EHH, it means stop what you are doing and look at me. I'm sure that whatever works for you is OK. Just be consistent in its use and good luck with your training.
Another favorite command that I think is essential, is the word WAIT! It is used when I want my pup to stop and wait for me before proceeding. This is extremely valuable if she is approaching danger. I guess STOP could serve the same purpose, but I use STOP for other occasions, such as discontinue. WAIT is sharp and demands immediate response. Give it a try.
Sit is very easy to teach and mandatory if you want to have a well-behaved dog. But for the most important command, a declare a tie between come and leave it. Even though my dog doesn't know leave it. Very important for safety.
Big Daddy Wags-- Great to hear you're looking for a dog...keep us posted on the search.
BoykinDad--Welcome to Man's Best Friend. Glad to have you. (Feels like you're almost family.) Give Nittany a rub under the chin for us.
Help! I am looking for suggestions. My 10 month Boykin, Nittany, loves to dig holes. I'm not talking about the small kind but rather holes that she can almost crawl into. I believe she came with the "digger gene" as her father also was a "digger". Question for Dave, does Pritchard, Nittany's sister, dig? Does anyone have a suggestion on how to break her of this habit?
BoykinDad-- Pritch doesn't have too much free roaming time in the yard, so we have a good idea of when she's starting to dig--and when she does we put an immediate stop to it. Our yard is too small to be filled with holes. Often she'll do this when she's full of energy and we know it's time to take her for a training session or a LONG walk...others who post here might have some better solutions. But left to her own I think Pritch might try to dog to China if she had the time...Good luck. -D
On my curr's I use the touch command to get their attention, and yes or good, I very rarely ever say no. The word alone is negative enough, I simply ignore the bad behavior. and If they do something that is wrong, i simply say the word touch, they drop everything in their brain to get to my hand regardless of how far they may be from me. Always Positive. Rarely do I even get them to come to me with use of their name
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Dave -- A lot of times, I growl. Dogs respond well to their own language. A sharp "Aah" carries farther than a growl does, however. My cousin used "Phooey" on his dogs.
That's it, the next one is trained to phooey, though it might take too long to say.
I'd say that NO is more important than SIT in the same way that air is more important to your body than water. You can't go 2 minutes without one, nor two days without the other, but they're both indispensable.
My personal favorite is the SIT/Whistle-Blast. Once you get that combo down, all the other GUNDOG work begins to fall into place much faster.
Phil-- I've heard that about the growl...I know firsthand it works on humans, too...when I leave my smelly fishing clothes on the bedroom floor and my wife growls I know I better pick 'em up quick. -Dave
Come is the most important, if your dog won't stay with you, or come back to you on command, the rest doesn't really matter...and the most important for your dogs safety...
From a pointing dog perspective I have to disagree with the notion that SIT is necessary. Many pointing dog trainers and books recommend that SIT is the last command taught. The idea being that when a dog gets confused they do the easiest thing they know how to do - after all, they want to please. So when you're trying to teach the dog to be steady to wing and/or shot and they get excited and you get frustrated the dog will eventually just sit. If they haven't be taught SIT they'll hopefully WHOA instead - which is what you really want after all...
I agree with dneaster3, NO is most important in my opinion. Although HERE/COME is a very close second.
One more comment about SIT, where I live we have many dog friendly stores. Whenever we go into the hardware store the clerks always like to hand out dog treats but they always ask her to SIT. It is a little embarrassing to admit she doesn't know SIT yet (my brittany is ~17 months so we haven't got to SIT yet, hopefully next spring).
three cheers for a post that mentions THE FONZ!
Great stuff especially from skipeterson on a pointing dog trainers perspective and I am a flushing dog enthusiast.Its nice to here input on all styles of training and ideas for all hunting breeds.
i do the same thing but I use "ant ant ant ant"
they know exactly what that means!
Good Stuff!
I have a Boxer/Foxhound mix, he likes to remain idle (slowly walking around) when close to me, like he's watching the perimeter so to speak. I use the word "Hep", loud, deep, and quick to get his attention and to get him ready for his next task. When heard he know's that it means stop and all eyes on me. This work's great when using more than one dog in the field also. He's not the ideal breed for a gun dog, but he's the best I've ever had. Great swimmer too.
They responed better to eeh because it is sharper and gets there attetion better.
For me, the "come" command. That one has to be ingrained and the response instantaneous. Keeps dogs out of all kinds of trouble, including the "black death" that is road pavement.
Anybody know where a good English Setter pup can be found? Big Daddy Wags is gainfully employed once again so we are looking.
After having Springers all my life, I now have my first Boykin, "Nittany". She is a littermate and sister to David's "Pritch". What a great dog and a real bundle of energy. With all of my Springers I have used the word, HUP! It too is short, different from other words, and gets my pup's immediate attention. Like EHH, it means stop what you are doing and look at me. I'm sure that whatever works for you is OK. Just be consistent in its use and good luck with your training.
Another favorite command that I think is essential, is the word WAIT! It is used when I want my pup to stop and wait for me before proceeding. This is extremely valuable if she is approaching danger. I guess STOP could serve the same purpose, but I use STOP for other occasions, such as discontinue. WAIT is sharp and demands immediate response. Give it a try.
Sit is very easy to teach and mandatory if you want to have a well-behaved dog. But for the most important command, a declare a tie between come and leave it. Even though my dog doesn't know leave it. Very important for safety.
Big Daddy Wags-- Great to hear you're looking for a dog...keep us posted on the search.
BoykinDad--Welcome to Man's Best Friend. Glad to have you. (Feels like you're almost family.) Give Nittany a rub under the chin for us.
Help! I am looking for suggestions. My 10 month Boykin, Nittany, loves to dig holes. I'm not talking about the small kind but rather holes that she can almost crawl into. I believe she came with the "digger gene" as her father also was a "digger". Question for Dave, does Pritchard, Nittany's sister, dig? Does anyone have a suggestion on how to break her of this habit?
BoykinDad-- Pritch doesn't have too much free roaming time in the yard, so we have a good idea of when she's starting to dig--and when she does we put an immediate stop to it. Our yard is too small to be filled with holes. Often she'll do this when she's full of energy and we know it's time to take her for a training session or a LONG walk...others who post here might have some better solutions. But left to her own I think Pritch might try to dog to China if she had the time...Good luck. -D
On my curr's I use the touch command to get their attention, and yes or good, I very rarely ever say no. The word alone is negative enough, I simply ignore the bad behavior. and If they do something that is wrong, i simply say the word touch, they drop everything in their brain to get to my hand regardless of how far they may be from me. Always Positive. Rarely do I even get them to come to me with use of their name
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