OUR TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
We believe a dog's training should work in concert with his nature, rather than against it. Specifically, retrieval training should nurture a retriever's natural instinct to retrieve. When training a dog to hunt, his innate tendencies to hunt should not be squelched. As odd as it may sound to some dog buyers, mainstream gun dog training methods run contrary to these two concepts. Our training techniques run contrary to the mainstream because they do not attempt to 'break' a dog's natural tendencies, but rather encourage and increase them.
We train retrievers. We train them to hunt, not run trials. And we train them for the average hunter who is usually a family man and not necessarily a highly experienced dog handler. It is upon these basic premises that our training philosophy is founded.
Training Retrievers: Sporting dogs that fall into the category of "retriever." when properly bred, possess a strong, innate drive to retrieve. Even as tiny puppies, if you drag or drop something in their presence, they will instinctively run to it and pick it up. To complete the retrieve, then, all one need do is condition the dog to return to the handler, once an object is retrieved. We believe, therefore, that there is no compelling reason to "force" a retriever to do what comes naturally to him.... ie. RETRIEVE. He is hard wired to do so before birth.
Training to Hunt: Dogs are natural hunters. From the very first canine that stalked and pounced upon it's prey, to every four-pawed animal that falls under the biological family of Canidae today, dogs are born to hunt. A dog's natural repertoire of hunting skills will include: marking, stalking, pawing, pouncing, scenting and an innate sense of where to seek out injured prey in hiding. Add to this list of skills, the Labrador Retriever's penchant for jumping into freezing cold water to fetch his prize and deliver it to the alpha. Given this list of skills, then, there is clearly no particular claim to fame, in getting one's dog to hunt.
Nurturing the Hunting Retriever: Since a Labrador Retriever will naturally hunt and retrieve, all we need do is nurture that innate drive and put it to work for the hunter. This is the foundation of our training program and what sets it apart from most.
Integrating pack behavior: Dogs are pack animals and as such, instinctively seek to have a pack in order to fulfill their need for safety and food. Once a dog belongs to a pack, his primary concern is knowing his role and fulfilling it, in order to maintain his position in the pack. To a dog, pack position is tantamount to survival. The dog cares little which position he has, just so long as he has one and it is secure. Therefore, we leverage, rather than attempt to compete with, a dog's need for pack.
Owner/Handler as the Alpha Dog: Every pack needs a leader - an alpha dog. This secures the pack's social order and ability to function efficiently, in order to survive. Our training is based on the handler securing the role of the alpha dog. This position is often mistaken as a dominating, even tyrannical control of one dog over many, attained and maintained by brute force, but this is a fallacy. A true pack leader rises to position by being capable, reliable and effective in protecting the pack's survival. Contrary to popular belief the alpha does not bully pack members. He may not always eat first, but may instead first see to the needs of the pack's young and mothers in order to assure survival of the next generation. "Dirty work" is often carried out by a beta team, in support of the alpha. And members of the pack who attempt to usurp the alpha or the established order are quickly corrected and if necessary, ejected from the group. Therefore, it's a dog's nature to want to understand and fulfill his role in order to maintain his place in the pack - and that is all. A good alpha, on the other hand, is responsible for establishing rules, protocol and procedures for the benefit of all, and enforcing them. This requires that the alpha be insistent, consistent and persistent in his leadership.
Speaking a Dog's Language: In order for members of a pack to know their role, expectations must be communicated. Dogs don't speak. Their understanding of the spoken word is weak, at best. But they are masters of reading body language and tone of voice - because this is how dogs communicate. It's no surprise, then, when a dog readily catches on to hand signals... even seemingly minute gestures... this is their first language and their life depends upon it. So, while humans primarily communicate through speech, dogs communicate through gestures. Again, there is no great claim to fame when dog responds to hand signals. A handler using gestures to communicate with his dog is speaking the dog's first language.
Positive reinforcement and Negative Correction: When we are training dogs, we associate all desired responses with body language of some sort and attach to it, a spoken word. The dog will learn the body language (signal) first and subsequently associate the spoken word to the command. He will then learn, by physical manipulation, repetition and positive reinforcement (reward), the desired response to that signal and word. This is how we expand a dog's vocabulary - or list of commands he understands. Once a dog understands what the correct response to a command is, we then reinforce compliance by using negative correction when a dog willfully and knowingly refuses to comply.
Trust-Based Training: By allowing the dog to be in control of when he receives positive reinforcement (he chooses to comply) and when he receives negative correction (he refuses to comply), we increase the dog's sense of security and self confidence. The dog knows he can control his own well being by the choices he makes. This is the essence of trust-based training. A dog learns to trust his handler because by being consistent in his expectations, reward and correction, a handler allows the dog to maintain a status quo of a safe and secure existence. All a dog need do is avoid wrong behavior and he is assured a sense of safety and well being. As a result, unless some deeply compelling reason drives him to do otherwise, a dog will readily comply to commands, simply to maintain the status quo and a sense of security.
Realizing Potential: When all of the above come together in gun dog training, it's easy to see how we can get young pups to hunt successfully. We simply expose a pup to a hunting situation, let his instincts take over, and as he is performing a desired behavior, insert positive reinforcement (praise), body language (signal) and vocabulary (verbal command.) The pup associates these experiences with each other and quickly learns that doing what comes naturally to him pleases the alpha and secures his position in the pack. When this method of training is used, a dog is almost always "on" and eager to do his job - because he's naturally driven to do so and because additionally, he gains approval from the alpha and security in the pack by doing so. This is what comes naturally to a dog, what coincides with his nature in every way and which helps him grow into what he is genetically pre-destined to be. It's why our dogs love to hunt.
Spoiling Your Gun Dog: One of the most common questions we get is "I want my dog to be my buddy and the family pet, but everyone I talk to says it will ruin the dog and he won't hunt. Can I really have the best of both worlds?"
Unless you over-indulge your dog to the point that he no longer has to work to maintain his role in the pack, with trust-based training, the answer to this question is "YES!" In fact, with trust based training, the more a dog is integrated into his pack and the more attached to the alpha he becomes, the better he will work. This is why our training method has been successful over and over again, for over a decade, with hundreds of dogs. Hunting begets acceptance and acceptance begets hunting. It's a positive cycle in which the dog and the handler win.
HOW OUR TRAINING DIFFERS FROM THE MAINSTREAM
Most training kennels subscribe to a system of training that does an excellent job of producing field trial dogs. In order to attain the coveted titles in field trailing, which is a completely different sport than hunting, a dog must ignore his natural hunting instincts in order to perform the required components of the trial. The very skills that make a good field trail dog are in direct opposition to those that make a superb hunting dog and vice versa.
By way of example, natural hunting instincts which would improve a dog's performance in the field, yet cause it to fail in field trial conditions, include:
Natural Hunting/Rooting - the innate tendency to explore nooks, crannies, vegetation and other places where injured game would hide are invaluable in a hunting situation. However, in a field trial situation, this behavior will cause a dog to "come off the line" and thus receive a poor score, if not fail on the spot.
Scenting - a dog's tendency to use his nose to find downed birds. Once again, an invaluable trait in hunting, good scenting instincts will result in distracting a dog and causing it to score poorly in field trial competitions.
Efficiency - in a hunting situation, a dog that can retrieve a great many birds for multiple hunters, is a dog to be prized. A good hunting dog knows how to save his energy reserves to last through high demand hunts. Such skills include maintaining core body temperature, taking efficient routes during a retrieve and traversing the path of least resistance. In field trial events, long, straight lines, excessive time in the water and other behaviors which quickly consume a dog's energy are highly prized. Again, this runs counter to those things which make a great hunting dog.
Working Independently - when a bird is down during a hunt, the handler can't always see it. This is why he has a dog - to scent it out. This requires a good nose, the ability to travel where a handler can't or won't, and a strong desire to stay on the chase. The hallmark of a superb hunting dog is the one that has good instincts, can use his nose efficiently and has the confidence to follow his nose and his instincts to bring back the bird. In field trialing, the situation is man-made and a dog is expected to rely on the handler to 'handle' him the entire way to the bird. This requires that the handler know where the bird is and the dog ignore his natural hunting instincts. Not only would this be impossible in a real hunt, it would be impractical and extremely time consuming. It goes against the very purpose of having a dog. Beyond that, long handling sessions could result in having a dog down range while a flock could be working, causing a hunter to miss a lot of opportunities to shoot birds.
Extremely Long Retrieves - in field trial events, the dog that runs a 400 yard retrieve without coming off the line, is highly prized. Quite frankly, if your shooting skills require a dog that consistently has to run over 150 yards to retrieve a winged bird, you might consider taking up a different sport.
Beyond all of this, field trial training is rooted in fear-based conditioning, which employs tools and tactics designed to break a dog's spirit and natural hunting tendencies. These include:
Negative reinforcement - apply pain to compel the dog to avoid pressure, rather than using negative stimulus to correct intentionally wrong actions. The dog has no control over whether or not it will experience pain, when, how often or how intensely. This not only breaks down the dog's self confidence and spirit, but it undermines a dog's trust in humans.
Force Fetch - using extreme pain, applied to the ear with pliers or the toe with fishing line, to cause the dog to experience such intense fear associated with the command "fetch" that the dog is conditioned to be extremely fearful of repercussions of a wrong response. Thus the term "force" associated with the fetch. This is why you will see a lot of force-fetched dogs cowering and moving with their tail tucked between their legs.
Pinch, Prong & Shock Collars - use of sudden and intense pain to break a dog's spirit and compel it to rely solely on commands from the handler rather than it's natural instincts, in a hunt-like situation. This results in the type of obedience desired in a field trial setting.
Fear-based training does not result in a dog that associates hunting, handling or humans with positive experiences. As a result, a dog's confidence and trust levels are diminished. This is the goal of the training, since the trainer seeks to compel the dog to rely on human direction, rather than it's own natural instincts. This foundation does not lend itself to producing a dog that will integrate well into family life. If a dog successfully overcomes the conditioned distrust enough to bond with a family, the resulting bond will diminish the level of fear which is necessary to intimidate the dog into obeying. This is why dogs trained in this manner exhibit a decrease in performance in the field when they have an increase of bonding with a family.
When it comes to dog training, there is no 'wrong' or 'right' method, only different methods, and which is best suited for a dog's intended career. A dog buyer needs to think about the relationship he intends to have with his dog and how he plans to train and manage the dog in the future. This should be the driving consideration behind what type of training foundation he will choose for his own dog. If you feel our
training methods are in line with your handling philosophies and hunting needs, give us a call! We're always happy to talk duck dogs!
We believe a dog's training should work in concert with his nature, rather than against it. Specifically, retrieval training should nurture a retriever's natural instinct to retrieve. When training a dog to hunt, his innate tendencies to hunt should not be squelched. As odd as it may sound to some dog buyers, mainstream gun dog training methods run contrary to these two concepts. Our training techniques run contrary to the mainstream because they do not attempt to 'break' a dog's natural tendencies, but rather encourage and increase them.
We train retrievers. We train them to hunt, not run trials. And we train them for the average hunter who is usually a family man and not necessarily a highly experienced dog handler. It is upon these basic premises that our training philosophy is founded.
Training Retrievers: Sporting dogs that fall into the category of "retriever." when properly bred, possess a strong, innate drive to retrieve. Even as tiny puppies, if you drag or drop something in their presence, they will instinctively run to it and pick it up. To complete the retrieve, then, all one need do is condition the dog to return to the handler, once an object is retrieved. We believe, therefore, that there is no compelling reason to "force" a retriever to do what comes naturally to him.... ie. RETRIEVE. He is hard wired to do so before birth.
Training to Hunt: Dogs are natural hunters. From the very first canine that stalked and pounced upon it's prey, to every four-pawed animal that falls under the biological family of Canidae today, dogs are born to hunt. A dog's natural repertoire of hunting skills will include: marking, stalking, pawing, pouncing, scenting and an innate sense of where to seek out injured prey in hiding. Add to this list of skills, the Labrador Retriever's penchant for jumping into freezing cold water to fetch his prize and deliver it to the alpha. Given this list of skills, then, there is clearly no particular claim to fame, in getting one's dog to hunt.
Nurturing the Hunting Retriever: Since a Labrador Retriever will naturally hunt and retrieve, all we need do is nurture that innate drive and put it to work for the hunter. This is the foundation of our training program and what sets it apart from most.
Integrating pack behavior: Dogs are pack animals and as such, instinctively seek to have a pack in order to fulfill their need for safety and food. Once a dog belongs to a pack, his primary concern is knowing his role and fulfilling it, in order to maintain his position in the pack. To a dog, pack position is tantamount to survival. The dog cares little which position he has, just so long as he has one and it is secure. Therefore, we leverage, rather than attempt to compete with, a dog's need for pack.
Owner/Handler as the Alpha Dog: Every pack needs a leader - an alpha dog. This secures the pack's social order and ability to function efficiently, in order to survive. Our training is based on the handler securing the role of the alpha dog. This position is often mistaken as a dominating, even tyrannical control of one dog over many, attained and maintained by brute force, but this is a fallacy. A true pack leader rises to position by being capable, reliable and effective in protecting the pack's survival. Contrary to popular belief the alpha does not bully pack members. He may not always eat first, but may instead first see to the needs of the pack's young and mothers in order to assure survival of the next generation. "Dirty work" is often carried out by a beta team, in support of the alpha. And members of the pack who attempt to usurp the alpha or the established order are quickly corrected and if necessary, ejected from the group. Therefore, it's a dog's nature to want to understand and fulfill his role in order to maintain his place in the pack - and that is all. A good alpha, on the other hand, is responsible for establishing rules, protocol and procedures for the benefit of all, and enforcing them. This requires that the alpha be insistent, consistent and persistent in his leadership.
Speaking a Dog's Language: In order for members of a pack to know their role, expectations must be communicated. Dogs don't speak. Their understanding of the spoken word is weak, at best. But they are masters of reading body language and tone of voice - because this is how dogs communicate. It's no surprise, then, when a dog readily catches on to hand signals... even seemingly minute gestures... this is their first language and their life depends upon it. So, while humans primarily communicate through speech, dogs communicate through gestures. Again, there is no great claim to fame when dog responds to hand signals. A handler using gestures to communicate with his dog is speaking the dog's first language.
Positive reinforcement and Negative Correction: When we are training dogs, we associate all desired responses with body language of some sort and attach to it, a spoken word. The dog will learn the body language (signal) first and subsequently associate the spoken word to the command. He will then learn, by physical manipulation, repetition and positive reinforcement (reward), the desired response to that signal and word. This is how we expand a dog's vocabulary - or list of commands he understands. Once a dog understands what the correct response to a command is, we then reinforce compliance by using negative correction when a dog willfully and knowingly refuses to comply.
Trust-Based Training: By allowing the dog to be in control of when he receives positive reinforcement (he chooses to comply) and when he receives negative correction (he refuses to comply), we increase the dog's sense of security and self confidence. The dog knows he can control his own well being by the choices he makes. This is the essence of trust-based training. A dog learns to trust his handler because by being consistent in his expectations, reward and correction, a handler allows the dog to maintain a status quo of a safe and secure existence. All a dog need do is avoid wrong behavior and he is assured a sense of safety and well being. As a result, unless some deeply compelling reason drives him to do otherwise, a dog will readily comply to commands, simply to maintain the status quo and a sense of security.
Realizing Potential: When all of the above come together in gun dog training, it's easy to see how we can get young pups to hunt successfully. We simply expose a pup to a hunting situation, let his instincts take over, and as he is performing a desired behavior, insert positive reinforcement (praise), body language (signal) and vocabulary (verbal command.) The pup associates these experiences with each other and quickly learns that doing what comes naturally to him pleases the alpha and secures his position in the pack. When this method of training is used, a dog is almost always "on" and eager to do his job - because he's naturally driven to do so and because additionally, he gains approval from the alpha and security in the pack by doing so. This is what comes naturally to a dog, what coincides with his nature in every way and which helps him grow into what he is genetically pre-destined to be. It's why our dogs love to hunt.
Spoiling Your Gun Dog: One of the most common questions we get is "I want my dog to be my buddy and the family pet, but everyone I talk to says it will ruin the dog and he won't hunt. Can I really have the best of both worlds?"
Unless you over-indulge your dog to the point that he no longer has to work to maintain his role in the pack, with trust-based training, the answer to this question is "YES!" In fact, with trust based training, the more a dog is integrated into his pack and the more attached to the alpha he becomes, the better he will work. This is why our training method has been successful over and over again, for over a decade, with hundreds of dogs. Hunting begets acceptance and acceptance begets hunting. It's a positive cycle in which the dog and the handler win.
HOW OUR TRAINING DIFFERS FROM THE MAINSTREAM
Most training kennels subscribe to a system of training that does an excellent job of producing field trial dogs. In order to attain the coveted titles in field trailing, which is a completely different sport than hunting, a dog must ignore his natural hunting instincts in order to perform the required components of the trial. The very skills that make a good field trail dog are in direct opposition to those that make a superb hunting dog and vice versa.
By way of example, natural hunting instincts which would improve a dog's performance in the field, yet cause it to fail in field trial conditions, include:
Natural Hunting/Rooting - the innate tendency to explore nooks, crannies, vegetation and other places where injured game would hide are invaluable in a hunting situation. However, in a field trial situation, this behavior will cause a dog to "come off the line" and thus receive a poor score, if not fail on the spot.
Scenting - a dog's tendency to use his nose to find downed birds. Once again, an invaluable trait in hunting, good scenting instincts will result in distracting a dog and causing it to score poorly in field trial competitions.
Efficiency - in a hunting situation, a dog that can retrieve a great many birds for multiple hunters, is a dog to be prized. A good hunting dog knows how to save his energy reserves to last through high demand hunts. Such skills include maintaining core body temperature, taking efficient routes during a retrieve and traversing the path of least resistance. In field trial events, long, straight lines, excessive time in the water and other behaviors which quickly consume a dog's energy are highly prized. Again, this runs counter to those things which make a great hunting dog.
Working Independently - when a bird is down during a hunt, the handler can't always see it. This is why he has a dog - to scent it out. This requires a good nose, the ability to travel where a handler can't or won't, and a strong desire to stay on the chase. The hallmark of a superb hunting dog is the one that has good instincts, can use his nose efficiently and has the confidence to follow his nose and his instincts to bring back the bird. In field trialing, the situation is man-made and a dog is expected to rely on the handler to 'handle' him the entire way to the bird. This requires that the handler know where the bird is and the dog ignore his natural hunting instincts. Not only would this be impossible in a real hunt, it would be impractical and extremely time consuming. It goes against the very purpose of having a dog. Beyond that, long handling sessions could result in having a dog down range while a flock could be working, causing a hunter to miss a lot of opportunities to shoot birds.
Extremely Long Retrieves - in field trial events, the dog that runs a 400 yard retrieve without coming off the line, is highly prized. Quite frankly, if your shooting skills require a dog that consistently has to run over 150 yards to retrieve a winged bird, you might consider taking up a different sport.
Beyond all of this, field trial training is rooted in fear-based conditioning, which employs tools and tactics designed to break a dog's spirit and natural hunting tendencies. These include:
Negative reinforcement - apply pain to compel the dog to avoid pressure, rather than using negative stimulus to correct intentionally wrong actions. The dog has no control over whether or not it will experience pain, when, how often or how intensely. This not only breaks down the dog's self confidence and spirit, but it undermines a dog's trust in humans.
Force Fetch - using extreme pain, applied to the ear with pliers or the toe with fishing line, to cause the dog to experience such intense fear associated with the command "fetch" that the dog is conditioned to be extremely fearful of repercussions of a wrong response. Thus the term "force" associated with the fetch. This is why you will see a lot of force-fetched dogs cowering and moving with their tail tucked between their legs.
Pinch, Prong & Shock Collars - use of sudden and intense pain to break a dog's spirit and compel it to rely solely on commands from the handler rather than it's natural instincts, in a hunt-like situation. This results in the type of obedience desired in a field trial setting.
Fear-based training does not result in a dog that associates hunting, handling or humans with positive experiences. As a result, a dog's confidence and trust levels are diminished. This is the goal of the training, since the trainer seeks to compel the dog to rely on human direction, rather than it's own natural instincts. This foundation does not lend itself to producing a dog that will integrate well into family life. If a dog successfully overcomes the conditioned distrust enough to bond with a family, the resulting bond will diminish the level of fear which is necessary to intimidate the dog into obeying. This is why dogs trained in this manner exhibit a decrease in performance in the field when they have an increase of bonding with a family.
When it comes to dog training, there is no 'wrong' or 'right' method, only different methods, and which is best suited for a dog's intended career. A dog buyer needs to think about the relationship he intends to have with his dog and how he plans to train and manage the dog in the future. This should be the driving consideration behind what type of training foundation he will choose for his own dog. If you feel our
training methods are in line with your handling philosophies and hunting needs, give us a call! We're always happy to talk duck dogs!
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IRON SPIKE KENNELS
IRON SPIKE KENNELS