Hunting Dog Training ? Some Things to Consider
When people hunt small prey, they usually use hunting dogs to bring their kills. If hunting dogs didn’t exist, hunters would need to go find the prey they hit on their own, losing time. A hunting dog that is trained properly will reduce the amount of useless work that the hunter needs to do.
But, you can’t just train any dog to help with hunting. There are special breeds designed to perform best in the conditions that hunting requires.
But, you can’t find a hunting dog like you would any other normal dog breed. These dogs are well trained to be able to meet the requirements of hunting. The training process for a hunting dog is usually a long one, that needs the trainer to be patient and to know how to work with the dog. As for the dog, he needs to have the right attributes to become a proper hunting dog.
Choosing the right breed
As I said before, you can’t use just any type of dog to train for hunting. You should work with a dog breed that is specially designed for this, and that has a history of serving men in this capacity. You need a dog breed that is made to do this kind of job.
Some of the dog breeds that are well suited to be hunters include pointers, spaniels and retrievers. Each of these three have their own traits that are unique to them. Once you choose such a dog, the trainer needs to make the most out of their unique traits.
One trait that all hunting dogs have is a great sense of smell. This helps them track the prey in the field. Another trait is that they’re adapted to outdoor life and can be easily trained. If you want the best possible hunting dog, choose a breed that meets all the requirements. In most cases, people choose Beagles, Dachshunds, Bloodhounds or Labradors as hunting dogs.
What dog to choose?
If you want to train a dog to hunt, you shouldn’t choose one that is already fully grown. You should go with a puppy, since his behavior isn’t formed yet and he can be trained easily. The second requirement would be for the dog to have some affinity to the handler. You can’t expect for that affinity to form alone. This is why you should train the dog personally, or at least assist the trainer with it.
What does training usually entail?
A hunting dog needs to be able to master these six tasks:
a) Quartering
b) Retrieving
c) Steadying
d) Marking
e) Shaking
f) Following hand signals
What about scent and gun fire?
Some dogs will be scared when they hear gun fire. So they need to be specially trained to get used to it. Usually, this is done by conditioning the dog, by getting him used both with game birds and gun fire.
Game birds will be associated this way with gun fire. When he will hear it in the future, he will know that when the hunter shoots, he needs to look for the bird. After they get the prey, they will expect to hear the gun fire again.
One thing you should do when training the dog, is getting him used to a certain scent, depending on what you want to hunt with him. If you’re looking to hunt boar, than he should know the boar scent, so he can track it.
It’s much harder to do dog training than it is to train them in other areas. But, if you’re a true hunter, you will need a great dog to assist you.
Visit DoggyBehave.Com for more dog obedience training tips and dog training articles. Read also our article on crate training a dog.
Nutrition In Homemade Dog Food: Something To Consider
When someone hears the words “dog food,” they generally think of either dry pellets in a 30 lb bag or brown goo inside of a can. While commercial dog food lines the shelves of major retailers and pet supply stores, many pet owners are switching to a homemade diet for their dogs. Although there are many benefits to feeding your dog a holistic, “raw” food diet, many prepared meals are missing key nutrients and minerals. The addition of a canine nutritional supplement may prove to be a worthy addition to your pet’s diet.
It is easy for a dog owner to forget, neglect or simply ignore a crucial ingredient in the meals they prepare for their pets. This is a problem that may cause your pet to suffer from the effects of a nutritional imbalance, defeating the purpose of a wholesome, holistic diet. In addition, no meal can be guaranteed to have the proper amount of essential vitamins and minerals, as each piece of natural food is different. A canine food supplement would make sure your pet is getting everything he needs, especially when you go through the additional effort to make his meal instead of pouring it from a bag.
“I feed my dog a homemade diet because of the nutritional advantages, so why do I need a dog food supplement too?” This is a common question. Homemade dog food, although a source of many vitamins and minerals, simply cannot satisfy all necessary nutritional requirements found throughout a dog’s life. For example, a growing puppy should have small amounts of DHA and ALA fatty acids for proper retinal and brain development. A dog vitamin supplement containing these properties will ensure the pup is getting the additional resources he needs. Another example is a supplement that contains a blend of pro-biotic bacteria and minerals for dogs going through stressful situations such as pregnancy or breeding. Again, it is difficult to determine the actual nutritional breakdown of a homemade diet, but these small additions can make a world of difference.
Aside from regular canine nutritional supplements, show dog owners may want to improve their dog’s fur with a canine coat supplement or dog skin supplement. Although not vital for the average pet, these supplements may prove to enhance the health and appearance of a dog’s coat. A canine skin supplement will naturally prevent dry skin without the use of any medication and a coat supplement will ensure fur and hair have a proper balance of oils. Although these supplements may apply to specific applications, they still contain other health-enhancing vitamins and minerals that cannot be guaranteed in a homemade diet.
Although homemade dog food is being used more and more each day, it is important for pet owners to understand that these meals may not guarantee their pets are getting every vitamin and mineral they require. Canine food supplements can be added to any meal to ensure dog owners that their pets are getting everything they need. Additionally, animal supplements can be used in special applications such as pregnancy, post-birth, and puppyhood.
Kauffman’s Animal Health, Inc. is a family-oriented business that manufactures, packages, and markets a complete line of canine nutritional supplements, feed premixes, and equine nutritional supplements products. Kauffman’s services the equine, canine, poultry, and livestock (beef cattle, sheep, swine, goat, deer, etc.) industries.
Things to Consider Before You Go for a Dog Training Career
While a lot of people will become dog training careers because it’s something that a lot of people do, there are others who actually do it because they love dogs and feel that this is a career that they want to pursue.
Are you one of those people that go for a dog training career because they heard someone saying that it’s a good career, or are you someone that actually loves dogs and wants to be around them more?
Basic principles to follow
Loving dogs isn’t the only motivation you should have to pursue dog training; you will also need the skills and knowledge to discipline dogs, to handle them and to understand what motivates their behavior. In most cases, people that become dog trainers have previous experience with dogs, and an understanding on how they usually handle pets.
What is your “dog division”?
If you want a career that revolves around dogs, there are two options at your disposal: dog training or pet service training. They’re both highly looked after jobs, but a pet dog training career can bring you more opportunities.
Pet dog training is usually done on pet dogs, just like the name suggests. Its purpose is to help dogs become better companions for humans, both at house and in outdoor activities. Basic training includes agility training, obedience training, potty training and even training to prevent the dog from biting or barking.
If we’re talking about service training, you should know that it’s made specifically to prepare a dog for helping someone that has a disability or is going through some form of therapy. Other service dogs are trained to sniff bombs, drugs or to chase criminals, hunt or rescue people.
This type of training is very intensive, and the trainer needs to be well prepared in teaching the dog how to do his functions.
Canine psychology understanding
What do you want to know about a dog? How they behave, think or how they react to outside stimulus? What training actually does is making a dog modify his behavior, so they respond in certain ways. Associative conditioning is one of the fundamentals of dog training, so you should know this as well.
What about dog training education?
Like any other career, dog training needs you to have some basic skills, in this case in the area of handling and dog training. But, this isn’t a career that you can learn at a university or college, so a degree is out of the question. There are schools however, and some academies, which you can go to in order to learn dog training. In most cases though, dog trainers have a natural inclination for their job.
While some have a natural feeling on how to train dogs, other have been apprentices with great dog trainers. And if you want some extra information, you should contact a dog training organization, which can offer it to you.
Comparison of working attitude with people and dogs
When you train dogs you also have to teach the dog handlers how to use them. Besides training dogs, if you plan to make a career out of it, you will also need to have some people skills, to teach the handlers.
Some dog owners don’t have the patience to wait for their dogs to learn, expecting for it to be a fast and simple process. You need to be able to deal with this type of dog owners, and to let them know how the process works. That’s why you need people skills as well, not just experience with dogs.
Miscellaneous
Besides the normal aspects of training, other things you need to know are nutrition, dog hygiene and grooming.
Other fields of interest include accessories, dog competitions and training ads. You should also learn about the differences between dog breeds, as each one behaves differently.
You can be a great trainer without being a guru. You only need a number of skills that will teach you how to handle dogs.
Visit DoggyBehave.Com for more dog training articles and dog training manuals. Read also our Sit Stay Fetch book review ? dog training book written by professional dog trainer Daniel Stevens.