Perfecting the “whoa” command essential

JUST SAY ‘WHOA’

By Scott Haugen

As a kid I grew up watching the cartoons of the late 1960s and ’70s. I loved Bugs Bunny, and a favorite character from those Looney Tunes shows was Yosemite Sam, the ruff, gruff, outdoorsy fellow who was always on a mission. And no matter what animal he was riding – horse, mule, camel, elephant – he could never control them.

Sam would belligerently shout to get the critters moving, but could never stop them on command. “Whoa!” he’d start. Quickly the

Routinely teaching your dog to “whoa” during everyday life will pay off come time for the hunt. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

number of whoas increased, as did their intensity. Eventually, Sam relied on force to get the animal to obey, followed by an uncontrollable shout of, “When I say whoa, I mean whoa!”

AS I WRITE this, we’re in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Like you, I’ve spent a great deal of time with my dogs the past two months – 24 hours a day, to be exact.

While working with Kona, my 4-year-old pudelpointer, a few days ago, I caught myself channeling my inner Yosemite Sam, saying, “When I say whoa, I mean whoa!”

I laughed out loud, then looked around to make sure no one saw me. I turned red, broke out in a sweat and couldn’t believe I had resorted to that childhood expression. It was the biggest slap in the face a dog trainer could receive, and nonetheless it was self-inflicted.

Teaching your dog to “whoa” is one of the most important commands it will ever learn. A firm whoa is a command that allows us to redirect our dog’s attention and results in the dog becoming instantaneously steady. It’s a tool we use to influence, control and protect our dogs.

If you’ve been cooped up with your dog at home, you’ve likely noticed it follows you everywhere. It won’t take its eyes off you. It wants to know what you’re doing, where you’re going and what it can do to please you. It’s almost a nervous nature that consumes the dog, and this is a perfect time to instill the whoa command.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED through living in isolation with my dogs is that every moment is a teachable one. A dog’s learning should not be relegated to a set place at a certain time each day. When it comes to teaching dogs, every moment is valuable, especially when it comes to whoa.

If the dog tries busting through the door when you get home, whoa it, and that will allow you to lead the way. If it jumps into or out of the truck before you command it to, whoa it.

If it jumps on guests or others, noses up to the dinner table, gets too close to food while you’re cooking in the kitchen, chases birds at the window, struggles when putting on its collar or digs into its food bowl sooner than you’d like, whoa it.

If a dog’s not taught what to do, or what not to do, it’ll never learn.

WITH KONA’S RECENT uncharacteristic breaking of whoas while in the field, it didn’t take long to discover what was happening. You see, we’d been living in remote Alaska for around nine months, in the tiny town of Hyder, which has a population of less than 50. We weren’t restricted to being indoors, but this past winter we received over 25 feet of snow, and as a result, it was the least amount of hunting my dogs have experienced in their lives.

As the snow slowly melted and training could resume outdoors, the biggest migration of birds I’ve ever seen started moving through the region. I’m talking thousands of birds. These birds became a distraction during outside training times, so I failed to gain control of Kona when it

The whoa command should stop a dog on the spot and overpower any urge it has to continue creeping forward, no matter how enticing its target. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

started. As a result of my negligence, it took some time and effort to reteach Kona how to whoa when his adrenaline was flowing. Fortunately, the dog quickly caught on.

Teaching your dog to whoa can be done many times a day, in many places. If you’re around traffic, teach your dog to whoa and heel when walking. Never let your dog bust out of the truck the moment you open the door, for they could burst into traffic or jump right into a dogfight if there are other canines around. When going up and down the stairs, don’t let your dog pick up speed and rush ahead of you. Instead, control it with a whoa and you keep the lead.

Anytime your pup gets excited, whoa it. When someone knocks at the door, when you’re vacuuming the floor, when a cat runs by, when squirrels and birds are on the bird feeder; these are all opportune times to use the whoa command.

TEACHING YOUR DOG to whoa does not have to be limited to formal training sessions either; many times a day it can be achieved spontaneously. The key to

Safety is a primary reason to teach your dog to whoa. When around traffic, other dogs or in snake country, you want your dog to immediately freeze when it hears you give the whoa command. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

successfully teaching your dog to whoa is you getting the results you want.

Is a two-step whoa OK with you? Is a creeping whoa acceptable?

Ideally, for me the whoa command should result in an instantaneous stop on the spot. No creeping, no false steps, no putting the ears down and trying to get away with something they know they shouldn’t. I want my dogs to stop on a dime – period – no matter what they’re doing.

Teaching your dog to whoa will pay big dividends when on the hunt. It’ll keep it from chasing big game or getting tangled with skunks, porcupines or snakes, and it will result in a well-behaved dog, wherever you go. When it comes to teaching your dog to whoa, consistency is key, and the time to start is now. CS

Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

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