HUNTING Building a well-trained, healthy gun dog begins the moment you bring it home and a great place to start is avoiding common mistakes. Here, author Scott Haugen and his pudelpointer Echo are elated with an afternoon limit of ducks, valley quail and ringneck pheasants, an outing in which Echo performed flawlessly. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
BAD MASTER! 15 DOG DON’TS By Scott Haugen
1) TUG O’ WAR Puppies play tug of war
2) BUMPERS AS TOYS Bumpers are used
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to establish dominance within the litter and they’ll want to do the same with you. Don’t do it, ever! That’s because the last thing you want is a mature dog trying to prove who’s boss. It may seem fine at home, but in the field it can be a catastrophe. You’re the boss and always will be, so avoid even putting yourself in a position to have to compromise your leadership role.
for training. Toys are used for play. Don’t mix them up, as this sends mixed messages to a dog. As your pup matures it will distinguish the difference between the two, but to achieve this only use toys during play time and only do formal training with bumpers. You’ll see the difference in your dog’s demeanor the moment you grab one or the other.
’ve been around a lot of pups and first-time dog owners throughout the pandemic, an event that’s seen more people investing in hunting dogs than ever before. With many new owners comes a learning curve, and based on what I’ve acquired over my years of working with dogs and observing others, here are 15 mistakes to avoid.
calsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2021 California Sportsman
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