15 don’t do tips for new gun dog owners

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

I’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. 1) TUG O’ WAR Puppies play tug of war 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. 2) BUMPERS AS TOYS Bumpers are used 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.

Body gestures, hand signals and verbal commands are all important when training a pup, but eye contact could be the most critical of all. Don’t wear sunglasses when training or playing with your dog so as to ensure they can see your eyes in order to anticipate your

next move. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

3) FAST EATING One of the worst things you can do is encourage your dog to eat fast. It may seem funny, but it can lead to bloat, indigestion and stomach twist, which is highly fatal in some deep-chested hunting dogs. (See my April column for more.)

If your dog eats fast, use special bowls or add water to the dry kibble to slow its intake.

4) RUNNING OUT THE DOOR Never let

your dog burst in or out a door ahead of you. There’s no telling what they might encounter – from other people to other dogs, snakes, skunks, or the worst, oncoming traffic.

Keep control of your dog at all times, letting them through house and car doors only when you have given the command.

5) CALL THEM TO YOU AND SCOLD Dogs

remember the last command given, so never call them over with the intent to scold them for something they’ve just done. In their mind they did the right thing by coming to you. But scolding them for doing that can do long-term damage and quickly make them lose trust in you.

6) TEASING Never tease a hunting dog, as this will send them mixed messages, resulting in their loss of trust in you, and it will greatly frustrate them.

Gun dogs are highly intelligent and our communications must be consistent and predictable at all times. Playing is different than teasing. Playing is great. Teasing is not.

7) NEGLECT PLAY TIME Dogs love to play. You should spend much more time playing with your dog than training it. This is when strong bonds are formed, communication lines develop, and when they learn to trust, appreciate, even respect you.

A great deal of training is actually achieved through playing; just keep communications fun and consistent.

8) USE LONG SENTENCES Gun dogs are

smart, but not that smart. Speaking to them in lengthy sentences only confuses them.

Keep communication to single words or two- or three-word sentences in order to avoid confusing them and frustrating yourself.

9) CONFINEMENT Gun dogs need space. If you live in an apartment with no big yard to run them, this is not the place to have a hunting dog. Gun dogs are not designed to be confined to small kennels every day either.

The more room they have to run, the more relaxed, happier and healthier they’ll be.

10) WEAR SUNGLASSES Dogs rely on

reading your eyes. A great deal of training is built on body language and eye contact, not verbal cues. Never cover your eyes when training or playing with your dog.

While dog owners often say, “Dogs can read minds,” what that really means is dogs anticipate your next move or what you want them to do, largely based on eye contact.

11) OVERREACT Never overreact to a dog’s lack of performance or disobedience. Save those reactions for when they’re about to run in front of a car, attack a porcupine or wrestle a snake.

Calm communication is often all that’s needed to get a positive response from your dog.

12) ISSUE MULTIPLE COMMANDS Never

layer your commands. Give one command at a time and don’t issue another until the first is achieved. Don’t be the one who hollers, “Whoa, back, sit, come on, get over here, no, go back and get it!” The dog has no clue what you’re trying to convey.

Whoa it first. Then send it back. Then make it sit. It’s simple. Be patient and clear in all communication.

13) TREAT TRAIN Dogs that perform for treats often disconnect from their owner. Such superficial bonds result in a lack of respect and drive by the dog.

A gun dog should always carry out a task to please you, not for a treat.

14) PLAY ON HARD FLOORS Never play

with a dog on wood, tile or linoleum floors. While it may seem funny to watch them spin their wheels, it’s a sure ticket to costly hip, back, leg and foot problems.

15) OVERFEED The worst thing you can do for your dog is allow it to overeat and gain weight. One pound of extra weight can deplete your dog’s life by up to a year.

Keep them lean, healthy and feed them the best quality food you can afford. Avoid cheap foods packed with filler and inflammatory ingredients. Poor quality food is one of the biggest obstacles for dog owners to overcome, so do the research. I’ve done loads of fact-finding in this area over the years and only feed my pudelpointers NutriSource dog food, for a reason.

AVOID DOING THESE 15 things and you’re

on the way to developing a lasting, genuine relationship with your dog. You’re also increasing its level of happiness and extending its life, and that’s the ultimate goal as their time with us is so precious. CS

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