Bert J. Carlson

RETRIEVERS This tip is from Bert J. Carlson of Carlson Country Club Kennels, 2412 Neal Rd. S.E., Fall City, WA 98024, (425) 222-5151 or (425) 392-3661, website www.carlsoncaninecountryclub.com, email bertil.carlson@comcast.net. Bert has been training retrievers professionally for 47 years. He trains them for both field trials and hunting. In the past he has also trained pointing dogs, police dogs, guard dogs, obedience trial dogs, drug dogs and herding dogs. He has participated in retriever field trials for many years. He breeds Labradors.

THE MOST IMPORTANT CONTROL COMMAND


For Retrievers: The Sit-Whistle
My 47 years as a pro," Bert said, "have convinced me that at least 90 percent of a good hunting or trial dog is obedience. Although all obedience is important, stopping immediately for the Sit-whistle is most critical."

Bert pointed out that, no matter how good your dog's nose is or how adept he may be at finding birds, if he's out of control and often out of range, he's worse than useless. Then, too, if your dog is about to enter a busy street, a highway, or any number of other dangerous situations, if you can stop him immediately with the Sit-whistle, you can prevent him from being injured or even killed. If he stops immediately, you can then use other commands to control him and avoid dangerous situations.

Bert recommends starting obedience training when your puppy is only two or three months old. He stresses that you, the trainer, must assume the role of the pack leader, but you should keep the early sessions short and enjoyable, always ending on a positive note.

After the youngster has learned the basics of obedience (Heel, Sit, Stay and Come), you can begin teaching him to sit at a distance on the Sit-whistle (a single, sharp blast). For this, Bert attaches a long check cord to the pup's collar and loops it around a tree. He leaves the pup in a Sit-Stay near the tree and backs away about 20 feet.

He commands Come and lets the check cord slip through his hand as the pup approaches him. When he gets within about 10 feet, Bert blows the Sit-whistle and snubs the dog down with the check cord. He commands Stay and goes to pet and praise the dog, all the while holding him in position with the rope. He repeats this several times per session, using a different tree for each session.

"Within a week or so," Bert said, "He'll get the idea well enough that you can drop the check cord and let him drag it. But, for a while at least, continue using it so you can keep him from getting sloppy and slow in his responses. Make him sit right now every time. Very important."

With that much done, Bert goes to longer distances and more distractions, always insisting on immediate obedience. Then, after collar-conditioning the pup, he begins reinforcing the Sit-whistle with the e-collar, which gradually takes the place of the check cord.

"Properly used, the e-collar is a great tool," Bert said. "But remember, you don't train with it. You use it only to reinforce commands the dog already knows. You should use the lowest stimulation level the dog notices. After correcting the dog with the e-collar, put him back where he should have stopped before proceeding. Whenever he stops immediately, praise him lavishly."

When Bert has trained the youngster thoroughly in an immediate response to the Sit-whistle, he begins to introduce various distractions, always insisting (with the e-collar) on immediate obedience. Eventually he toots the Sit-whistle while two dogs are playing together and insists that each dog immediately stop and sit facing him.

"This is a slow, gradual process," Bert said. "You can't get to the top rung of the ladder of success without taking all of the individual steps. Take one small step at a time, so you can keep building on success."