“Perhaps the fundamental descriptive behavior that distinguishes a bird dog is his ability to slam on the brakes, ceasing all motion when the scent of a bird is encountered. This ability to stop midstream is the defining trait of a bird dog—a trait we have bred and selected for hundreds if not thousands of years. Rarely, though, does a dog have a perfect point and the ability to apply it right out of the gates. A good point is a behavior we shape...”

The above passage served as the introduction to “whoa training” presented in the book Training Bird Dogs with Ronnie Smith Kennels that we wrote a few years back. The statement holds just as true today as it did when we wrote it, with the possible exception that our conviction in the importance of shaping behavior prior to ever saying the magic word “whoa” has only increased.

In the next installments of this column, we will outline our process of teaching a bird dog to “whoa.” Though our process revolves around the use of a“whoa post,” there are numerous subtle steps that should be taken into account as we introduce the post and as we transition off of it. The Smith Method of Training centers on the premise of teaching a basic concept and then building on that concept in an array of environments and situations. Adding complexity or distractions replicates real world challenges and scenarios. We start simple and build upon basics to achieve finesse.

We, therefore, want to break down this learning and teaching process into easy steps, as neither dog nor trainer can shortcut the process or skip steps. If at any point a dog “fails” or struggles to understand a lesson, simply slow down, and move back a step to reinforce the behavior that was learned before.

Teaching a dog to “whoa” does not automatically mean you have shaped a mindset that can consistently and successfully execute the behavior. As you are whoa training your dog, keep in mind that standing still is a skill and a mindset to be nurtured and developed, while“whoa” is the cue or command used to get the dog to stop. A dog that is not able to stand still in a composed/relaxed manner will continuously fail at being told to “whoa,” particularly when there is exciting activity going on around him, as there likely will be in the bird field.

The first step in any training scenario is to introduce the concept and then to teach the behavior. For example, the first step in teaching a dog to lead is to get them acclimated to having a collar on their neck. The second step is to teach them to yield to a cue (pressure applied on the neck by the lead). Releasing pressure on the lead is how you convey to the dog that they have responded appropriately. A dog must be comfortable with the new training scenario before he can begin the learning process. The same concepts apply on whoa training.

Help Your Dog Develop a Composed Mindset

If a dog is not composed enough to simply stand still, the inability will be a constant point of failure during training, and frequent corrections will be required to mitigate the infractions. Having to use an excessive number of corrections in training adds stress and psychological pressure that could be avoided by beginning to shape the desired behavior during daily interactions.

An opportunity for shaping the ability to “stand still” presents itself each time you approach a dog (at a tie-out, kennel, house door, crate, or any time a dog is feeling excitement or anticipation). Use these opportunities to introduce the concept, noting that your demeanor has a direct impact on our dog's behavior and mind. If you approach a dog with excessive stimuli (talking to them excitedly or with fast, excited movements), you can shape an excitable dog that cannot stand still. The trainer's energy and demeanor during an interaction has a strong influence in shaping a dog's behavior. A good way to shape calm, receptive behavior when you approach a dog is to be calm and consistent, requiring the dog to stand still prior to giving it attention.

When a dog bounces around in excitement, we stop, diffuse the excitement, and wait for the dog to settle down. Once they settle, we can move forward again to touch or speak to them calmly. Repeating this basic process teaches the dog that settling down and standing still achieves the interaction that he desires. This sets the tone for a dog to think casually, rather than simply reacting to stimuli around them.

Dogs are generally predictable in how they react to moments of anticipation. Be aware of how your dog reacts in anticipatory moments: if your dog gets down on its elbows or gets “a case of happy feet” (dancing around) in anticipation, or in general, if their default behavior to your approach is a behavior you do not want to see in the field, you should start reshaping this behavior in a controlled environment. If your pointing dog sits in moments of excitement (often as a tool to self-compose), the behavior should be reshaped, so that habit does not appear at undesirable times in the bird field. The goal of this early work is to have pointing dogs stand still in moments of daily excitement, as birds will eventually be the stimulus for highest excitement (and in their presence a pointing dog has to be able to stand still if they are going to be steady).

Teach Your Dog to Accept Cues and Stand Still

Human handlers have the advantage of outweighing our dogs, and we tend to physically hold a dog on a tight lead. This physically restrains a dog, but it does not train him to make the decision to stand still on his own. As a general statement, if a lead is tight, a dog will pull against it. If we allow the pulling to continue, it desensitizes the dog to pressure on the neck and promotes a reactive and “roading” state of mind in the dog. This constant pulling can even cause long-term damage to the dog's throat. We recommend training the mind, developing a dog that stands still on a loose lead because he chooses to. This process helps a dog develop some impulse control.

Ask your dog to stand still beside you anytime he is on a lead, and you are standing still. If your dog moves from your side or pulls, cue him to come back to stand by your side, promptly releasing the cue when he stands still in the desired area (beside you). Doing so begins the process of asking the dog to think rather than simply reacting to stimuli and exhibiting a lack of impulse control.

We use our Wonder lead to teach these initial cues because it is designed specifically to have a distinctive release action, clearly conveying to the dog when they have responded appropriately. A mechanical cue is physical pressure used to initiate a behavior response from a dog. The dogs learn from the release of that pressure on the lead. The release is how you mark or “cement” the desired behavior.

Once you have shaped a dog's mindset to be composed enough to stand still successfully, you can then move on to developing a point of contact to stop. In our upcoming training articles, we will discuss starting the mechanical cue of a rope on the whoa post and practicing to the point of developing a conditioned response. The whoa post will introduce the concept of a cue on the flank that means stop, setting the dog up for success in a controlled environment. Once that learned behavior in response to a mechanical cue is practiced and perfected, we will transition to the remote cue of the e-collar, also on the flank. From there, we again practice, practice, practice the behavior of stopping and standing still on a cue before we move on to steadying a dog on birds.

By laying the groundwork first and practicing the basic elements of the desired behavior (stand still), we can better ensure our dog's success, and we can minimize any potential miscommunication or confusion. Think of this process like teaching a child to read...you first teach the letters of the alphabet, then the sounds those letters make, then the combination of letters that make up a word, and then the meaning of that word. Each step of the process is vital and should not be overlooked.