Bird dogs are adventure dogs. They travel, interact with other dogs and hunters, and are often asked to perform in new environments. They frequently encounter the unexpected, especially during hunts. Bird dogs that are not developed in a way that prepares them to be successful in the face of common stresses can be easily overwhelmed. Here at Smith Kennels, it is not uncommon for us to hear stories of how a dog acted completely out of character in some new situation. These are stories of dogs that “booger bark” and run back to their owner when a stranger unexpectedly appears in a hunting field, or dogs that heel their owner for the entirety of an excursion because they are overwhelmed by a strange environment. These stories often include stress indicators: dogs going off their feed, having loose stress stools, and performing so poorly on a hunting trip that their owners wonder why they brought them. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some dogs go completely out of control with excitement when taken out of their routine. So, How can you build their confidence in new enviroments?

The 3 C’s of Dog Training

We have studied dogs, of various breeds and backgrounds, to identify the traits that allow certain dogs to be more resilient to the stresses of new experiences, and to perform more consistently in a wide range of situations. When a dog comes into our kennel, there are three characteristics that we use to forecast both a dog’s likely performance, and their overall ability to cope with normal stressors of life. These core mindsets (the three Cs) are confidence, composure, and compliance. Dogs that exhibit these traits are typically more adept at interpreting new or novel situations accurately, with minimal negative connotations or stress response. These dogs are better able to use their cognitive skills to problem-solve rather than simply reacting without thought. These dogs have faster recoup time when faced with challenges and new environments. They are also more receptive to input from handlers and trainers; a characteristic that, in turn, makes them easier to train. These dogs are able to adapt to new surroundings and situations in a productive, healthy way. In short, they are more resilient when they encounter mental challenges of any sort.

How Minor Stressors Build Resilience

Genetics lay the base framework for much of how a dog thinks and acts. That said, a significant factor in how a dog thinks and acts stems from the human input that the dog receives. We humans impact the development, cognitive responses, and viewpoints of our dogs through our daily interactions, both intentionally and unintentionally. This should come as no surprise as we acknowledge the impact that environmental conditioning, teachers, and social interactions have on our children. In much the same way, a dog relies on its pack to learn much of this developmental behavior and information.
From puppyhood through adulthood, we strive to be intentional and purposeful in how we interact with our dogs. It is vital that we be thoughtful about the experiences we provide for our dogs. Experiences, relationships, and human inputs are responsible for much of the “who” a dog becomes. Therefore, it falls to the humans in their lives to provide positive learning experiences, and exposure opportunities, for each dog. In our current society, we tend to spoil dogs in the home, making it easy to spend minimal time focused on their developmental needs. We often fail to critically assess whether we are regularly doing enough to challenge the dog’s mind and prepare him for the arena in which we hope he will excel.

We can reduce the negative impact of life’s stressors on our dogs by purposefully introducing select stressors throughout their life. By continuing to incrementally introduce new stimuli, new challenges, and new situations to our dogs we are able to build their necessary resilience and confidence. Doing so will prevent us from placing our hunting dogs in distress when traveling, competing, or hunting.

Understanding Types of Stress

Eustress is a positive stress that facilitates a growth mindset. It is the same type of minor stress that usually motivates a student to work harder and get better grades. The result of eustress is a more proficient, resilient individual. This is the type of stress that we want our dogs to experience while going through development and training. We want to create scenarios in which our dogs are compelled to use their cognitive skills to problem solve, and to have confidence while doing so.

Distress lies on the opposite end of the spectrum from eustress. It is an overwhelming stress that is difficult or impossible to overcome. Distress is not a productive stressor in an educational setting or in the workplace. It is particularly unproductive in the development of bird dogs. We never want to see our bird dogs in distress, especially due to training, traveling, hunting, or life circumstances in general. We always guard against placing our dogs in a situation that may cause them overwhelming distress.

Early Stage Puppy Neurological Development

At Smith Kennels, the dog’s developmental journey begins in puppyhood. Even when the puppies are new, before their eyes are open, we begin shaping them. Like many breeders, we incorporate the Super Puppy Program or Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) Program from days 3 to 16. This program has been proven to increase neurological development, boost immunity, and build resilience and coping mechanisms in developing canines. The program accomplishes this end by introducing minor stressors to the puppy. This includes gently holding them in different positions, temporarily introducing cool temperatures, and touching specific parts of their body that are less accustomed to touch. These subtle stressors, introduced in short duration, are ones that do not overly stress the puppies. Rather, they are stressors that puppies can be successful in managing.

Our socialization program continues with consistent introduction of new experiences and stimuli as the puppies grow. When pups are the appropriate age, we take them into the field to broaden their experiences and imprint them in the environment in which they will perform later in life. Each of these new experiences represents a minor stressor.

A dog’s intentional development and exposure to healthy stressors should not come to a stop when the puppy gets picked up from the breeder. Early imprinting does not superimpose over experiences the dog has or does not have later in life. As a young dog grows to adulthood, they require ongoing challenges, stimulating experiences, and problem-solving opportunities in order to maintain a resilient, capable mindset. Much as in a human child’s development, this process of introducing novel stressors should be done in baby steps, ensuring success at every turn.

It’s our recommendation during puppyhood, prior to formal training, to continually challenge dogs with new environments and learning experiences. When a puppy is always kept in a quiet, calm, predictable environment, he does not have an opportunity to maximize his cognitive growth. Whenever possible, take your puppy with you when you leave the house; the goal is to miss no opportunity to develop and exercise the core mindsets we mentioned above. Make sure to be a leader who exhibits the same demeanor that we are asking of our dogs (an excitable, reactive teacher promotes excitable, reactive behavior in the students while a composed, consistent teacher encourages composed, consistent behaviors). Be consistent in what you require of your dog, establish clear behavioral parameters in your routine or “daily asks.” In every situation, expect your dog to be composed during exciting times, and help them remain so. The goal is not to give the dog a quiet, composed environment throughout life, but to create a receptive, composed mindset for the dog in a world that can be chaotic and challenging.

Helping dogs remain resilient throughout life

The majority of a pointing dog’s training and performance in the field revolves around three core behaviors: “come to you,” “go with you,” and “stand still.” In the field, “stand still” is incorporated as a point, an honor, or just standing next to the handler waiting their time to go to the field. The “go with you” concept is applied during heel, as well as hunting in front of the handler. “Come to you” is a good recall, as well as a foundation for the retrieve.

After a dog has gone through formal training and has learned these basics, we recommend practicing those core behaviors frequently and in as many environments as possible, not just in the hunting field. As the dog becomes more proficient in displaying those core behaviors in various environments, the level of distraction or excitement can be increased, thus increasing the challenge for the dog. Focusing on this in even an urban environment can help prepare a dog for hunts in any scenario.

The goal is the ongoing development of a resilient mind that allows a dog to perform at a consistent level in any environment. Resilience is like a muscle. When frequently used it is strong and capable, but when it is not exercised it reverts to its weakest state. Our goal with bird dogs is to maintain a mindset throughout their life that facilitates those core mindsets and fully develops each individual’s ability to perform basic bird dog skills in any environment. In its simplest form, those dogs that are confident, compliant, and composed—and are practiced and proficient with coming to you, going with you, and standing still on cue in any environment—are the dogs that tend to perform best when focused on hunting in the field.