Treats

SMIGGS · Treats

I would like some advice about training and the use of treats.My Brittany is 7 months old and I have had since 3 months.My concern is that I may have spoiled him because during basic training I would treat him for any positives .An example is for instance that he will be off sniffing around in the trees and if I recall him with the whistle he will come like a shot and expect his reward.If there is no reward then he shrugs any sort of praise I offer which is a bit disheartening tbh.I am trying now to lessen the treats in the hope that I can eventually cancel them altogether.If anyone can offer me some advice I will gladly take this onboard.
P.S. I am joining a local gundog club this month which can only help .
Tony

BenB

good question. I guess a lot of people use clickers for the transition. There are some clicker afficienados on here who will be along i am sure.

guy

I think he is still a puppy and you should keep up with the treats - if that is what makes him come in fast and predictable I would not change to another method just yet - but add another method of reward as well.

I would add the physical praise to the treat now - so he gets both not one or the other. Physical praise first then treat. When a bit older you can not give the reward every so often and then move on to only occasionally. Making the occasions unpredictable. Don't forget every so often to give a mega big 'jackpot' reward. It keeps them guessing and working for the reward otherwise as other things become more important a small bit of 'treat' is just not going to do it for the dog.
Just MHO.

For a Brittany the ultimate treat/reward is hunting - so beware when the hormones kick in Smile

johnhod

Only just noticed that you're in Liverpool. Which club are you going to?

Let me know if you fancy meeting up some time for a bit of training, I can bringn my two thugs along.

josie

Hi Tony-

I use treats in training my dogs.

My advice would be that Guy has it pretty much right - praise loads, in a positive tone of voice, and give the treat at the same time.

When you have a reliable recall (ie - he is coming every time, even away from distractions), then SOMETIMES you will just praise and not give a treat.

However, you will ALWAYS need to give a treat sometimes, to keep the behaviour strong. For example, think of a gambler playing a slot machine in a casino. If that slot machine never, ever, gave out a Win, eventually the gambler would stop playing because nothing ever came out of it. You are the slot machine for your dog. If you never, ever reward your dog with what he wants for coming, then eventually he will give up trying and you will lose that lovely recall you have.

So the trick is to randomly reward - sometimes he gets one, sometimes he doesn't. He never knows, so he keeps trying. The times when you don't give a treat, still praise loads, so he knows he did the right thing - he just didn't get a treat that time.

BritAnnie

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Dont really want to start a new thread but I took him out for a walk tonite but went to a new area for a change .He was off leash and just mooching around the trees etc as usual when a rabbit bolted about 5 foot in front of him .He was on it in a flash through the fauna and lo and behold I heard the squeal and out he came with it in his mouth.This has now got me concerned that he will compete with the hawk for any game .
Can i bring him away from chasing /catching or will this now be imprinted.He normally drops on command but was very determined to hold on to his prize.
Tony

guy

I know Rory Major is happy for his dog to see and chase just so it knows what it is all about. But this only once - the dog does not then see game again until he has the 'stop' firmly in place.

If your dog chased then he either did not 'point' or arrived from up wind and bumped the rabbit. It would be worth thinking back through the circumstances prior to the chase, could you have altered the outcome by doing something different? It is best to work young dogs always into the wind, even if it means walking downwind with them on a lead to start with.

Brittanys would seem to mature slower than some other dogs. Those that have done well at Field Trials have been five.

windem bang

I wouldn't read too much into a dog of whatever breed chasing a rabbit. It's what dogs do !

Training a pointing dog not to chase rabbits is pretty simple - you have to take them among rabbits and as Guy said give your dog the wind in its favour. From there you can use your voice, a long lead or a check cord as best suits your dog , to have it hold a point and to prevent a chase.

Remember you will be wanting your dog to actively hunt for and point rabbits eventually - do not be too hard on your dog at the instant of flush.

My first Brittany chased rabbits like there would be no tomorrow when she was a pup, she even caught one or two - and a blue hare !!! She won a couple of trials before she was two and worked for the rest of her life as a rabbit control dog - of sorts ! She pointed them in long grass and I potted them with an air rifle ! Laughing

She also worked with my friends hawks and falcons and was fine with them.

I think you are worrying unneccessarily at present . Give the dog more time but try to avoid the rabbit chases for a while.
In my opinion the dogs that are the most likely to chase rabbits are the dogs that see the fewest of them.

Bill T.

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