| Training…Where
To Begin???
Owning a dog is a pleasure but also a lot of responsibility.
The dog depends upon the owner to provide food, shelter and companionship.
Safety and medical care are also responsibilities of the dog owner.
Another component of this unique relationship is training. Often
times, when this need is not met, the owner is unhappy, the dog
is left at a shelter or is free to wander the streets.
Waterloo Amateur Retriever
Club is comprised of many members with varied
experience. The club has property for training and there are days
specified for group or individual training. In addition, WARC
has a library of tapes and books that are great references for
training issues. Members of WARC become training partners and
are supportive of each other. It is our goal to be successful
and to help each other to achieve those ends.
At least once a year, a training seminar is offered at a reasonable
rate. In addition, other seminars or training opportunities are
communicated to the members whenever possible.
Basics
Whether your new buddy is going to be the resident couch potato
or your hunting buddy, basic obedience training is the same. Only
after the basic commands are mastered, can your dog advance to
training which is specific to other needs. Basic commands include
heel, sit, down, stay and come (or here). You cannot
control a dog in the field if you cannot control it at your side.
Field
Work (also known as Fun)
Field training whether for hunting or competitions, requires
more specific skills. It also requires countless hours to attain
a high standard of performance not only for the dog but also for
the handler. The two are a team and in the more advanced situations,
each is no more than 50% of that team. Respect for
the animal is paramount to be successful.
The
following outline of field training is borrowed from several sources
and is only meant to be a skeleton reference point. (Additional
information is available both on the Internet and in the WARC
library).
· Additional obedience including bending, whistle
sit and remote sit
· Hold, Force Fetch, Drop (or Give), Collar Conditioning
· Single and multiple marks
· Casting - Three handed, Single T, Double T
· Swim-By
· Lining Drills
· Blinds – bird boy, walk out, pattern, taught, cold |
