Bird dog training is a type of dog behavior formation that seeks your role as your pet’s alpha leader as its top requirement. Since your pet is required to carry out multiple tasks in its bird hunting job, you must train a dog that obeys you and one that regards you as its real leader of the pack Dog behavior training Houston. If this is not the case, think again, as your time and effort might just be wasted in training that is not interested in the first place.

Show Your Dog Who’s the Boss

There are many things to put into consideration in demonstrating your leadership to your dog. But the most noticeable attribute that a dog can notice in you being a leader is to practically be at the lead and to be the first on any activity that involves you and your dog. When walking with your dog, do not allow it to walk ahead or you; you should be at the lead and let it follow you. It should look at you as its leader, that you’re the one in charge. When you see your dog running out of the house ahead of you as it sees that you are on your way to a possible walk in the field also needs to be rectified, as they are not really allowed to go first. The bottom line for all these is to never allow your dog to think that it’s the one in control by being first.

Even when eating, there are certain rules that should be followed in order preserve your alpha leadership. When you feed your dog before you take your own meal, it will take that as a gesture of your submission. You should not let it happen. You should eat first and let it see you eat and when you’re done, you can give it its food. This is another way of demonstrating to your pet that you’re the one in charge. It might not sound reasonable in human terms, but that’s just how nature works; and that’s what your dog knows.

When on a walk, do not allow your dog to walk in front of you or to block your way. If it happens to block your way, do not walk around it, you should make it move aside to make way for you. It should always stay behind. Its rank in the pack should be clearly established and it should know that you are its leader so that you can impose your dominance when you want it to do something during an actual hunting exercise.

When your dog tries to catch your attention or tries to persuade you to play a game, you should not get tempted. You should always bear in mind that you are the on in charge and everything should start from you, including the decision when and when to play games. Playing with your bird dog on a regular basis is a good way to blend its hunting tasks with a game, but the initiative should come from you because you are the leader.

Allowing your dog to sleep on your bed is a big no-no in bird dog training. This will only make it think that it has authority. Some trainers point out that dogs groomed to be hunters should first be crate-trained so that they will learn to find their own safe place.

Playing is a part of your relationship with your dog. But while you’re at it, it is your duty to maintain your status as its leader. Even during play you should not create a situation that will make your dog think that it is your equal. Another that you should not allow to happen is to allow your dog to get on top of you. Even if it’s just a game, the gesture still makes your dog think that you are doing an act of submission. You should not allow it if you want to make your dog an effective bird hunter.

Call the Dog by Its Name

One of the most important requirements of dog-raising is letting your pet know its name. This is to make sure that your dog knows that you are talking to it. You can check if your dog knows its name by calling it. It should bring its attention to you as you call its name. If it doesn’t move as you call it, you need to let it know its name by calling it while holding a treat on an outstretched arm. If its eye is on the treat and not on you, call it again and again until it looks at you, and when this happens, reward it with the treat. With constant practice, your dog will know its name and in time, you will no longer need a treat for its attention.

The Sound of Gunfire

As a hunting dog, your pet should be comfortable with the sound of gunfire. But since most dogs are afraid of loud blasts, you need to train them. Making them hear loud sounds while they are engaged in pleasant activities such as eating or playing will make your pet adopt more quickly to these. You can start with low, abrupt sounds and gradually increase the intensity as your dog gets used to the lower ones. If your dog becomes comfortable with these, try banging two pans against each other to increase its tolerance. When your dog comes to a point of not minding all these sounds anymore, you can introduce gunfire at a distance, gradually reducing the distance until you can actually fire your gun even if your pet is nearby. Avoid introducing your dog to fear of sounds by using loud sounds to punish it whenever it does something wrong; any form of punishment is a counterproductive process in any dog training subject.

The Element of Trust

Another important element that should be present in bird dog training is your pet’s trust in you. Exposing your dog to fright during training will develop its suspicion and mistrust in you. You should spend bonding time with it so that it will develop rust in you. Make it confident by interacting with other dogs and other people. Take it to dog parks once in a while a and let it go free from the leash when it’s safe to do so.