Train Me a Gun Dog Here Is What to Do: An Instructional Guide on Training a Dog to Hunt

By Thomas P. Dwyer

Tom Dwyer was born and raised in Pittsfield, Mass. He made his home in NH with his wife and three children. Tom owned and operated Millbrook Kennels where he trained and bred dogs. The author of two books; “Pointers-Just a few” and “Breeding- A Pup or Two,” Tom really shows his passion for training and breeding dogs. Tom’s third and final book: “Train Me A Gun Dog-Here Is What To Do,” explains various techniques on how to care for and train your dog to hunt. It is written in simple, but informative terms so that the novice hunter can learn the skills of hunting and the experienced hunter can enhance their skills. Tom was determined to finish this book prior to his passing from cancer in 2014. With the help of his family, the book was finally published in 2018.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532056741

Thomas P. Dwyer

A product of Westfield State University, Tom Dwyer has been successfully breeding and training dogs for nearly three decades. In his first work, “Pointers – Just a few,” he skillfully walks his readers through the process he calls Clean Training – a singularly effective method which he personally developed over several years. In this, his second book, entitled, “Breeding a Pup or Two,” Tom continues to utilize a straight forward anecdotal approach in order to share his extensive breeding experience in an easy reading work that has universal application thorough out the industry.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 Thomas P. Dwyer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-5320-5673-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-5674-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910120

iUniverse rev. date: 03/15/2019

Contents

Preface

Introduction

General Care

Field Training

Dedicated To:

Caring For a Cure

Mark Tully

Preface

I n February of 2014, the author of this book, Thomas P. Dwyer, got the news that he was terminally ill with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. When asked by one of the nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital what he would like to accomplish before his death, he stated he wanted to publish his third and final book. The members of the program, Caring for a Cure, gave Tom a generous donation to help him do just that!

Tom immediately contacted the publishing company and started to edit his final manuscript. He sat diligently editing and sent numerous copies to his brother in law, Mark Tully, for him to proof read. The book was still being edited upon Tom’s death, three weeks later, on February 27, 2014. Tom left a dedication page to Caring for a Cure as well as Mark Tully as a token of his appreciation.

Since then, the manuscript has been read many times over to correct spelling errors and sentence structures by Mark as well as Tom’s oldest daughter, LeAnna and wife, Jane. However, they kept what Tom wrote intact. Yes, you may find that there are some run on sentences or maybe a few parts that may not be as clear as one may like. Some parts may even have some short statements or a bit of humor. But, if you have ever read any of Tom’s other books, you will notice that this is how he wrote. He liked to write like he was talking to a friend. He wrote in simple terms so anyone that read his books would understand his love for dogs, breeding, and hunting.

Introduction

E uropean traditions and American values, have helped us to define the upland hunting dog as an excellent hunter as well as a family companion. His flexible personality enables him to perform the task at hand, while structuring his life around your kids or curling up next to the fireplace. These same characteristics are particularly important in the field where his patience, intelligence, and loyalty make him the perfect hunting companion. Unfortunately, the dog I am describing reigned in the past. Most of today’s dogs do not work and play well with others. Fast living has created a breed of hunters who find it necessary to take short cuts that often torpedo these basic skills. Bird fields have become less structured as more of today’s hunters bring the pressure and stress of the office into the field where they rush to get that first bird. Times have indeed changed, but not for the better.

I was born and raised in the Berkshires where hunting land was sparse and congested. Two dogs crossing paths on a hunting trail was not uncommon. My move to New Hampshire, gave me a different perspective on what was expected of the modern gun dog. I was soon exposed to the multiple dog hunting group where, five or six dogs would usually push the field for two hunters. If a dog broke discipline, he was quickly punished by a jolt from the electric collar. This did nothing to bind the dog to his owner. The sad truth is that the animal was punished by a sunshine hunter,- one who seeks only convenience and instant gratification. I have a vanity plate that always evokes lively discussions. It reads, 2MNYDOGS. Wherever I have trained, lectured, judged or hunted, I am asked; How many dogs are too many dogs? The conversation that follows is usually brisk and the general consensus is usually – one.

True gun dogs have natural instincts that evolve from their meticulous breeding. They are not show dogs. Diluting the inbred instincts of a good working dog, is counterproductive. They exist for the reward of the hunt, not the glitz and glamour of the competition ring. Breeding them for any other purpose merely dilutes their personality and hence, reason for their existence. It’s fair to add that good breeding and good training makes the hunter take to the soft mouth and the ability to unearth quarry for granted. For his part, the dog simply doesn’t know any different. His sole task is to show you that there is another find just around the bend. It is for this reason that he meticulously holds his point, waiting anxiously to please the hunter.

This kind of efficiency doesn’t simply fall into one’s lap. It takes time and patience. At some point, the question; Should you continue with training or is he simply good enough? The dog really doesn’t care. The decision is yours alone with which to grovel with. For example, I have witnessed a large increase in the number of flushing breeds such as; Springers and Labs. I stress more sadness for the Springers as their original trait of springing has eluded today’s hunters. This increase in demand for the breeds is because many of today’s hunters have no time to invest in the training of a decent Setter or Pointer. Springers and Labs are replacing GPSs and Britts because these dogs are quicker to train in the sense that they only track and retrieve. Many contemporary hunters are content with this process. Quitting on the dog is their decision.

The problem is often compounded when flushers and pointers are working nearby one another. The less disciplined flushing dog is likely to bust through a pointing dog’s find and take it. Hence the origin of the word dogfight – It is not pretty. The flushing dog’s handler is left with the notion that he should have called his dog off yards ahead of time. Holding his dog at a distance would have been proper- and he knows it.

***

In fairness, over eighty percent of the gun dogs bred today are more than capable of doing the hunting task at hand – no matter how diversified that may be. In addition, well over ninety percent of those dogs are capable of supplying all the love and attachment required from a trusted family companion; after all it is the end product of centuries of breeding and training.

Many people are satisfied with these inherent rewards while others are driven by more competitive juices and strive to develop bench champions. Failing success, many of these owners simply give up on the animal. In the drive for perfection, they fail to recognize the other side of the dog’s character – that of family companion. The two traits are inseparable: in order to be one you must be the other. This simple truism has been all but lost in today’s focus on instant gratification. The hunting companion and the family companion are no longer linked as equally important, and the dog simply doesn’t know why.

Chances are, you have a great dog. But sometimes the darn thing can get the best of you. The problem is usually twofold. First, you naturally want your dog to demonstrate all of the best traits that you see in many of the other dogs in his breed. Well, that’s not likely to happen, but you will be surprised at what some common sense training will accomplish. Second, there is the problem of training overload. Put simply, the poor animal is sometimes bombarded by well-meaning but counterproductive inputs. In most cases, your dog already knows what to do, and too many cooks will indeed spoil the pot. Every owner/hunter is not an expert trainer and in most cases, I would suggest that one begins the task by using the blank page approach. This is done by beginning with simple basics and building on them slowly and logically. Each new command should be short and simple and let each subsequent command build upon itself, with equally simple and non-contradictory steps. While you are at it, it will be necessary to reinforce each step with a system of rewards or corrections. You will be following the techniques of some of the finest hunters and trainers in the world. In the end, you and your animal will be a perfect fit. But more about this later in the book.

Whether he be a flusher or a pointer, your dog is born with many basic instinctive skills. Your task is to build on those skills via two orderly creeds, Training is Teaching and Breaking is Making. It’s up to you to discover the difference.

Hopefully, if I have done anything right, you will use those two creeds and apply them to the task at hand.

A close friend once told me, The best gun dog can have the worst day of his life. When that happens, the best thing you can do is to call him in and end the hunt. How many dogs can be too many? Sometimes the answer is one.

General Care

M y wife