The Importance of Training the Stop Whistle to our Working Gundogs.

Training any dog is about consistency, patience and ensuring that the time you dedicate to your dog is valuable time.  Training a dog to stop on a whistle needs to be fun and rewarding for both the handler and the dog.  At the recent group gundog training session, my first exercise was the stop whistle which many handlers find to be a somewhat challenging task.  I demonstrated this exercise using my 6 month old puppy Wisp.  I have been training Wisp to the stop whistle over the same period that the gundog course had been running, using the same exercises and techniques.

The stop whistle and recall command are two of the most important exercises for any working dog.  These commands provide us with the security of knowing that when our dog is out working in the field, we can stop our dog on game or from running in across the line of guns.  It also allows us to stop our dogs in order to redirect them to the chosen retrieve.  The same exercise is also vital if you are looking to trial your dog as it is important to provide clear, precise commands for stop and redirection in order to ensure a perfect retrieve and deliverance to hand.

One technique that I use to ensure a good stop is to make sure that training is fun, rewarding the dog if the dummy is retrieved successfully.  When training my dogs to stop on a whistle command, I use 1 pip of the whistle.  If the dog stops and sits then I immediately throw the dummy which gives the dog an instant reward.  This technique also helps when training our dogs to retrieve an article to hand.  It is not vital at the age of 6 months old for a dog to consistently retrieve an article to hand however we still need to encourage a crisp deliverance without dropping.  Until recently, Wisp was stopping on a whistle, running in on the dummy, retrieving it and then delivering it to hand.  Now that she is six months old I have started to reinforce the structure required to stop her from running in on dummies, changing the training technique and using standard correctional methods.  I now have a young dog that will stop nearly 100 yards away on any thrown dummy, understands directional commands and will hunt up successfully.  This has only been achieved through the same techniques displayed to all clients but my training with Wisp is consistent but more importantly challenging and fun.

We need to ensure that everyone in the group is confident with these two commands as inconsistencies limit the amount of training that can take place during a session.  Some dogs and handlers may struggle to work to a stop whistle or command however with patience and consistency it is something that can be achieved in a short space of time.

Posted: October 30, 2013