irish red setter pup

widespread

I have just got a 12 week old Irish red setter dog. I would like to train the dog myself. but I m unsure where to start.

I think that my sequence should be. 1, train to lead. 2. sit 3. stay 4. drop.

One thing I am not sure of is when and how to introduce game birds. I have heard people speak of he long lead and it's use. This I am not too sure of.

Has anyone got any recommendations for training books and DVDS specifically for setters.

Another thing, I live in the middle of an area that is walking with deer. Would I be best advised to take the pup away from this area when I am trying to train him.

What is the best type of rewards to use, treats or praise.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am a total novice.

Wolfhillbilly

widespread wrote: »

I have just got a 12 week old Irish red setter dog. I would like to train the dog myself. but I m unsure where to start.

I think that my sequence should be. 1, train to lead. 2. sit 3. stay 4. drop.

One thing I am not sure of is when and how to introduce game birds. I have heard people speak of he long lead and it's use. This I am not too sure of.

Has anyone got any recommendations for training books and DVDS specifically for setters.

Another thing, I live in the middle of an area that is walking with deer. Would I be best advised to take the pup away from this area when I am trying to train him.

What is the best type of rewards to use, treats or praise.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I am a total novice.

I'm about 4 weeks behind you, Widespread.
I have an eight week old pup and I have recentlly dusted down the DVDs and books to give myself a bit of a refresher course. I have bought just about all pointer/setter DVDs and books I have encountered over the past few years (British ones that is), and to my knowledge there is no step by step account of pointer/setter training in the same way that there is a raft of DVDs and videos for retriever training. I have also watched a few US vidoes as well as there isn't that much available from Irish/British trainers. The US methods differ a lot to ours and are very interesting viewing but in in terms of usefulness, aren't that great after a certain stage. There is also a limit to pointer/setter training as you also want them to work on their own initiative and so it is not like training a lab.
Basically I learnt little bits and pieces from all the videos - Derry Argue's two DVDs are very good, there is another one by Colin and Julie Organ. I have a few books as well, most of which were written at least 40 years ago. The most recently published one is definitely the best. It is called 'Working Pointers and Setters' by David Hudson (2004) and that is the one that I would advise anyone to get. It is very easy to read and is written in more modern language than the other books I have, although JB Maurice's 'Training POinters and Setters' is also good.
D Hudson's book is fairly easy to get from Amazon but if you have trouble, PM me and I will photocopy the chapters on training and send them to you.
Derry Argue's videos are also easily available - search for 'Advie gundogs' and you can order them from his own site.
I would also recommend the 'Basic HPR Training' DVD with Tom Brechney - a lot of it is centred on retrieving but just ignore that part and take in the lessons on pointing. That one is a genuine instructional video which the others aren't. I also always got the impression that Derry Argue never wanted to impart too much knowledge!
Anyway, I hope that helps but I would also say to take your time. Patience is the most valuable asset you can have. Enjoy your pup, and remember that it is two years before a setter is trained! The early part should be fun for you and the dog, basic discipline is very important which has to be taught in the back yard before he gets on the mountain. The important thing at this stage is to build the relationship between you and the pup, instill basic disciplines and commands - and no matter how hard the pup pushes you, try not to lose your rag - and enjoy it!!

premiercad

Wolfhillbilly thanks for those tid bits of info. I have an 11 week old English setter and I am just starting down the training road for the first time like widespread. Mypup is just getting settled in his new home and already sits on command. I'm trying to just keep it all fun and games for him at the moment. I keep reading bout how important it is to bond fully with the dog so hopefully training will be easier when he trust us totally. My only fear is missing a key time in his training and finding out from somebody that "...oh if only you'd started him doing that at 4 months you 'd have been better off, it's probably too late now..etc etc.". If there was a schedule in some book that could be used as a guide it would be great. .i.e at 12-14 weeks teach sit, come and thats it. Any one come across a sample traing schedule for setters? :rolleyes:

widespread

Hi Wolfhillbilly

thanks for all the info, I ordered the book on amazon today. So i'm going to have a look through that and see I might try the dvd after that. I looked into this before and what I found was I got an information over load. Like premiercad, I was wondering is there any schedule.

I'm doing the whole bonding thing myself at the moment but I have two other dogs aswell and they kind of distract him when i'm in the backyard and I have one of them neighbours that if a dog as much as whimpers his out complaining. even through we live well into the country and he is a country mile away from me(don't get me started).

I haven't tried any commands yet, I'm going to take it slowly. I would assume that to try and train a dog to a schedule is probably wrong. I'm assuming that you take it one command at a time and when he is good at that one you move on to the next one.

long leads and game birds is what confuses me, but I guess i'm a long way off that one.

Wolfhillbilly

There's no schedule as far as I know. I remember years ago buying 'Gundog Training Broadsheets' which give the type of schedule you are talking about for training retrievers. Unfortunately there's none for setters! The reason is that they are all different. The stock answer to 'when should I introduce him to game?' is 'when he's ready!' which means nothing on its own of course, although Derry Argue gives a very loose schedule on his site here:

http://www.adviegundogs.co.uk/adviegundogs.co.uk/training.htm

One line I picked up from the HPR man on DVD was that as soon as any of his dogs shows an interest in pointing, he drops all the retrieving work and works solely on the pointing.
My first irish setter didn't point until he was over 10 months old. The last bitch I had, pointed at about six months. The US DVDs (I have one by the Flying B Ranch) will provide as close to a schedule for training setters as you'll get but they say the same thing: don't rush, there's no prozes for having the quickest trained setter.'
The Gundog Training Broadsheets are useful for the basic commands which will be used for any gundog and can be modified slightly for setters e.g the 'sit' being the dog lying flat, and things like stopping to the whistle, stopping to the hand signal etc.
I'm pretty sure I have a pdf copy of them somewhere. If I find them, I'll let you know and I'll send you them. I'll be digging them out for myself soon anyway.