All hunting dogs are not the same, nor are they trained in the same manner. They couldn't be. For while the goals of producing game for the bag and adding to the pleasures of a day afield are shared by all hunting dogs, the manner by which they are achieved is decidedly different.

Thus, not only are training procedures for pointing dogs, flushing dogs, retrieving dogs and trailing dogs often at variance with each other, but each man who has successfully trained dogs develops his own personal know-how and techniques.

Basically, however, a dog must teach himself to hunt. But this he cannot do unless given the opportunity. This chance must be provided by his "trainer." To assure that a dog possessing the natural qualities does a respectable job afield he must be properly introduced to his work, which for a good gun dog is both vocation and avocation. There should be nothing he enjoys more.

It is this vital introductory process which will permit a trainer to utilize limited time, space and facilities to ready his dog for the field. This chapter on training hunting dogs will be chiefly concerned with that. Then, the sportsman who is willing and able to take the time and make the effort to add "finish," "polish" or whatever it is that makes a man so proud of a completely trained dog will find a list of books that will assist him in that endeavor.

Elsewhere in Breeds of Dogs are complete instructions to teach commands like "Sit!" "Heel!" "Come!" "Stay!" etc., which are essentially obedience dictum applicable to hunting and non-hunting dogs alike. While there may be minor variances between methods used by different successful professional trainers, the obedience procedures in this volume are sound. To avoid repetition it will be assumed that readers will avail themselves of the methods for teaching obedience to basic commands and integrate them into their training programs for their hunting dogs.

Regardless of breed and manner of working, a hunting dog must hunt, not just for his own enjoyment but for the pleasure of the man with the gun. Upon finding game it must be exposed or indicated in a manner that will provide a fair shot. After the shot, with the exception of trailing dogs (hounds), any dog boasting the title of "a good hunting dog" whether pointing dog, spaniel or retriever should also recover shot game that otherwise might not become part of the bag.

Eager search, positive production and proficient recovery of game are to a great extent natural in a wellbred hunting dog. But doing it right and responding to a least a reasonable degree while under control and in concert with his trainer's hunting procedures requires training.

Training begins with proper introduction. Most dogs of the hunting breeds (those that rate from average on up in ability) once they've been shown what's expected of them and given plenty of hunting opportunities will take it from there to the eventual and ultimate general satisfaction of the men who hunt with them.

On the other hand, thousands of potentially satisfactory dogs have been rendered useless in the field because of improper introduction and/or lack of opportunity. Still others have become very well trained and obedient dogs who don't hunt worth a lick. They were rigorously trained in obedience before the opportunity was given to expand their inherited qualities and discover what hunting is all about, or before it could be ascertained whether they actually possessed the natural qualities needed to make them useful hunters.

The purpose of this chapter is to aid the reader in developing in the limited time available to him, a decent gun dog he and his companions can enjoy afield. A dog that hunts and hunts well.

A hunting dog is born, not made. A trained dog, while whelped, is molded by man. By getting a potentially good dog started off the right paw, if you will, the man introducing him properly will be pleased to discover that his dog responds by going on to virtually "train himself."
So, before going into the specifics of how to get the most out of your spaniel, retriever, pointer or hound with the least amount of time and effort, utilizing introductory training procedures, let's share some general observations about dogs which will give you an advantage in understanding and training dogs in any or all of the hunting dog categories.

Things to Remember
• In training your dog you will make errors. We all have and we all will. But if you adhere to a few commandments, mistakes will be minimized.
• Never fool your dog. The trust between trainer and dog must be mutual.
• Be persistant and consistant. This has little to do with patience. Keep at what you are doing even though it is repetitive. Some dogs learn quicker than others, but all benefit from repetition whether in getting an idea across or reinforcing something already learned.
• Praise lavishly when a dog does right. Punish only when a dog has learned a command and defies you; or when a dog is sure to understand what the punishment is for.
• Tell a dog, if you want a command obeyed. Coax and wheedle only when encouraging him to do something he hasn't learned fully. Sweet talk is a great reward when a dog has done right but can confuse him if you mix it up with an order.
• Give a command only when you are prepared to enforce it. If you "make him mind" sometimes, but allow him to "get away with it" other times, the dog will never obey with alacrity.

Classification
Hunting dogs can be classified in four or five groups, all breeds in each group generally sharing a particular method of handling their job or excelling at a particular phase of hunting, such as pointing or trailing game, even though they may be converted to doing it all: seeking, locating, producing and fetching game.

Pointing dogs include Pointers, English, Irish and Gordon Setters and, in either a separate or sub-category, the dock-tailed Continental or versatile pointing breeds like the German Shorthaired and German Wirehaired Pointers, Brittany Spaniels, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, Pudelpointers, Vizslas and Weimaraners.

Spaniels being used afield to any extent in the U.S. today are limited largely to English Springer, English Cocker and American Water Spaniels. The Irish Water Spaniel is usually classified as a retriever.

Retrievers include, along with the Irish Water, the Labradors, Goldens, Chesapeakes and very limited numbers of Curly-coated and Flat-coated Retrievers.

Hounds are less distinct as to breeds than the "bird dogs" listed above and these trailers and drivers of furred game are often referred to simply in terms of the game they are specialists at pursuing; Foxhound, Coonhound, Wolfhound, Cathound, Bear-hound, Boarhound, Deerhound, Rabbithound.

However, there are seven breeds of Coonhound or treeing hounds generally recognized along with some fairly distinct strains. They are Black and Tan, Redbone, Bluetick, Plott, English, Treeing Walker and American Saddleback.

There have been over the years more than two dozen recognized strains of American Foxhound or trail hound with the Walker, Trigg and July breeds or strains most generally known today. Hounds derived from the Foxhound or Coonhound breeds, or crosses therefrom, are used on every type of furred game in North America.

Less confusing as to antecedents are the Beagle and Basset hound breeds, well known and used chiefly on small game like rabbit and hare.

Those dogs in the "pointer" category are expected to hunt well beyond gun range and—upon locating birds—freeze on point indicating tight sitting birds, wait for the hunter to come up and put the birds into flight.

Spaniels, on the other hand, must restrict their search to gun range, indicating the presence of game by their animation and accelerated tail action before driving in to flush the game.

Retrievers may be used exclusively to pick up and deliver game that is shot. But most hunters also want them to work out in front of the gun in the manner of spaniels to produce the game as well as recover it after the shot.

Regardless of category, a hunting dog should fetch—at least after a fashion—all game that is shot. Spaniels and retrievers are more likely to take to this naturally, and do a better job when trained, than the pointing dogs. But all can and should do it.

Hounds trail their game either by patiently working a cold track or running a hot line of scent until the game is brought around to the gun, treed, cornered or holed up. They are not expected to retrieve and they work foot scent primarily, in contrast to the pointing dog's emphasis on body scent and the utilization of both body and foot scent by spaniels and retrievers.

Understand those basics about the way the groups work, and bulwark your understanding by reading all you can about the breeds within the group that seems to best suit your style of hunting or the pup you happen to have. You should be ready to introduce your dog to the things he should know about before the hunting season opens. Thus you must absorb procedures you can use in training a young dog while actually hunting.

This section will be broken down according to groups, pointing, flushing, retrieving and trailing. If you are a hound man you can skip the bird dog instructions, and if you are a feather-seeker you don't have to read about the fur-finders except to add to your general knowledge about dogs.

However, a bird hunter should read in every category because, regardless of their basic styles of working, there is much overlap in the training of any dog used for upland and waterfowl gunning. Not only are insight and tips to be gained in this manner but, in some cases, you will be asked to look for instruction in a category outside the one that particularly interests you. Then concentrate on your specific area of interest.

To simplify, save space and get it all, the breakdown will come under three major headings:
1. Introduction and training for hunting dog work before the shot.
2. Introduction and training for hunting dog work after the shot.
3. Introduction and training for hunting dog work at the shot.

Training can be done in sequence or each phase in conjunction with the others. However, best results are usually obtained by doing it in seemingly butt-backward fashion.

The first field exercise a pup should be introduced to is the act that, comes after a bird is dropped— retrieving. Started early enough, reliable retrieving is easily instilled in probably 90 percent of hunting dogs out of good breeding. If force training is necessary it is a job that no amateur dog trainer would voluntarily undertake and a job which few could carry out successfully.

Two assumptions will be made here. One, that the pup you have possesses the potential to be a hunter and to accept training. The closest you can come to assuring this is to buy only a pup that comes from proven hunting or field trial stock. The other assumption is that, in conjunction with the retrieving training, you will also be drilling your pup on whatever obedience procedures you deem essential to your satisfaction with the dog in the field and around the home and/or kennel, such as coming when called, sitting, heeling, etc.

Reliable retrieving is the result of channeling a dog's natural bent through gentle coercion or play training into a performance you are satisfied with. It also serves as a lead-in to many other things a pup must experience to assure his putting it all together when afforded actual hunting opportunities and confronted with the real thing.

So let's begin with after-shot training and see where it takes us and how much time we can save in accustoming a pup to the major things in his life.