Home:
The power of ritual.
-General thoughts
Bonding and general environmental exposure.
-Carry the puppy everywhere but have a plan.
-Nature walks
Controlling food and using it to manipulate behavior.
-Reward based games
-Engagement
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Field:
The first six months
(Important note) There are no timelines, just milestones
1. Make a predator
-MAKE A MONSTER
-Build drive
-Build chase
-Drag a check cord
2. Make a hunter
-The importance of incidental contact
-Bird placement
-Same spot then progress to random placement
-Don’t drag them around from bird to bird
-Length of course and number of birds
-The importance of blank walks
3. Gunfire exposure
-Start conservative
-Rehab the gun-shy before it begins
The next six months
1. Make a bird dog
-Taming the monster
-Collar Conditioning
-Too much info for one podcast
-Slowly add structure
-Intro to the training lab, gear, and dance (West Method)
Gear:
Check cord, pinch collar, e-collar, launcher
-Let the birds teach them (more allusive over time)
-Good birds in the right cover
-Good birds are healthy and spooky
-Launcher work
-Launcher intro
-Creating caution
-Conceptualizing staunchness
-Proofing staunchness on the launcher
-Why I train on loose birds in the woods
-Escape
-Visual stimulation
-Allows for post flush work
2: Go hunting
-Thoughts on preserves
-How to set a course
-The importance of wild birds
-accessiblity
-Next with Stump