Archive for the ‘Information’ Category

Training Your Hunting Dog

Whatever the breed of dog you have, you’ll find that training him is a challenging, yet rewarding experience.  The challenge lies in training your dog well, and the reward is that he becomes your best friend who will love you unconditionally.  No matter what your dog’s job is, whether he’s your hunting or working partner, or just your buddy, a well-trained dog is a thing to be proud of.

Training your hunting dog takes patience but, it also takes praise!  When your dog does something that isn’t acceptable, then you must be patient and when he displays acceptable behavior, you should be liberal with your praise.  Remember, you took on the responsibility of training your dog from the minute you selected him and decided to bring him home!

Alpha

One of the first things you need to do is make sure that your dog understands that YOU and you alone are the top dog.  Dogs are accustomed to being in packs and each pack has an Alpha dog.  You must be that alpha dog for your pet.  We do this almost instinctively and it’s not as difficult as it might sound, nor is it harsh. Since dogs are naturally inclined to be part of a pack, and they understand the hierarchy of a pack, you should be establishing your place as well as the place of your dog in the family pack. This means that members of your family and other pets will develop their place in the structure.  For homes with multiple dogs, you’ll soon discover what they have decided is the proper ‘pecking order’.

Training Your Hunting Dog

Become the alpha dog by demanding your dog’s full attention and giving firm commands.  Always stay calm and in control.  Be consistent with your command words so that everyone in your family uses the same ones.  Use the leash as a tool to tell your dog that you mean what you say.  Set boundaries that he cannot cross and make his limitations clear to him.  Use noises such as claps and loud vocalizations to get his attention, but never yell in an angry tone.  Above all, give plenty of praise and reward when he does the right thing.  Positive reinforcement is the best way to get your dog to obey your commands and earn your trust.

Crate Training

As the owner of a brand new puppy, your first goal is to house train them.  This will usually entail the use of a crate – especially given that this is one of the quickest and most effective methods.  You might see it is inhumane to lock your pup into a crate, but the reality is that allowing your puppy to run free without supervision is potentially more damaging to your dog over time.  Even if you use a crate, it’s important that you ensure that your dog gets plenty of play time, socialization and that you allow sufficient time for his bathroom needs.  Crating your puppy while you are not home, or when you are getting ready to call it a day will help him understand that this is his den.

Obedience Training

After you’ve established that you’re in charge, the next two commands to teach him are “sit” and “heel”.  The sit command forces your dog to pay attention to you.  It’s also very useful for making him stay in one place or for teaching him not to jump up.  The heel command teaches your dog how to walk with you properly – human first, dog second.  Once these are perfected, all other commands like “stay” and “come” will be much easier for both of you.  Off-lead training comes after you’ve established a trusting bond.  Your dog has to want to come to you, of course.  Training your hunting dogs have to be off-lead in order to do their jobs well, so teaching your hunter the “come” command is critical.

Training for Hunting

Believe it or not, training your hunting dog to be a hunter begins when he’s only four months old.  It’s important to get him acclamated to the sound of a gun early.  After that, there will be exercises for pointing, retrieving, flushing, and all the other important skills a good hunter needs.  Dogs specifically bred for hunting already know what to do, it’s usually just a matter of guiding them in the right direction.

Whatever commands you decide to teach your dog are up to you.  But remember that as long as you do it with patience, praise, and positive reinforcement, he will learn.  He has a  natural desire to please you because you’ve established yourself as the alpha dog.
There are many types of hunting dog supplies out there on the market. If you are looking for a dog training collar the Innotek ADV 300P is a great choice, and if you are in need of a dog tracking collar, Tracker Maxima 5000 is a great choice.

Being predators, dogs uses their strong teeth that can deliver about 450 lbs per square inch pressure when they attack. When the strong jaws of the dog have locked on its victim, the needle sharp teeth can literally tear the flesh away. A dog’s teeth and jaws are very powerful so that if the teeth has latched on a limb and cause serious injuries, the victim’s mobility can be impaired for life. Serious injuries caused by dog bites can be the cause of the victims death. Wounds are not the only concerns of dog bite victims because when the teeth puncture the flesh infection and disease-causing bacteria are injected on the puncture wounds as well. Rabies is a life threatening disease that results from dog bites.

Because of humans’ constant interaction with dogs, dog bites cannot be totally prevented. Dog bites that are most common in children are often caused by the family’s own dog. So, how do you treat a dog bite?

Dog bite victims have to have first aid to prevent infection but it would be necessary to remove the victim away from the dog first. Dog bites can create two types of wounds – deep puncture wounds and lacerations. Puncture wounds are prone to infection because when the teeth sink into the flesh, bacteria is injected. Lacerations are created when dog’s teeth tears away the skin.

Profuse bleeding is not common in puncture wounds thus further bleeding must be allowed for a few minutes so that that bacteria injected by the dog’s teeth will be removed from the wound. Lacerations commonly bleed profusely. By applying direct pressure on the wound, bleeding can be stopped. Both types of dog bites must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent infection.

Stitching of the lacerations would have to be done in medical facilities but just the same, the wound has to be cleaned properly as the several hours that the patient has to wait for medical treatment would give the bacteria the chance to become established in the wound. Washing the wound with antibacterial soap for about five minutes will lessen the risk of infection. Generously apply antibiotic ointment on the bite wound and then cover with sterile gauze. A dog bite victim will be in pain. Ice compress applied on the bite wound would reduce the swelling and also lessen the pain.

Rabies would always be a concern with dog bites especially if the immunization status of the dog is unknown. f the dog bite is caused by a stray dog it is imperative for the victim to be immunized against the rabies virus .