http://steadywithstyle.com Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:32:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://steadywithstyle.com/wait-for-tomorrow/#comment-50 Martha Greenlee Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:32:05 +0000 http://steadywithstyle.com/?p=304#comment-50 Mark---it is a tough lesson most of us have to learn. Bill West started his workshops by saying he had made more mistakes than everyone there combined. I know what you mean. There is so much advice out there and it's hard to know who to listen to. A lot of people brag about their young dogs. I like to brag about my old dogs. If you do it right and go at the dog's pace you will have a dog that loves to hunt the rest of his life. Dogs that are pushed early may look like prodigies but most lose their enthusiasm as they age. It sounds like you are working hard to do right by your dog and that is a sign of a good trainer. Martha Mark—it is a tough lesson most of us have to learn. Bill West started his workshops by saying he had made more mistakes than everyone there combined. I know what you mean. There is so much advice out there and it’s hard to know who to listen to. A lot of people brag about their young dogs. I like to brag about my old dogs. If you do it right and go at the dog’s pace you will have a dog that loves to hunt the rest of his life. Dogs that are pushed early may look like prodigies but most lose their enthusiasm as they age. It sounds like you are working hard to do right by your dog and that is a sign of a good trainer. Martha

]]> http://steadywithstyle.com/wait-for-tomorrow/#comment-49 Mark Coleman Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:51:04 +0000 http://steadywithstyle.com/?p=304#comment-49 The single biggest mistake I made with my first bird dog was lack of patience. Magazines and books are filled with accounts of dogs pointing staunchly at 6 months of age and this is a terrible disservice to first-time dog owners. Naturally everyone wants his dog to be a prodigy but the reality lies in what you've written above - getting a finished dog is accomplished more quickly by going more slowly - as contradictory as it sounds. A lot of people, like me, had to learn that the hard way. If more articles and books promoted the 'slower is better' approach it could save both headache and heartache among people bringing along their first dog. The single biggest mistake I made with my first bird dog was lack of patience. Magazines and books are filled with accounts of dogs pointing staunchly at 6 months of age and this is a terrible disservice to first-time dog owners. Naturally everyone wants his dog to be a prodigy but the reality lies in what you’ve written above – getting a finished dog is accomplished more quickly by going more slowly – as contradictory as it sounds. A lot of people, like me, had to learn that the hard way. If more articles and books promoted the ‘slower is better’ approach it could save both headache and heartache among people bringing along their first dog.

]]> http://steadywithstyle.com/the-steadying-process-and-dominant-dogs/#comment-47 Martha Greenlee Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:06:19 +0000 http://steadywithstyle.com/?p=219#comment-47 Dave---dogs that prefer to back often lack desire to point the bird. They are more comfortable letting the other dog point so they don't get into trouble. Combine this fact with his lack of passion leads me to think something happened to him around birds at least in his mind. I think you are right to hunt him by himself for now. You want to build his confidence and help him have fun. It's a good idea to be quiet and let him do his job. Don't nag or get after him. Pick your battles carefully. You want to build his confidence. Shooting birds and letting him retrieve is a good way to handle him. If he wants to break at the shot to retrieve you might comsider letting him do this and see if his excitement builds. Sometimes you need to take a few steps back in training. Good luck and hope this helps, Martha Dave—dogs that prefer to back often lack desire to point the bird. They are more comfortable letting the other dog point so they don’t get into trouble. Combine this fact with his lack of passion leads me to think something happened to him around birds at least in his mind. I think you are right to hunt him by himself for now. You want to build his confidence and help him have fun. It’s a good idea to be quiet and let him do his job. Don’t nag or get after him. Pick your battles carefully. You want to build his confidence. Shooting birds and letting him retrieve is a good way to handle him. If he wants to break at the shot to retrieve you might comsider letting him do this and see if his excitement builds. Sometimes you need to take a few steps back in training. Good luck and hope this helps, Martha

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