Draft dogs and the closed season

Breeding Specialization

Today’s working dogs are the product of countless years of specialized breeding, resulting in dogs with an instinctive gift for hunting and retrieving. Its very fiber vibrates with the need to find its prey. You can see their pleasure; the pleasure they avoid when they are working is palpable. Even occasional dogs that are sometimes unruly with other dogs forget their animosity as soon as they start hunting in earnest.

And what a strange mechanism allows our dogs to sense that this is the day, that we are going out to hit, shoot, stalk or do any type of hunting that we do, because they sense it, surely they do. I used to think it was the way I dressed, so I put on my shooting and beating gear for a couple of weeks to test this theory, and they still felt the days that I was really going to work them.

I believe that we must give little clues with our body language, subtle nuances that we cannot detect, but that their greater awareness and skill allows them to read it as clearly as if we had it stamped on our foreheads.

Property is a privilege

That to me is the joy of owning these magnificent animals, watching them do what nature intended gives me more pleasure than any other hobby I can think of. Although I no longer train hunting dogs, my profession has led me to the psychological aspects of why our pets behave the way they do. Regardless of what I do now, to me the working dog still represents the spirit of what dogs are.

These are the high-performance sports cars of the canine world. Forget the pampered pooches seen at Crufts recently, while some certainly work, overall our working strains are a very different animal than their show counterpart. Just look at the Labradors and Springers, put them side by side with the working variety. If you didn’t know better, you might have excuses to think they were different breeds.

We see far more working dogs today than at any time in recent history, reflecting the change in our work environment, class system, and newfound wealth. No longer the domain of the landed gentry, hunting and fishing are enjoyed by a wide swath of the population, from postmen to politicians, lawyers and laborers.

This in itself causes something of a conundrum. The great offspring kept packs of working dogs under the tutelage of chiefs or sub-guardians. Some of the larger estates had kennels employed specifically to train, breed, and exercise these animals.

Today, most working dogs are owned by individuals rather than landlords, and that in itself causes problems for both the physical and mental well-being of our working dogs during the closed season.

keep the dogs busy

The large estates had the facilities to keep their dogs fit, making them work in the areas of the land where sports games were not established and where breeding birds would not generally be disturbed. Now that most of the sprouts are quite small, keepers aren’t too enamored with people training their dogs on their precious land, especially this time of year when the birds begin to nest.

One minute the dogs are working once or even twice a week and then suddenly February 1st and the end of life as we know it. Few buds start shooting their pheasants before the end of October, so the effective season runs from November to the end of January, a paltry three months. Isn’t it time our season realigned with the reality of our game birds’ breeding cycles? I’m sure that point has been raised in ST on many occasions.

It’s like letting our kids roam Disneyland for a day or two a week, and then saying after a few months that they can’t go anymore. They would probably get sulky and upset wondering what they had done wrong. To some extent that happens to our dogs. I have seen dogs become depressed, confused, frustrated and in some cases difficult to handle when the season comes to an end, come to think of it I have seen quite a few people do the same.

I have a couple of friends who work with their dogs on a commercial shoot in Surrey whose lives and jobs are based entirely on “The Season.” , and pick up.

I also used to collect on the same pitch, but unfortunately I found the goalkeeper so foul-mouthed and abusive to everyone, that I felt I couldn’t offer my services anymore. I’m sure he knows who I’m talking about, as does the rest of the team who always read ST.

Some dogs start to have strange and quirky habits, like chasing shadows, staring at walls, and other obsessive-compulsive disorders. In February the days are so short that unless we are retired or out of work it is very difficult to give our dogs the kind of stimulation that will help them overcome the postseason plateau.

It is almost a punishment for them. I remember when I was in the army. I was sent to a place called Falingbostal, it was the back of the afterlife with nothing to do but patrol the then East German border, it felt like a punishment post like we were being slowed down for some unknown petty crime.

Perhaps our dogs feel the same? I am aware that we cannot be anthropomorphic and assume that dogs have the conscious abilities of humans, although I have occasionally thought that one or two dogs seemed more intelligent than their owners. Certainly when it came to common sense.

I believe there are a number of things you can do to help your dog through this difficult period. I see a lot of shoots that other members or beaters don’t see until next season. Why not organize a series of encounters with the dogs, the beaters and the shooters, take a walk together through part of the shoot or other terrain that may be available that will not cause a nuisance or disturbance? Dogs will think they’re back in the harness and will love the couple of hours of exercise and work. Meeting the people and dogs they had worked with during the season greatly encourages the dogs and does us good too.

keep training

It’s hard sometimes when lots of other dogs are wandering around and interfering so it’s best to try and find some secluded spots to do some pretend work, hidden retrieves and deliveries, keep it varied and interesting. Don’t constantly do the same drills in the same order, do a couple of very different actions and drills that may not be related to shooting. Teaching your dog some silly tricks can be rewarding for the dog, always finish all exercises and training on a high. If the dog can’t meet a particular requirement, he ends up with one that can be met with lots of praise.

Remember, if a dog can’t get a particular training exercise, it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s usually yours, I see people get frustrated with their dogs because they don’t get a complicated command. I always say that if the dog cannot understand your wishes, then you have gone too fast. Go back a few stages and take it easy.

Make eating interesting

Spread your dog’s food instead of feeding it in a bowl, spread the food in the garden, kitchen or kennel, this will make the dog have to work and hunt for food. There are also specialized shaped balls and activity cubes that dispense kibble and treats. These must be handled by dogs to get their treats, makes the dog have to work for it and stimulates mental calisthenics that relieves boredom and lethargy.

Sometimes the little things make the difference. Try putting a full cup of sugar in the fuel tank of a giant or a small speck of sand in the mechanism of a grandfather clock. From such a small income, the effects can be quite dramatic. It could be a simple little thing that can make a difference in your dog’s mental well-being. So the above ideas are worth trying.

Work ethics

Sometimes all it takes is simply for your dog to earn the use of your resources. He is hungry? No problem, he just has to sit down before putting down the bowl. Does he want to play fetch? Great! He has to “down” before throwing the dummy. Would you like to go for a walk? He has to sit down for the leash to be put on and he has to sit down while the front door opens. You have to sit and wait while the car door opens and listen to the word (I use “good”) that means “get in the car.” When he comes back he has to wait for the word that means “get out of the car” even though the door is wide open. Enforce the new rules, but keep in mind that your dogs are only doing what they have been taught to do and will need some time to get the hang of it all.

What you will find is that the dog begins to understand the program and looks forward to the behavioral expectations. He will be stimulated by the need to perform certain actions before obtaining the resources he wants, be it exercise, food or attention.

This simple little exercise can often have a huge effect on your pet’s self esteem, put some or all of the above in place and I’d be surprised if you don’t see a more relaxed and well behaved dog on the first day of the next season . Bird flu arranged.