Susanna Smith (00:09):
We talk a lot about all the things that a bird dog needs to know. But when you boil it all down to the simple things, there are three foundational behaviors that we need every dog to perform, and that is to go with you, come to you and stand still.
Ronnie Smith (00:25):
The go with you. It’s vitally important that the dog keeps up with where you are, that he goes with you in the field, that you’re not always having to handle the dog again, that he’s joined up, going to his objectives, hunting, but keeping in mind where you are. He’s a part of your team. And the come to you. That’s obvious. That’s a dog coming back to you, but it goes further than that. That is what shapes and really determines your retrieve.
Susanna Smith (00:54):
Recall is not a check-in a recall, is a come to you and stand still. So what we like to see from our dogs, they're directly out in front of us and we say, “here”. They turn and make a beeline straight back to us and present themselves. Yes sir, yes ma’am. What can I do for you? And that’s when we get our hands on ’em and we'll make contact with them. And we’re not going to allow that dog to just go on and go hunting by themselves. I called you to me. I need you to stay here and stand still.
Ronnie Smith (01:23):
That leads us into the standing still. And the standing still is really very, very simple. You want to be on a lead, a short lead, and just again, be cognizant of your dog. You don’t have to hover over him because there’s energy involved with that. But make that cue and it’s a two-beat cue. The first cue gets his attention and the second cue gets compliant. So it’s cue-cue release and you might have to cue-cue release again, but pretty quick that two beat cue will make that dog settle.
Susanna Smith (01:56):
The key to success is getting that dog to make the decision on their own. And it’s very hard for people because we want to control our animals naturally, inherently with a tight lead. But if we think about it different than just the pure mechanics, we think about the dog’s mindset. It changes everything, and we can have more trust in our animal to do what we ask. If you can instill those three simple behaviors in your dog on a daily basis, you’ll have a mannerly dog at the home in a mannerly dog in the field.
