Game hunters know how important a good dog is. A good hunting dog can strengthen your eyes and ears, and it’s always more fun to have a companion with you when you’re hunting! However, for the most effective hunting, you need a dog that’s well trained. This means obeying commands, of course, but a good hunting dog should also know what’s expected of him in the field.

One way hunters train their dogs is with live birds. That is, they take their dogs out to chase (and hunt) birds, using the opportunity to train the dogs out in the wild.

There are many advantages to using this method. One obvious advantage is that the dog gets real experience interacting with birds, and learns in real time what to do based on your commands, praise, and reprimands.

Another advantage is that you, the hunter, can see how your dog interacts with live birds so you can tailor your training techniques to fit your dog’s personality, as well as your hunting style. After all, if you have a pointing breed, you would want to curtail catching behavior early. With flushing and retriever breeds, on the other hand, you want to praise catching behavior, since dogs that try to catch birds will be better flushers.

If you want to train your dog with live birds, there are a couple of things you’ll need. The first is, of course, birds. Many trainers recommend using good flying quail. They may be difficult to find, but it’s worth it in order to have a well trained bird dog. The other thing you’ll need is a quality quail recaller.

When you have your quails and you’re ready to train your dog with live birds, put about two dozen quails in a box and don’t let them eat for a day. The next day, take the birds, a small block of ice, some game bird feed, and your recaller into the field. Scatter the feed across the area, and put the box down nearby. Cut a hole in the box and cover it with the block of ice, preventing the quails from escaping. Then walk away.

Once the ice melts, the quail will be able to leave the box and will find the feed. (Make sure there is water nearby, as well.) After about a week, you can run your dogs on the birds. This provides a controlled area for you and your dog to train with live birds. As with any training, patience and consistency are important to help your dog learn what you want.

Training is important for good hunting dogs. And while it’s great to teach a dog to hunt with commands, there’s nothing quite like getting in the field with live birds to teach your hunting companion exactly what to do in a hunt. And before you know it, you’ll have a great hunter!

Depending on what command you are working on, dog treats will be used in different ways. However, before you begin obedience training, there are a few general tips and suggestions that all dog owners should be aware of. Incorrectly timing rewards can begin to reverse your training effort. Avoid this set back and keep things moving in the right direction. When you know how and when to reward your dog you can prevent frustration and continue building a bond with your pet through training.

Training Tip #1: Timing is Vital to Proper Rewarding

Some dog owners new to training may feel that it is up to their pet to determine the success of each session. The truth is that more weight is placed on the human doing the training. This is why timing the reward is so important. You are communicating with your pet through treats. The reward must be given promptly when your dog does something right, even if it is not the entire gesture you are looking for. If you wait a few seconds, your pet will become confused about what he or she did right.

Training Tip #2: Treat Storage during Training

You do not want to allow your dog to remain focused on the treats, so it is often best to store them out of sight while training. Always put the package away after you have removed the treats you plan to use. That being said you also must be able to quickly retrieve rewards and give them to your pet when they do something right. A pocket or pouch kept on your body is a great choice for storing treats while training. Never allow your pet to go for the treats. If he or she does, calmly put them back into the correct position with a firm no.

Training Tip #3: The Clicker and Dog Treats

Dog treats are very effective training tools however did you know a clicker can help even more? When used together, your pet will have an easier time understanding what you are trying to tell him or her. The clicker emits the same click each time, reducing the likeliness for confusion and misunderstanding. Clickers are inexpensive, usually available for under $ 2 or $ 3 at your local pet supply store.

Training Tip #4: Combining Dog Treats and Praise

Although you will see progress encouraged by dog treats during obedience training, avoid the urge to reward with treats only. This will create an expectation for food rewards in your pet, and possibly begin to impact his or her weight and desire to eat actual meals. Instead, combine dog treats with praise and petting. Edible rewards should only be given for large achievements while the rest can be rewarded with praise. You might be surprised to learn just how far a positive word and affection can go with a canine.

Training Tip #5: Training Treat Size

You will probably notice that dog treats marketed for obedience training are small in size. Use this as a rule of thumb when choosing your training rewards. Never use a full size biscuit intended for snack time. You will be giving your pet multiple treats during a single training session, so consider cutting up a larger biscuit or buying dog treats that come in small portions. Remember, the point is not to feed your dog but to teach him or her.

Having a dog as cute and playful as the havanese will surely bring lots of excitement and fun to your household. But having a dog such as the havanese is more than just excitement and fun. Along with being a dog owner is a number of responsibilities that must be carried out in order to have healthy and happy four-legged member of the family. One of the responsibilities is training, specifically havanese training for your havanese.

Though the havanese is considered to have high degree of intelligence, that does not necessarily mean that training is not needed anymore. Regardless of the breed’s intelligence, training is always an important part of a dog’s life. It is best to start your havanese training the moment you bring Fido home. Start off with introduction and familiarization. The new family member must be introduced to other members of the family including other pets if there is any.

In order to make training less difficult, understand communication from your pet. A confused, stressed, nervous, distracted or excited dog is not able to learn efficiently so it helps if you understand the signals he is trying to show. A dog may also show signals such as sniffing, circling or squatting every time he needs to urinate or defecate. Understanding these signals is helpful during potty training.

Breeders should have already socialized the puppies before sending them to their permanent homes. But if that is not the case, it is not yet late to socialize your pup. Social investigation and playful fighting must be allowed during this period so as to help them develop social relationships.

Regardless of the training technique used, it must be known that physical punishment should not be used as a mean to train a dog. Hitting the dog or rubbing his nose in the spot where he committed accident will only result to behavior problems such as aggression.

Havanese training may seem so challenging when you will just look at it but with consistency, patience and determination, you will eventually reap the fruits of your labor.