05/27/2025
By Leon Measures -
Bird dog training - Old school.
Have you ever wondered how dog training was done before electronic aids were available?
A 1950s dog training kit:
Before field training, I played games with the pups. Sit, stay, get the ball, heel, give, and come, were fun time.
Every time the pup responded well, the pup got a wiener. From the time the pups were born, I shot over them. Starting with a cap gun, .22 blanks, and .22 shorts, the pups learned the sound of a shot meant good things. I could teach a dog most anything. Genetics took care of bird finding and drive.
It would take a very stupid person to fail to make a gun dog out of a well bred dog. The dog will die trying to please if we are smart enough to communicate what we want done.
An old ,wise, ranch foreman said (about raising horses) “If you raise them gentle...they will be gentle.” The same can be said about children and bird dogs.
The Training Kit:
A generous supply of wieners cut into one inch lengths.
A stout leather collar with one inch D ring.
A lead rope 25 feet long with a snap and swivel.
A length of 'snow tire chain' the correct length.
The chain was long enough to be hung from a dog's collar by a snap in the middle of the length, and short enough so the dog couldn't step on the two chains that hung between the front legs. As long as the dog was just traveling the chains would drag. When the dog broke into a lope, the chains would wrap the front legs and stop the dog. The chains became an automatic governor. The most effective training teacher is a the dog itself.
The retrieving ball.
On the rare occasion I encountered a hard mouthed dog, I had a foam rubber ball. It wasn't hollow. I took an eight penny casing nail and stuck in the ball, pulled it out and stuck the head of the nail in the hole the nail made.. The process was repeated until the ball looked like a porcupine. The ball was wrapped with bird wings. It could be gently held without getting stuck. When a dog chomped down on it, the dog became tender mouthed or refused to pick it up. Either way, the dog thought the bird got it.
The bird launcher.
A friend and I invented a mechanical bird launcher. It consists of a length of 4 inch plastic pipe. We used three of them to train a dog to be steady to wing and shot. Bear in mind, electric collars and, or launchers, hadn't been invented. Besides, ours cost about $10 each.
By using three launchers, when one was tripped, a dog was still smelling two pigeons.
Praise and rewards trump punishment every time.
I learned, early on, to make what I wanted to be done to be more of a request, rather than a command.
If ever a dog makes you angry do the dog, and you, a favor. Love the dog and try again tomorrow.
My dogs loved me because I loved them.
