Proofing the Pups

The difference between the Ten Suggestions and the Ten Commandments is "proofing" -- assured consequences for not getting it right.

A speed limit sign is a suggestion. Getting your third $200 ticket in as many days is the "proofing".

A lot of folks are happy with the too often mediocre compliance that results from rewards-based training alone.

Which is fine, provided your dog is never off-leash in an open-field situation.

But if you hunt your dog, it will be off-leash, which means it needs to be trained well enough to not bolt off after deer, rabbits, squirrels, and other dogs.

Can you walk your dog 200 yards down the shoulder of a road without dying of nervous anxiety? If not, then your own psyche is telling you your dog is not trained well enough to be safe in an off-leash hunting situation.

It's a simple truth that things always -- eventually -- go pear-shaped. Another dog shows up, a deer or rabbit busts out of a thicket, a train starts down the track next to where you are hunting. 

Will your dog do a "down-stay" at a distance? Will it quickly recall off deer or rabbit?

If not, then a lot more work on "proofing" is needed, and for that fewer tools are better than the tap (not a zap) of an e-collar, which can be administered at a distance, with perfect timing, and with variable levels of consequence.