Decades ago, I obtained my first ever puppy to bring some happiness to my home and hopefully become my best hunting buddy. I lived in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, and one spring made an hour’s drive to a home that had a fresh batch of Golden Retriever puppies, only 5 weeks old. Still too young to leave their mom, I went early to pick out my future furry friend, before another might lay claim to him. While all came running over to me when I entered the outside grass pen, most lost interest after a while, but a dark golden one stayed to play with me, eventually falling asleep in my lap when he could play no more. We had both found our new best friend!
To identify him as mine, the owners marked his right ear with a blue marker, saying they have never been able to keep ribbons on puppies in a pack. Hard playing and biting soon removes anything but a small coloration on the ear. They used several colors of markers and alternated between marking the right or left ear, keeping track on paper whose puppy now belonged to whom.
Excitedly, when I got home I told my brother all about them, how precious they were… but of course, it’s not hard to fall in love with a fresh puppy! He seemed interested, but a little hesitant since he lived at home and worked nights. When the time came to retrieve my Golden, I asked my brother to drive. There was no way I could handle a puppy in my car while trying to drive. Arriving at the house, Gary entered the grass pen to play with the puppies while my wife and I took care of the paperwork. They all ran up and played on the ground with him, some leaving after a while. He whistled once, and three came back to play, but soon went back to be with the pack. One more whistle, and a large male, lighter in body color but with very red ears, came back to him and rested in his lap. Needless to say, two puppies slept inside my flannel shirt on the ride home in his Ford truck, while my very happy brother drove us home to meet Grandma for the first time.
I named mine Fozzie Bear, after the Muppet of the very same golden color. While Gary, who was fond of fishing on Lake Michigan, chose the name of Coho, after the salmon he so loved to fish for. My wife was a teacher and with school ending in a few weeks, Mom agreed to watch them both until we could pick Fozzie up for good. Then he would not be alone in our home once school let out. They were a big hit with mom, who the first week, could carry them...
both down the back porch steps at the same time. But within a week, they had gained so much weight she had to make two trips instead, one pup at a time.
Chapter 1: Demo Dog
So around mid-summer, I entered us into an eleven week class which met once a week
Realizing that bringing a puppy home was a long-term commitment, I made the decision to go through obedience training classes with Fozzie, knowing it would be better for him and my family if he would respond to basic commands. So around mid-summer, I entered us into an eleven week class which met once a week. The first day of class the instructor told us that for best results, we had to practice what was taught each week for a half hour every day, no matter what our schedule was. I believed this to be so important that I made it a personal commitment and only missed three days over the next 77 days. In no time at all, it became something Fozzie and I both looked forward to and soon became fun- not a chore at all.
Right away on the first day of class, the instructor asked to use Fozzie to demonstrate the beginning lesson. I soon learned that Goldens are fast learners and love to obey, making them the perfect dog to use for training demonstrations. Everyone at class soon began to call him the DemoDog, and from then on, I was only known as “Fozzie’s dad.”
One of the first things she showed the class was how to break a dog of jumping up on people, something puppies LOVE to do. Her method some thought to be harsh, but amazingly, it worked after the second try. And it never had to used for the rest of your dog’s life- seemed worthwhile to me!
One of the first things she showed the class was how to break a dog of jumping up on people, something puppies LOVE to do.
With Fozzie milling around, as she held his lease in one hand, she tapped on her thigh with the other, whereby he eagerly jumped up to put his front legs on her waist, just as puppies (and grown dogs) love to do. INSTANTLY, she popped him in the chest with that knee, fairly hard right on his sternum, while shouting “NO!” This resulted in a loud “yelp” as he dropped down in a heartbeat. She gave him a few seconds to calm down and then repeated the process.
Again, he shot up on her waist, but hesitated...
somewhat- he was not quite so eager to go there again. For the second time, the instructor popped him in the chest with her knee, shouted “NO!”, and again, he let out a loud yelp. The third time she did it, he anxiously wagged his tail so hard his whole body shook back and forth, but he would NOT jump up! His front feet never even left the ground…knowing what would happen if he did.
So it only took Fozzie TWO TIMES… to learn not to jump up on people.
So it only took Fozzie TWO TIMES… to learn not to jump up on people. Everyone in class was amazed, and many said that was one of the biggest complaints they had about their puppy- jumping up on people. In those few moments of demonstration with the Demo Dog, the lives for all dogs in the class were changed forever, as pleasantly, were their owners’.
Chapter 2: Heel, Stay and Come
After learning not to jump up on people, the commands of Heel, Stay, and Come are the most useful things a dog and its owner will ever learn. Teach them young, teach then right, and the both of you will be better off for the next ten or more years that you’ll share together. Put a puppy on a leash, and the first thing they will want to do is take off. Have you ever seen a dog walking their owner… and not the other way around?
When a dog heels properly, they are always at your side, not behind or ahead of you. And after more training, they automatically will go to the sit position when you stop walking, without even giving that command. Or even before you start to walk, the HEEL command will put them right at your side, looking up at you. For us, Fozzie was always at my left side since I am right handed; I could then still do things while my left hand held the leash.We actually started with a training leash, which is very long- ten feet or more- and not short as you may first think. The training for teaching to heel reveals the reason why right away.
The training for teaching to heel reveals the reason why right away.
With the extra portion of the long leash coiled up in your left hand, and just enough remaining to hang slightly loose in that same hand, give the “HEEL” command, and then start walking briskly. Your dog needs to know to pay attention when on leash, always noting where his master is headed....
The moment the dog starts to pull away, drop the slack, plant your left hand firmly in your gut, place your right hand on top of that to lock the leash end into your body, then quickly RUN THE OTHER WAY without saying a word.
Your dog needs to know to pay attention when on leash, always noting where his master is headed.
As soon as the slack is taken up, the pup will be jerked to a stop, hit the ground, and then be dragged a short way until they can get back on its feet, and come running towards you. Once at your side, immediately praise them, gather up the slack, and again give them the HEEL command, and take off walking again. Honestly, it’s amazing how quickly they learn to pay attention to their master when learning that command.
When Fozzie was learning this, we’d just had a heavy snow. The first time I dropped the excess leash, turned and ran, he ended up making a huge furrow in the snow as he was dragged through it until he could get back up and catch up to me. When he finally got beside me, I stopped to praise him, but then laughed as I looked back and saw what looked like a lawn chair had been dragged through the deep snow! After a few days, he really got good at HEEL, and within a week, it was amazing how intently he paid attention to me whenever the leash went on.
STAY was of course a little harder for him, but COME was real easy. He didn’t like to be far from his dad.
STAY was of course a little harder for him, but COME was real easy. He didn’t like to be far from his dad. In no time at all, I could give him a STAY command and walk away for a half block. He would sit like a statue, intently focused on me. Giving the COME command caused him to run in record time to right up in front of me, automatically sitting down and looking up with his big brown eyes. “HEEL” and he would get up, walk back around behind me, and automatically sit at my left side, again looking up intently to see what dad wanted next. It was such a joy when he reached this state in training. His eagerness to please was so obvious.
So after only eleven weeks of classes and almost 40 hours training him one-on-one, my best buddy always behaved like a well-disciplined soldier. Over a lifetime of love, it was such a small price for me to pay for Fozzie’s good-as-gold behavior. Happily, well before training...
was fully complete, a leash was not even necessary. We could take walks with him at my left side, walking by people, ducks, cats, or other dogs. He always stayed six inches from my leg, never getting ahead, nor lagging behind. All my neighbors were amazed at his performance off leash. I was such a proud dad! By the next spring, it was time to begin training for hunting.
Chapter 3: So Much to Learn
From the time we brought Fozzie home, he knew right away how to retrieve. Of course we overbought puppy toys like new parents always do. He would dash after a tossed ball or rubber bone and bring them right back. As he grew larger, it was no problem to bring things to me from the kitchen to the living room. When he was half grown, if I was in the basement at my reloading bench and my wife upstairs ran out of something, she would open the basement door, and say "Go by Dad”, resulting in him dashing down the stairs to find me. He would readily grab a six-pack of bathroom tissue in his mouth, I’d say “Go by Mom!” and he would dash up with the goods in his mouth for her. This could go on for a half dozen times! He loved to carry things in his mouth, retrieving them to the person calling for him.
When he still was pretty small, one morning I opened the front door, pointed and said to him, “Get the paper!” He would dash out and try to pick up the bulky, almost 2” thick Sunday Chicago Tribune, and try to bring it to me. But it was so heavy and wide that no matter how high he tried to hold his head up, it would bang against his front legs as he tried to walk with it. This caused him to only to be able to take very short steps with his big load. As he got bigger, the task was no longer a problem, and how he loved to do this as one of his “jobs” around the house!
When he still was pretty small, one morning I opened the front door, pointed and said to him, “Get the paper!”
So Fozzie had retrieving down pat in no time at all. Now it was time to introduce him to gunfire and the scent of birds. I purchased a .22 starter pistol and some blanks. I was told to start by firing it into the air while he was eating outside in the backyard, from the front of the house. No adverse reaction at all the first time, so I continued moving to the side, and eventually to the back while he was...
eating. The report never startled him, nor caused him to shirk. Task one was successful. Now to work on his nose.
I bought a canvas training dummy at the pet store and started playing with him outside in the grass. The next step was to introduce some bottled pheasant scent onto it, and get him used to it.The first time I applied it, he was fascinated by it, sniffing the scented canvas deeply, and licking it, too. Once he was comfortable with that, we tried something new. I tied it to a stick, and dragged it around, keeping it just out of his reach, but letting him grab it after a while. Then I would give him the STAY command, let him watch me drag it about 20 feet away, and burry it under some leaves. He was so focused on what I was doing, I then, for the first time, gave him the “Get the Bird” command, at which point he would release and run up to it, finding it in the leaves with his nose.
Running behind him, I was so proud when he went all the way to the back corner and found the canvas “pheasant” with his nose.
Running behind him, I was so proud when he went all the way to the back corner and found the canvas “pheasant” with his nose. Staying put at the side of the house, “Fozzie COME,” and he dashed to his dad, but initially had a hard time giving up this first scented retrieve. A few GIVE commands and he hesitantly released the decoy to me. My son would be ready to hunt this fall with his dad!