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There is a very good, supportive Yahoo group called Hunting Poodles, with TONS of people who would be really good resources for specific training tips.
Does the dog show a drive to retrieve? That would be #1, IMO. Work with fun games to heighten that drive, in short sessions so they don't get bored, and always end on a high note, with a good retrieve. One thing at a time. Building blocks. My husband has no intention of doing hunt tests, so the way we're training Remi (short for Remington) is really sort of seat-of-the-pants. We're no experts, but we know what we want to accomplish. We'll probably make a lot of mistakes--we usually do, with any kind of training--but they're really great, forgiving dogs.
Does your dog like to swim? Remi will plunge into anything in order to fetch, and that's definitely a bonus. That's another reason that anything you can do to increase that fetching drive is good.
Poodles are really attuned to their owners, so they'll very much follow your lead. If you're watching the sky, they will too. If you're sitting quietly, they will too. The way I see the difference between, say, Labs and poodles is that Labs are really great, very trainable, obedient dogs, who will often work for the sake of working--they love the job. Poodles work for YOU--to please you, above all. Where a Lab will unquestioningly do what it's told, poodles have a tendency to overthink things, and problem-solve on their own, which is not always great in training situations. You have to be willing to work with them as partners, and understand your dog.
There are professional trainers on here who could give you very good advice--we're not pros by any stretch. We just love our dogs (and are allergic to anything that sheds). The breeders we got Remi from have bred field and show Labs for years, and only recently added poodles. They make their living as professional hunting dog trainers, and they tell us that they DO use different techniques training the poodles than they do with the Labs. I know that you can't be as "hard" with a poodle as you can with a Lab. Some people say that the force-fetch training doesn't work well with poodles, but I certainly know plenty of upper-level obedience trainers who use the toe-pinch method to fetch train, so I guess it just varies from dog to dog.
I say give it a shot--what have you got to lose? If you start now, the dog can be ready in time for next year's duck season (or maybe even the tail-end of this one). Don't rush it. Build a solid foundation, and go from there.
PM me with your location, and I'll see if I can find hunting poodle folks in your area and hook you up. Also, if you send me a pedigree, I might be able to find something in it that indicates a working background.
Both of Remi's parents are working hunters, and her paternal grandsire has his MH and her granddam has her SH. She is linebred on "Pie," (HRCH Can CH Bibelot's Silver Power Play UD MH WCX) the first ever poodle to earn the AKC Master Hunter title, as soon as poodles were approved to compete for the title. The second poodle to earn the MH was Remi's grandsire. So the only thing that could keep her from fulfilling her promise...is US, if we screw it up!
There is a very good, supportive Yahoo group called Hunting Poodles, with TONS of people who would be really good resources for specific training tips.
Does the dog show a drive to retrieve? That would be #1, IMO. Work with fun games to heighten that drive, in short sessions so they don't get bored, and always end on a high note, with a good retrieve. One thing at a time. Building blocks. My husband has no intention of doing hunt tests, so the way we're training Remi (short for Remington) is really sort of seat-of-the-pants. We're no experts, but we know what we want to accomplish. We'll probably make a lot of mistakes--we usually do, with any kind of training--but they're really great, forgiving dogs.
Does your dog like to swim? Remi will plunge into anything in order to fetch, and that's definitely a bonus. That's another reason that anything you can do to increase that fetching drive is good.
Poodles are really attuned to their owners, so they'll very much follow your lead. If you're watching the sky, they will too. If you're sitting quietly, they will too. The way I see the difference between, say, Labs and poodles is that Labs are really great, very trainable, obedient dogs, who will often work for the sake of working--they love the job. Poodles work for YOU--to please you, above all. Where a Lab will unquestioningly do what it's told, poodles have a tendency to overthink things, and problem-solve on their own, which is not always great in training situations. You have to be willing to work with them as partners, and understand your dog.
There are professional trainers on here who could give you very good advice--we're not pros by any stretch. We just love our dogs (and are allergic to anything that sheds). The breeders we got Remi from have bred field and show Labs for years, and only recently added poodles. They make their living as professional hunting dog trainers, and they tell us that they DO use different techniques training the poodles than they do with the Labs. I know that you can't be as "hard" with a poodle as you can with a Lab. Some people say that the force-fetch training doesn't work well with poodles, but I certainly know plenty of upper-level obedience trainers who use the toe-pinch method to fetch train, so I guess it just varies from dog to dog.
I say give it a shot--what have you got to lose? If you start now, the dog can be ready in time for next year's duck season (or maybe even the tail-end of this one). Don't rush it. Build a solid foundation, and go from there.
PM me with your location, and I'll see if I can find hunting poodle folks in your area and hook you up. Also, if you send me a pedigree, I might be able to find something in it that indicates a working background.
Both of Remi's parents are working hunters, and her paternal grandsire has his MH and her granddam has her SH. She is linebred on "Pie," (HRCH Can CH Bibelot's Silver Power Play UD MH WCX) the first ever poodle to earn the AKC Master Hunter title, as soon as poodles were approved to compete for the title. The second poodle to earn the MH was Remi's grandsire. So the only thing that could keep her from fulfilling her promise...is US, if we screw it up!
