Thanks. Like most of dog training, it's not difficult to obtain a high level of performance if you just take your time and slowly progress from step to step using what I refer to as the 3D's of dog training: distance (whoaing further and further from you), duration (whoaing longer and longer), and distractions (whoaing under a variety of situations that encourage you to break)!

Thanks. The pigeons at the end does so much. Better compliance AND attitude!

I worked with an owner who has just now whoa broke his 7 year old gsp. It works if you follow it step by step.

That's an easy way to introduce the command: whoa before going outside or whoa before being released to eat and it MIGHT make the process go faster when it's time to go to the Buddy Stick or checkcord.

Many dogs can be serviceable gundogs without ever learning the word whoa, but whoa is needed for those who want their dog to stand steady to wing and shot or for those dogs that just need help in planting their feet at the scent of a bird.

@@Payton1221 thank you. This helps.

Most of the dog supply houses (Gun Dog Supply, Lion Country, Dogs Unlimited, etc.) sell these bags. I have a few local sources for pigeons, but I routinely check Craigslist too.

It can be done but if you teach it then you're going to want to use it. Right? So when will you use it and what will you do if the excitement at that moment (maybe like AROUND BIRDS) causes him to come unglued? So it's the dogs first season and some owners may apply too much pressure (either physical, electrical, or just plain vocal), and if they do, then those owners just might convince their dogs that hunting birds just isn't that much fun.

It will depend on the dog's maturity level. You can take even little pups on fun walks. If you don't let your pup get too close to launchers and you introduce the launcher to them correctly, I've used launchers with some dogs as early as 3-4 months old, but the formal whoa training like I do in this video is reserved until after they've had a full bird season of hunting so the dog will be one to two years old.

Yes, but many, if not most, hunters only require that a dog be staunch, ie, that the dog remain pointed until they flush the birds. There are pros and cons to having a staunch dog, and there are pros and cons to having a steady dog (ie, one that remains stationary even after the birds have flown). I mention in my steady to wing and shot video that you wouldn’t want your dog to chase during this training if you are going to steady the dog later.

@@Payton1221 thanks Mark. What should I do differently if I want to teac my dog to stay steady to flush, shot and fall? Should I prevent the dog from chasing?

@@patricelapointe8550 Watch my steady to wing and shot video. It all starts with a SOLID, S-O-L-I-D(!!!), understanding of what whoa means and your ability to enforce it via the belly band. But, yeah, you don't want to allow him to chase when you introduce birds during the whoa training. That's one time when a helper and a checkcord can assist you and your belly band to teach whoa.

@@Payton1221 thank you. I’ll go and check your other video again. I also need to research about the belly band to better understand it. My dog is 2 years old and so far we only used e collar around her neck. Thanks again

@@patricelapointe8550 the advantage of the belly band is that it makes it extremely easy for the dog to understand. Stimulation to the belly means stop. Stimulation to the neck means turn or recall. The disadvantage to the handler is that it requires two ecollars and the handler has to toggle correctly based on what you are requiring of the dog.

I've written about this previously but if you teach it then you're going to want to use it. Right? So what will you do when your young dog is running through birds that he didn't point? What will you do when he doesn't back his bracemate because he's just so excited? It's the dogs first season and some owners may apply too much pressure (either physical, electrical, or just plain VOCAL like bellowing whoa, Whoa, WHOA!), and if they do, then those owners just might convince their dogs that hunting birds just isn't that much fun which may cause style issues, or worse, blinking (aka purposefully avoiding) birds.

I don’t know why, but I just saw this. Hopefully I can get him steady this spring Thanks!