Hunter's Heart Brittanys

Good socialization, early on, gives pups the best chance for success in the field as adults. I’ll share some of the things that we do to socialize pups for hunting. And I’ll ask you to share your ideas on socialization for hunting.

We start by firing a cap gun during meals and when we release the litter from their x-pen. They become conditioned to associate the gun fire with positive excitement. If they’re ever lost in the field, firing your shotgun should help them to locate your position. Falling books and chairs, sound effects CD’s played loudly on the stereo, applause, and crowds are other loud situations to which you can get the puppy accustomed.

Another important focus is exposure to birds. We put a cage with a dozen birds on the ground for them to check out. Grouse wings kept in the freezer since last season are great for playing find and retrieve. Lastly, we bring the litter to our recall pen and let out a few birds. We don't mind if the pups chase the birds or offer a flash point or try to dig their way into the bird cage. We're simply trying to imprint the scent & get them interested.

Keeping in mind that we want to minimize the risk infectious diseases, there’s still a lot of other areas we target:

fetch with many different toys
get the pups used to horses
strange looking people with big hats, glasses, etc. (consider taking your puppy on public transit; or arrange for supervised show and tell with your child’s teacher)
get your puppy used to having all parts of their body handled. (consider sending puppy to a professional groomer, or to doggy daycare, or send your puppy to a relative’s house)
tolerating strange dogs of different breeds (consider attending a puppy match at a show or other doggy event as soon as possible)
walking on different surfaces e.g. metal, bubble wrap, shifting table top, grates in the sidewalk
introduction to water (we do this at first with a kiddie pool in our backyard)
preliminary recall with food and lots of encouragement

We invite you all to participate in our survey. Please share your best ideas for socializing pups for hunting. Or share what you’ve tried that hasn’t been helpful. I’ll be taking responses until January 5, 2002. Responses may be edited and used in future articles describing the results. Results should be completed in Spring 2001 and will be posted here. The results will be submitted to the newsletters for the Calgary Pointing Dog Club and the Brittany Spaniel Club of Canada, and Dogs in Canada Breedlines column if interest warrants.

Thanks,
Dr. Carla Simon

You can reach me by any of the following methods:
email: webmaster@huntersheart.com
fax: (403) 206-7060
regular mail: Hunter’s Heart Brittanys Reg’d
80 Appleside Close SE
Calgary, AB
T2A 7T8