SportDog Training


Hup Command

Choosing the right pup is the first step to sportdog training. Experts and experienced SportDog trainers have said that the best training can’t stand up against a pup that just wasn’t made to be a gun dog. Choosing an even-tempered pup and one that isn’t terrified by loud noises makes 50% of training in the bag. Basic training for sport dogs would be the versatile command Hup!; in both word and whitle. This command is used at several instances during a field session. With the steps on this page, your sport dog pup will learn how and when to Hup!.

Step 1: Hup!

One of the commands most sport dogs need to recognize is the word Hup!, this in dog-speak means sit. Often used during the hunt this command is basic and one that will be often used. The first time the Hup! is used calls for dog treats. To be able to get your pup in Hup! fashion is to pass a treat above head while repeating the word command. Give the treat at hand only when it sits. Repeat this for several times, making it more fun than just a lesson.

Step 2: Whistle and Hup!

With the use of a whistle, give it a short burst of sound, this is the whistle style of Hup!. Using treats again, have your pet follow the hand with treat, using passes overhead. Now give your whistle command for Hup! as you start to move the treat over the top of the pup’s head without saying Hup!. Repeat both exercises, until your pup gets the Hup! command in both word and a blast of a whistle.

Step 3: Stay Until Released

Teaching this step involves the use of a platform, a electronic training collar and a 3 meter leash. Put a square platform a few feet from you. Give your pet dog the Hup! ordering it to sit the said platform. With your pet dog on the other end of the leash, tug a bit at the leash. When your pet tries to move out of the “Hup!” position, send a mild correction through.

This step teaches your pet to stay on the platform to fend off the correction. The correction is done when your dog doesn’t resume and maintain a Hup!. End this step session by calling your dog’s name and walking away from the platform, with it following on leash.

Step 4: Hup! at Heel

With the first two training steps, reinforce it by walking your pet dog on a leash. Walk with your pet dog, then suddenly stop. At the time you’d decide to stop, say a deliberate Hup! then stop. Mastering both steps 1 and 2, your pet will sit at the Hup!. Walk around some more and stop, without the Hup! command. You’ll see how clever your pet is, since it’ll catch on by going on Hup! without having to be told. Praise your pet once it has caught on.

For pet dogs slow on the take, reinforce the Hup! with a jerk of the leash. Never teach steps 3 and up without your dog learning and mastering steps 1 & 2.

Step 5: “Hup!” from Motion

The 4th step of the Hup! command will have you and your pet dog on the move. Give the command to Hup!-verbal or whistle, and continue walking without the dog this time. You must expect it to maintain the Hup! position, allowing you to walk away from it. At first most pet dogs take one or two tentative steps befor stopping.

Go back to the platform, lead it towards the platform as you abruptly give the Hup! command. Reinforce training with a mild correction. Abrupt and sudden stops are common during the hunt. Your pet dog must master this since the command and stops will carry over in a sport dog’s work at the field.

SportDog Training

Sporting dogs have been a registered group in clubs around the world. This is a group of dog breeds also termed as gundogs that assist hunters and handlers during a field session. Hunting is primarily for feather and fur, tracking medium sized quarry. The dogs involved in a hunt are divided in types: the Pointers, Setters, Spaniels and Retrievers. The types are used to separate form and function though lately avid owners of some breeds promote their dogs as versatile.

Pointers and Setters are dog types that track game and stand at point at the direction where the animal has hidden. For Setters, aside from the ability to go point, are used in set traps for game, this type doesn’t mind chasing an animal into a waiting net. Spaniels are used as flushers, once the game is located and in hiding its the flushers job to help flush it out of hiding. Some Spaniels also act as decoys to attract pheasant or duck to a brush or duck blind.

Retrievers, are the types of sporting dogs that have the job of assisting in the hunt and by retrieving game after the hunt. They have good scent, eyesight and intelligence to be able to get shot game or escaping wounded birds in land and water. The Retrievers are the sturdier built sportdog type since they get to be immersed in water for hours at a time during the hunt.

The types of Sporting breeds are mentioned here since the page is for Sportdog Training. For starters it would be difficult to train a work dog or toy dog to do the job of a Sporting breed. For training regimen to be successful, choosing the right dog is a must. For a pup to qualify for Sportdog Training it must NOT be gun shy. Most of the training a sportdog undergoes requires the dog to be calm, trusting and has the presence of mind to anticipate and work alone in it’s task. A sporting dog breed exhibiting gun shyness must be passed over even if it has a good build or any outward qualities, Sportdog training is meant for gundogs at heart.