Anyone dealt with a hugely 'hot dog'? I didn't even know there was such a thing until I started reading old posts here.
My six month old cocker Harris is my first dog and definitely fits the discription! His sire's lines have mostly come through Housty but his mother has dogs like Mellowdale Zander and Randalyn Black Jack in her lines who are both mentioned in previous threads as being 'hot'.
He's a driven, energetic dog which I like and I'm scared I'd knock that out of him if I try and calm him down. Plus I only want to use positive training methods because he's really friendly and determined to learn, although sometimes he knows better than me lol... He's already showing promise as a good hunter and never stops. Should I embrace the hotness? Or are there any tips from the experience here?
Thanks
Last edited by Clayton1977 on Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Look forward to following this topic.
Trek likes em hot .... apparently
PS
At that age I counted mine as hot but apparently she isn't particularly so. Maybe it was just cos she was a pup, I suspect because I couldn't handle that much drive that I effectively and unknowingly trained it out of her. Apparently you get what you train for
Muddling along in the hope that one day it starts to make sense.
ips wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:20 am
Look forward to following this topic.
Trek likes em hot .... apparently
PS
At that age I counted mine as hot but apparently she isn't particularly so. Maybe it was just cos she was a pup, I suspect because I couldn't handle that much drive that I effectively and unknowingly trained it out of her. Apparently you get what you train for
I would have to agree with that sentiment. ""In the end We all get the dog we deserve"
I have a liking for "hot" dogs and I always have had. You will need to anticipate what your dog is most likely to do and be ready to praise it or counteract it before the dog has arrived in the "situation." I am not a "positive only" trainer but by anticipating when and where a dog was likely to go wrong I was able to avoid or correct thus avoiding having to use a lot of forceful corrections.
We have a brain capable of "seeing ahead" that is better than any dog has. Make use of that power.
Many of my friends think my cocker "Charlie" is a very hot dog .....they have been known to make the sign of the cross when they see him coming ! I never trialed him but he has worked as a rough shooting dog , as a picking up dog and as a successful test dog. We have a bond and his hotness has worked in my favour .....most of the time ! He has been my favourite dog for about 10 years now.
Wullie
If at first you don't succeed .....find out if there is a booby prize !
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Don't do what doesn't work - do what does.
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My own cocker could be classified as hot. He has endless energy and always looks as if he's on the verge of the wheels coming off which I love but can also be frustrating. As a young dog I didn't put a lot of control into him on the advice of other spaniel people. But to be honest if I went back and did it over I would've done a lot more obedience and instilled control into him from the start. One thing about dogs with a lot of go in them is that despite our own fear of taking that fire out.... they have a lot more fire than most and can handle having more control put into them. My guy is 5 years old now and still a wild child but the control is there. I definitely should've put more into it though when he was younger.
"If you train a young dog for momentum, precision will arrive. If you train for precision, demanding perfection, momentum will depart." - Rex Carr
I’d agree with Cass on that. Anyone can have a hot or not so hot dog running out of control or on the uncomfortable edge of it. It’s easy and you end up with a dog’s lifetime of needless grief. Much better to get the control in sooner than later unless you’re very experienced and know what you’re doing. You’ll not squash the dog’s drive or hotness unless you’re very ham fisted, especially if you’re training without harsh aversives.
My advice would be to get the basics into the dog solidly, and learn to anticipate his every move. Anticipation is your greatest ally in training dogs.
Thanks for all the advice. I'll make sure to keep obedience top of the priorities list for now, especially as he's still young enough that everything we do ripples through everything he does as an adult.
Springfield Pointers wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:12 pm
My advice would be to get the basics into the dog solidly, and learn to anticipate his every move. Anticipation is your greatest ally in training dogs.
This ^^^^^ three quarters of the skill in training is anticipation. For example, if your dog loves swimming and heads for water at every opportunity, don't throw a dummy along the bank! Anticipate the dog heading for water either before or after collecting it and start training by throwing the dummy at 90 degrees to the water and anticipate the dog wanting to run past you on the way back, interrupt that before the dog has got past you. Not the world's best example but hope it helps. Bring the dog on slowly in situations where its likely to succeed and you can praise the hell out of it, dog is happy you are happy, it becomes willing to work with you because it always understands what you are asking of it. Simples!
In life, it is important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong.
Springfield Pointers wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:12 pm
My advice would be to get the basics into the dog solidly, and learn to anticipate his every move. Anticipation is your greatest ally in training dogs.
This ^^^^^ three quarters of the skill in training is anticipation. For example, if your dog loves swimming and heads for water at every opportunity, don't throw a dummy along the bank! Anticipate the dog heading for water either before or after collecting it and start training by throwing the dummy at 90 degrees to the water and anticipate the dog wanting to run past you on the way back, interrupt that before the dog has got past you. Not the world's best example but hope it helps. Bring the dog on slowly in situations where its likely to succeed and you can praise the hell out of it, dog is happy you are happy, it becomes willing to work with you because it always understands what you are asking of it. Simples!
Spot on. I get what you mean, for example if there's been multiple dummies thrown out and he's been asked to retrieve only one dummy, catch him and praise like mad when he returns with the first so he knows he's done well and doesn't have to immediately rush out for the next one before being asked. So anticipation of what he's likely to do. The advice from Naj and the guys makes a lot of sense here too, with more obedience in place it will be easier to communicate with and control the dog in these situations.
I've started some impulse control excercises but as he's still young I don't want to push things too hard. So simple things like taking him out and throwing three or four dummies where I pick them up before finally sending him for the retrieve. It's nothing fancy but he's starting to learn that he doesn't have to immediately react to anything that's going on.
I never trialed him but he has worked as a rough shooting dog , as a picking up dog and as a successful test dog. We have a bond and his hotness has worked in my favour .....most of the time ! 
