THE STEADYING PROCESS
By Paul Kinney, Sunland, CA

Paul Kinney lives in Southern California with his wife, Jeannine, and their 8 year old son "Big Joe". They are active members in three Southern California spaniel clubs. Paul trained his first spaniel in 1979. In 1988 he started training with the Arrowhead Club and has been committed to field trials ever since. Paul ran his first all age stake in 1989 and finished his first Field Champion in 1992. Today, they are actively training, shooting, planting and judging field trials and Hunting Tests.

Throughout the training process the most technical response we will ask of the dog is to be steady. It is an unnatural response that goes against every other thing we ask of the dog. Because it is so technical it is very important that it is done correctly so as not to affect some of the other traits of the dog. As this system is not the only way to steady a dog, it is one way that has been proved to fully CONDITION the dog to be steady whenever necessary. I state CONDITION in bold because, only when a dog is FULLY CONDITIONED to stop without any mental thought, when his body responds before his brain tells him to stop, is he FULLY CONDITIONED or steady. Only after a dog has been CONDITIONED can you claim he is trained. What any professional coach or athlete will tell you is, that to be successful and beat the competition, all the basic fundamentals must become a natural response, it must be CONDITIONED into the athlete to become an involuntary response, a reaction with no mental thought. With this in mind we must set out to CONDITION an animal to give us a desired response, a reaction that becomes so CONDITIONED in the animal's mind that his body responds without any thought.

We have now become dog trainers. If you are unable to use any of this information you must always remember the 2 most important rules of dog training. (1) Consistency - ALWAYS be consistent with your commands whether in the field or at home. (2) Timing - It is more important to know WHEN NOT to do something than it is to know WHEN TO do something.

As you go through this or any other training process it is always important to keep in mind that as dog trainers when the dog fails to give us the desired response, the dog has not failed, we as trainers have failed to convey to the dog the wanted response. The outline below is designed as a positive procedure with no reason for discipline that may cause confusion on the dog's part. It is important not to test the dog and to set up each training situation so the dog will succeed! Failure causes confusion, confusion causes a lack of confidence and a lack of confidence will cause failure.

During this process we must always keep in mind the long term goal but not be over anxious to achieve it in one session. We must be driven by the short term goal of the drill at hand and understand that it is one block in the foundation of a FULLY TRAINED AND CONDITIONED dog. A professional trainer once told me that it only takes 120 hours to fully train a dog but it must be done 5 minutes at a time or it will take forever.

Only after the dog has mastered the drill do we move on to the next drill, as we are building the foundation one block at a time and only when each drill has been completed and mastered will the dog be conditioned and ready for the next drill. As the process comes together you will see every area of the dog improve.

I cannot tell you how long this process will take as it will differ with each dog. I can tell you that, no matter how old the dog or how many bad habits he has, the longer you take to complete this process the better. For the concept behind conditioning is repetition, the more times you do something the more it becomes a condition. A minimum amount of 4 to 6 months for the best cases and as long as 18 months for the worst.

The steadying process that I have designed is devised to enhance the other qualities of the spaniel, like flushing, marking, control and aggressiveness to cover.

The outline below will guide you through each drill step by step. If you commit to this procedure you must follow it religiously as the end result will not be a conditioned response if not followed.
It is very important to follow each drill outline precisely. It is equally important to follow the outline and not train when the conditions are not right for the drill. I cannot stress enough how important it is that if the conditions are not perfect for the drill you must not train, even if you just drove 2 hours to get to the training grounds. This is the time when you must remember the long term goal and not be motivated by the short term. If the conditions are not perfect for each drill or you cannot set the field as per the outline, you must not train. You can cause more problems or have all your progress destroyed by trying to rush the process. You also must stop all other training and focus on these drills, any training that you may be doing now may conflict with this process.

THE FINAL GOAL
To be successful in anything we do we must establish a goal and the steps to accomplish that goal. The final goal that we are out to achieve is to have the dog stop and sit immediately at a given command, whistle or an event that may occur in the field (honoring a brace bird). To have the dog's body respond before he has time to think what he is supposed to do. This is our final goal and we must keep this in mind during the entire process. Each drill outlined within this process will have a separate goal, a building block in the foundation to a fully conditioned and trained dog. It is very important that you not move to the next drill until you mastered the current drill. If the dog fails during the new drill, immediately return to the previous drill that was recently mastered. If the dog succeeds that drill, go right in to the new drill. The dog should then succeed in the new drill. Each drill is designed as a stepping stone to the next. If any one of the drills are not completely mastered it will be hard to complete the next drill or meet the final goal.

DRILL #1
The goal of this drill is to teach the dog the desired response for the command. During this process we are going to teach the dog to hup to several different commands without the dog ever knowing the difference. We are going to teach the dog to sit to the command "hup", a single whistle toot and a hand signal". It will take the entire process to achieve this as you will see as we proceed.

How to set the field. In a small enclosed area without distractions.
Step #1 - Sit the dog down using the hup command. At the same time blow a single toot on your whistle while holding your hand up palm forward. While the dog is still sitting, step back a few steps and repeat the hup command, whistle toot and hand signal.
Step #2 - This is one of the most important parts of this process. NEVER call you dog to you when the dog is in the hup position. By following this you will find the process will go faster and the dog will learn to sit for longer periods before the urge to break.
While the dog is still in the hup position walk back to the dog, repeat the commands. If the dog has remained sitting, reach down and praise the dog, stand up and give the dog the command to hunt (Hi on, Get out, Find em...). This will become our release command, the same command you will give to cast your dog off to start a hunt. As your dog is now running within the enclosure, call him to you using the proper command (here, come...). Repeat the drill from the beginning. If at any time the dog acts as though he is going to break, immediately step forward, repeat the hup command, walk back to the dog and praise him. If the dog fails to remain sitting and moves off, without any overly aggressive movement that might confuse the dog, kindly pick up the dog and place him back on the original spot. Repeat the commands without moving back and praise for sitting. The only reward we will give is a pat on the head or a scratch on the ear. Repeat this process every day, no more than 3 or 4 times gradually moving farther away until the dog will remain sitting at any distance. Do not overdo this with younger dogs, if the dog succeeds 3 times, it's time to quit and always finish a training drill with a play session for any age dog.
Step #3 - Move to an open field with no distractions. Repeat the steps above from the beginning. Starting close to the dog and gradually moving farther away. Remember not to try to rush this in one session, as soon as the dog acts as though he is losing interest, quit. Continue this drill until the dog will remain sitting at any visible distance.

DRILL #2

The goal of this drill is to condition the dog to respond to your command while questing. At this time it is very important that your dog not be allowed to hunt or flush live birds AT ALL until the final drill.
How to set the field. An open field with no distractions. Head wind or slightly crossing head. We want a field that has been cleared of all game and a field that has not been trained in by previous trainers that day, who may have left down old scent. The reason is so the dog will have less distractions which will make it easier for him to concentrate on your commands. If by chance the dog flushes a wild bird or rabbit during this drill, gain control of the dog and immediately quit! Try again in a few hours.
Step #1 - In the field with your dog seated in front of you, give the command to hup, walk to the left a few feet and stop - repeat the commands. Walk back to the dog and praise him. Stand in front of the dog and repeat the commands, walk to the right a few feet, stop and repeat the commands, walk back to the dog and praise him. Now facing a head wind give your dog the release command to hunt. Allow the dog to quest down the field a short distance. As the dog is returning toward you and moving in your direction, you are to give the hup command as he reaches his closet point to you. If he stops and sits, repeat the commands and walk out and praise him. If he fails to stop, but slows down, step toward him and repeat the command. If he sits, walk to him and praise him.
If he fails to sit, slowly go over to the dog and place him at the spot where he was to sit. Step back, repeat the commands and praise him. Continue down the field repeating this no more than 3 or 4 times. If the dog makes no attempt to stop, go back to Drill #1. Immediately in the field, after completing Drill #1 successfully, go right into this Drill. If the dog again fails, quit and go back to Drill #1 for a few more weeks. If the dog is successful with this drill, repeat 2 to 3 times a day, gradually stopping the dog farther and farther away until you can stop him at any distance. Each time you stop the dog you must walk to the dog and praise him, walk back to your position and then release the dog to hunt. If you continue this drill you will find that the dog will start to pay more attention to you instead of hunting the field. We must not overdo this and diminish the dog's hunting desire. Which brings us to the next step.
Step #2 - If the dog is successful in completing this drill after 2 or 3 times, we must add a separate step to maintain the dog's hunting desire. So, this step will become a part of this drill and must be done in sequence with the first step, but only after the dog has been successful in the first step of this drill.
In a separate field, place 2 or 3 fresh dead birds. With a head wind, place the dog in front of you, step back and give the dog the command to hunt. Allow the dog to quest down the field as a normal day's hunt to find birds. Do not give the dog any command to stop during this drill. The only command to give is to turn the dog or to come in. Do this after the dog has completed Step #1 a few times.
Step #3 - Only after the dog has mastered the above steps for a few weeks do you move to this step. We are going to mix Step #1 and #2. It is best to have a crossing head wind for this drill as it will not tempt the dog to run up field to pick up a bird. Place 2 fresh dead birds in a clean field, place one bird half way down the field and another at the end. Allow enough space between the birds so the dog can develop a hunting pattern.
With the dog in front of you, in the hupped position, cast your dog to hunt. When the dog makes a few casts and when he is closest to you give him a hup command. He should stop dead in his tracks. Walk out to him and praise him. If he did not stop immediately go back to the previous drills - do not go any farther as the damage that can be caused now can undo all the work you have done. If the dog is successful, cast him off to hunt and find the first dead bird. He will pick it up and retrieve to you, take the bird and praise the dog. Give the dog the hup command and only after the dog has followed your command, praise him. This will help calm him and help you maintain control. Cast him off, after he has made a few casts and at a little farther distance, give the hup commands. If he succeeds, walk out and praise him, walk back to your position and give the dog the command to hunt allowing him to find and retrieve the next bird. As he returns and delivers the bird to you, praise him, give him the hup command, praise him, put the leash on and quit. Continue this for a few weeks.

DRILL #3

The goal of this drill is to teach the dog that he is expected to remain sitting until released for a retrieve.
How to set the field. Return to the enclosed yard with no distractions.
Step #1 - This drill can be done in sequence with Drill #2 and I recommend that you do this as part of your daily yard work. If it is the only drill you do for yard work, you will find that it will keep your dog sharp all year long.
Hup the dog, move back a few feet, using a retrieving buck, throw the buck behind you, give the dog the hup command, walk up to the dog and praise him, walk back and give the commands, continue walking back and pick up the buck. As you pick up the buck, give the command "No Bird", walk back to the dog and praise him. If you have been successful in the previous drill, the dog will not attempt to break.
Step #2 - With the dog in front of you, give the hup commands, praise the dog. Move back and throw the buck behind you, repeat the commands, walk to the dog and praise him, walk back and step to the side so the dog can see the buck behind you and give the dog the command to fetch the buck, only if he remains sitting. As the dog returns with the buck give the come command. Continue these steps in the yard but do not do this in the same field as Drill #2.
The most important part of this steadying process or any other is to only allow the dog to retrieve 1 out of 3 retrieves, some cases it is better 1 out of 4. The concept is that this is the fastest way to teach the dog that all the retrieves are not his. Continue this throughout the dog's entire life. There are times when hunting that it would be easy for you to walk out and retrieve a bird and give the "No Bird" command, it will help keep the dog in control and steady at all times. A steady dog will lose less game because they learn to concentrate on the fall and location of the buck which improves their marking abilities. As the dog becomes more conditioned, you will want to give him more of the retrieves.
Step #3 - Move to an open field, park, baseball field... With the dog in front of you, repeat Step #1. If the dog succeeds, move to Step #2. If the dog fails, go back to Step #2 a few more weeks. If the drill is a success, continue, this time move a little closer to the dog and throw the buck to your side, repeat the commands and praise the dog, walk over and pick up the buck and give the command "No Bird", walk back and praise the dog. Next, throw the buck to the other side. If the dog remains steady, praise him, back up and give him the fetch command. Repeat this in the opposite direction, this time do not allow the dog to retrieve the buck. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes and quit. Each time, increase the distance and the direction until you can throw the buck over and behind the dog and he remains steady. Continue this for a few weeks every day once a day.

DRILL #4

The goal to this drill is to slowly teach the dog that he is to be steady on birds, without creating so much excitement that we lose all our previous work. Use the outline for Drill #3 for this drill, except use a fresh dead pigeon. Start from the beginning in the enclosed yard with the dog in front of you and the retrieve behind you. Move to the open field after a few weeks and when the dog has fully mastered Step #1 with a dead bird.

DRILL #5

The goal to this drill is to introduce the dog to live birds and maintain control without losing any of the previous training. During this drill we must be very careful not to affect the dog's flush. By properly tying a live pigeon, we can minimize the chance of accidentally teaching a dog to find birds with his eyes instead of his nose. The springer is a flushing dog and must have a bold flush and be aggressive to cover to be competitive in a field trial and successful in a hunt test. In this drill, we will teach the dog to hunt cover with his nose and not stop and look for game. How to set the field. Open field with a light crossing head wind with good scenting conditions. Using strong healthy pigeons, take a pipe cleaner and tie the feet together. This will keep the bird from walking or jumping out of cover and teaching the dog to use his eyes. Now take a rubber band and bind the wings together so the bird cannot flap its wings or fly off. If a bird in heavy cover is slapping its wings, the dog soon learns to listen for the bird instead of using his nose to find the bird. Place the birds in medium cover so the bird is out of site.
Step #1 - Place two birds down field, one in the middle and one at the end (as we did in Drill #2). With the dog in front of you cast him off to hunt. After a few casts, give the hup command, walk out and praise him. Walk back to your position and cast the dog off to hunt. He will find the bird and retrieve it to you, give praise. The dog may show a little excitement, so this time as you cast him off only allow him to make one cast and as the dog comes by you give the command hup, walk out and praise the dog. If the live bird has made him too excited to stop, you may have to walk out and pick him up and place him down at the spot where he was asked to stop. If you have to do this, set the dog sown and slowly walk back to your position and wait a minute or 2 and let the dog just sit there. The dog will calm down - after he has calmed down, walk out and praise him. Put the leash on him and walk back to your position, take the leash off, give him the hup command, praise him, step back and cast him off to hunt. Allow him to make a few casts and give the hup command again, he should stop like he has brakes on. Walk out and praise him, walk back to your position and cast him off to hunt. He will find the other bird and retrieve it. Take the bird and praise him, step back and cast him off to hunt. Allow the dog to make a few casts down field and hup him again, walk out and praise him, put the leash on and quit. If he does not stop, walk out and place him at the spot he was asked to stop, back up and give him the hup command, walk forward and praise him, put the leash on and quit. Go back to the previous drills for a few more weeks. If the dog is successful, continue this drill a few weeks until mastered.

DRILL #6

The goal to this drill is to teach the dog to be steady at shot. A steady dog is expected to be steady to wing and shot, which means that whether the dog flushes a bird or a gun goes off, the dog is to steady until given a command.
How to set the field. An open field. The first time you do this you should have someone help with the shooting. After the dog has successfully completed this you can do it by yourself.
Step #1 - With the gunner a few yards to one side of you and the dog hupped on the other side, have the gunner throw a fresh dead pigeon directly in front of him. When the bird is at its highest point, fire a shot in the air. As soon as the gun is fired, give the hup command, if the dog is steady praise him. If he is not, slowly walk over and place him back on the original spot. Do not give the dog the first retrieve, walk out and pick up the bird and give the "No Bird" command, walk back and praise the dog.
Step #2 - Repeat same as Step #1, if the dog is steady, give the command to retrieve, but only if the dog was able to see the fall of the bird. If the dog did not see the fall and you send for the retrieve, he may run out and hunt for the bird and find it. But in doing so, the longer he searches, the more excited the dog will become and more likely to break on the next bird. It's best if you walk out and retrieve the bird.
Continue 5 or 6 times giving the dog 2 or 3 of the retrieves if the dog remains steady. You can now do this drill after just completing Drill #5. Do these 2 drills together at least a dozen times over a few weeks.
Step #3 - Same as Steps #1 and #2 except this time use a clip wing pigeon. The wings must be trimmed so as the bird will not fly off. If the bird does fly off, give the command "No Bird". If your training has been thorough, the dog will look away from the bird and wait for your next command, praise the dog.

DRILL #7

The goal of this drill is to teach the dog to be steady to flying birds being shot while questing. How to set the field. An open field with a head wind or crossing head wind. One gunner to the left and one to the right. If you can't get 2 gunners, one will work but you must not attempt to do this by yourself the first time. The chance of losing control is too great if you are trying to shoot and train the dog. The birds do not need to be killed, just shoot the gun in the air. If the wings on the pigeon are short enough, the bird will not fly far. Place 2 or 3 live tied birds in the field as in Drill, #5. In your vest place 2 clip wing birds and give one to your gunners.
Step #1- Place the dog in front of you with the gunners to both sides. Cast the dog off to hunt, allow a few casts down the field. As the dog comes toward you, throw a bird so the bird is going in the same direction as the dog but in front of the gunner. You are now between the dog and the bird. If the dog breaks he must go past you to get the bird. This puts you in position to stop the dog from getting to the bird that he is NOT to have. As soon as the gun goes off or the dog sees the bird in flight, command the dog to hup. If your previous training was successful, the dog will stop. Go out and praise the dog, walk over and pick up the bird, give the command "No Bird", walk back and praise the dog. If the dog does not stop, do not loose your cool - slowly walk over, pick up the dog and place him on the spot where he was asked to stop, go pick up the bird. If the dog gets to the bird, stay calm and take the bird. Stand in front of the dog, give the hup command, throw the bird and have a gunner shoot a shot in the air. If the dog is steady praise him, walk out and pick up the bird.
Step #2 - Cast the dog off to hunt, allow the dog to find the tied bird and retrieve it. Cast the dog and repeat the first step. If the dog is steady, walk out and praise him, walk back to your position and give the fetch command. Continue down the field to find the next tied bird.
Step #3 - At the end of the field with the dog hupped at your side, throw a bird in the air with a shot. If the dog remains steady, praise him, then command to fetch and quit. After a few weeks of this drill and when the dog will stop at the sight of a flying bird, the sound of the gun shot and the hup command, it's time to place a flyer for the dog to flush.
Let's review what we've accomplished: The dog is steady (1) in the yard to the commands; (2) in the field to the commands; (3) to the command "No Bird" and learned this as part of being steady; (4) to the buck in the yard AND field; (5) to the commands when live birds are in the field; (6) to shot as live birds are thrown and shots are fired; (7) to shot live birds while questing. If you have taken the time to CONDITION the dog to these commands, he will stop and sit without any mental thought, being steady has become a CONDITIONED response. His body will react before he has time to think of the proper response. While training the dog to do all this, we also have developed the dog's flush, his concentration, his control, his marking and retrieving skills. We are now ready to let the dog find and flush a bird in the field.

FINAL GOAL

How to set the field. In an open field with a crossing head wind, with good scenting conditions, place 1 live pigeon (tied as in Drill #5) mid-field and a live flyer at the end of the field. Dizzy the bird and place in medium cover, not too heavy or the bird will not be able to fly off. In your bird vest, place a clip wing. Again it is best to do this with an experienced gunner. It is important that the first flushed bird be killed.
Step #1 - With the dog in front of you, cast him off to hunt, allow the dog to make a few casts, and as in Drill #6, throw a pigeon with a gun shot. If the dog is steady, praise him, walk out and pick up the bird, walk back and praise the dog for staying. Cast off to find the tied bird. The next bird is the flyer - cast off allowing the dog to hunt the cover and the wind. Do not push the dog. Allow the dog to hunt in his normal manner. As the dog moves in the area of the bird and scents the bird, move close enough to control the dog but not too close as to pressure the dog or intimidate the dog. Allow the dog to flush the bird. Only after the bird is in full flight are you to command the dog to hup. If you command the dog to hup too early he may think that he is supposed to sit when he smells the bird - this would completely ruin the dog's flush. It is better to let the bird get in full flight before you command HUP! The dog will make one or two steps and stop. The gunner must be aware of what the dog is doing and should only shoot the bird if the dog is stopped and steady. If the dog is not steady, the gunner should not shoot the bird and tell you "No Bird".
If it all comes together the first time, you will be very fortunate, if not, don't loose your cool - give the "No Bird" command, walk over and place the dog on the spot he was asked to be steady. If the dog was steady but the bird was missed, walk over and praise the dog, take the clip wing from your pocket, throw it with a gun shot in the air. If the dog remains steady, give the fetch command. Put the leash on and quit. If it all worked the first time, the dog was steady and the
bird was shot, walk out and praise the dog, give the fetch command. Congratulations, but this is only the beginning. Continue this drill for many weeks, as the dog gains more confidence, add more flyers in the field until you can place 3 or 4 flyers in the field to flush and retrieve. The secret to keeping a dog steady is to never give the dog all the retrieves. At any time the dog appears to show signs that he may break, go back to the previous drills for a few weeks. Even the most seasoned field champion needs to be tuned up and reconditioned at times. Don't ever think that "my dog is steady" - you must constantly train to keep your dog steady.
Only after your dog is fully CONDITIONED on pigeons and has been consistently steady for a long period of time, is it time to introduce the dog to pheasants. The transition is much easier if you have properly conditioned the dog in the steadying process. Start with Drill #3 using dead pheasants and continue through the drills using pheasants instead of pigeons.

This process will develop all the natural abilities that the Spaniel has been bred for over the years and insure that you and your hunting companion will safely retrieve more game in a manner that will honor all the previous trainers and breeders who have dedicated countless hours to breed the most versatile hunting dog ever.