Let me start by saying, one of the most important things you can do to help yourself, your dog, and the breed in general is to become a registered member of the VDD-GNA. You will receive a quarterly newsletter which has lots of great information, as well as training tips. You will also be able to see the members only section of the website. You will also need to be a member to participate in any of the GNA tests/shows.
Training your dog isn't what it used to be. Heck, when I was a kid, we would just go out and work a dog on wild birds. It wasn't uncommon to be able to find 10-20 wild birds in an evening of "training". Unfortunately here in Utah, the wild pheasant population has been decimated, so we have to resort to other techniques. There is a fair amount of training involved in getting your Drahthaar to fulfill it's full potential. I personally do not have all the answers when it comes to training. Like children, each dog has it's own personality. There is not one fail safe method to train every single dog out there. What worked great for my dog, may work great for yours, but might also be a training disaster. There are many training resources available. I will list a few that I think hold merit. This list is not intended to be all inclusive, as you may have a training method that is not well known, but works well nonetheless. I will be more than happy to give advice, and even give aid while you train. If you would like your dog trained by a "professional" dog trainer, I know some very qualified guys that I can happily refer you to. I myself am not a professional trainer, I do it for fun. I maintain a very busy career that generally would not allow me to train more than 1 or 2 dogs at a time. I will be happy to host training sessions, I have several pigeon launchers, as well as some homing pigeons that are invaluable in training situations. There are also many others in our club that are always looking for training partners. This can be a fun way to meet new people, and see what is working for them.
You may or may not have heard of "Force Fetch" for your dog. Yes, the Drahthaar is a natural retriever, but they need some guidance on how to retrieve a multitude of game properly, as well as have the discipline to always bring you the game. I highly recommend this as part of your training program. It isn't very fun, but is one of those necessary evils. I recommend you set aside about 6 weeks for this program. You will need only about 10-15 minutes each day. Do not miss more than a few days! Consistency is key. Also DO NOT RUSH! If you think you can properly do this in 2-3 weeks, I can tell you, you are wrong, and it will show at the trials. Take it slow and easy, and you will be very happy with the results.
The following items are very helpful training tools, and I feel that if you use them, with some common sense, you can have a very well trained hunting companion and friend for many years to come.
The Drahthaar Puppy Manual is a great book for getting started with your new pup. A full copy will be provided with your pup.
The Armbruster Training Manual is available from the GNA website. This is another nice training resource.
The Hold and Fetch DVD is a wonderful force fetch training video, and I think is one of the best out there.
The Perfect Start and The Perfect Finish from Perfection Kennels are considered the cream of the crop by many out there.
You'll also want to check out the following.
Lion Country Supply
Gun Dog Supply
Permatack
Training your dog isn't what it used to be. Heck, when I was a kid, we would just go out and work a dog on wild birds. It wasn't uncommon to be able to find 10-20 wild birds in an evening of "training". Unfortunately here in Utah, the wild pheasant population has been decimated, so we have to resort to other techniques. There is a fair amount of training involved in getting your Drahthaar to fulfill it's full potential. I personally do not have all the answers when it comes to training. Like children, each dog has it's own personality. There is not one fail safe method to train every single dog out there. What worked great for my dog, may work great for yours, but might also be a training disaster. There are many training resources available. I will list a few that I think hold merit. This list is not intended to be all inclusive, as you may have a training method that is not well known, but works well nonetheless. I will be more than happy to give advice, and even give aid while you train. If you would like your dog trained by a "professional" dog trainer, I know some very qualified guys that I can happily refer you to. I myself am not a professional trainer, I do it for fun. I maintain a very busy career that generally would not allow me to train more than 1 or 2 dogs at a time. I will be happy to host training sessions, I have several pigeon launchers, as well as some homing pigeons that are invaluable in training situations. There are also many others in our club that are always looking for training partners. This can be a fun way to meet new people, and see what is working for them.
You may or may not have heard of "Force Fetch" for your dog. Yes, the Drahthaar is a natural retriever, but they need some guidance on how to retrieve a multitude of game properly, as well as have the discipline to always bring you the game. I highly recommend this as part of your training program. It isn't very fun, but is one of those necessary evils. I recommend you set aside about 6 weeks for this program. You will need only about 10-15 minutes each day. Do not miss more than a few days! Consistency is key. Also DO NOT RUSH! If you think you can properly do this in 2-3 weeks, I can tell you, you are wrong, and it will show at the trials. Take it slow and easy, and you will be very happy with the results.
The following items are very helpful training tools, and I feel that if you use them, with some common sense, you can have a very well trained hunting companion and friend for many years to come.
The Drahthaar Puppy Manual is a great book for getting started with your new pup. A full copy will be provided with your pup.
The Armbruster Training Manual is available from the GNA website. This is another nice training resource.
The Hold and Fetch DVD is a wonderful force fetch training video, and I think is one of the best out there.
The Perfect Start and The Perfect Finish from Perfection Kennels are considered the cream of the crop by many out there.
You'll also want to check out the following.
Lion Country Supply
Gun Dog Supply
Permatack