Standard poodle for hunting.

[bkitchen0406]

I have a 3 month old poodle. I got him on the 12-25-07. I taught him how to sit and lay down in one day. He learns really fast. I did years of research before I purchased a dog. I read that Poodles were the first hunting dog ever bread for the purpose. Soon I will be training him as a bird dog. I will keep you all posted. This is my first post. He is a black standard. He has very big feet, so I am not sure how big he will get. I am wondering if a 40 inch crate will be big enough for him.

[bkitchen0406]

If anyone is interested in training their poodle to hunt let me know. I know where some good free videos that are on the web. You don't have to be a hunter to train them them this way. For water waterfowl or ducks you are teaching the dog an advanced game of fetch. You teach him to mark multiple objects that are tossed out, and to grab them with different commands. That is the short version. The poodle was the first retriever, so it comes very natural to them.

[Helen]

Hi Bkitch!  Congratulations on your new pup!  A black Standard at 3 months old.. just doesn't get much cuter than that!  I'm not surprised he learned to sit and lay down so quickly.  Poodles are very smart.  It will be fun to hear about his training for birding.  He should do well.

A 40 inch crate should be fine.  Our crates are 42L x 28W x 32H, and they are plenty roomy enough for our SPs.  Chula (at the Rainbox Bridge) was 100 pounds and she still fit in hers.

What's his name?

Helen

[bkitchen0406]

His name is Oliver Twist. Today we started bird dog training. I used a rubber toy because of money at the moment. He is learning to stay as I throw out a toy. The command mark is used to tell the dog what toy to get. His name is used as a command to get the toy. He is positively reinforced. After a few rounds of that he is reinforced with fun play time. He gets to chase the toy with out any commands. This is another important part for us. All his training is reinforced with positive reinforcement or play time.

He does not have is tail cropped. Many people do not like to get their hunting dogs tail cropped so they can see them in the woods better. I use positive reinforcement. I do not use dog treats or a shock collar as most hunting dog trainers use. I believe that my secret to my success with my particular dog is because of this. I will post a view of us at some point.

Equipment I found at my hunting store for non hunting dogs. If you have a standard poodle you half to go to a large chain hunting store. You will find really good rubber boots and special leads that are amazing for your poodle. Way better stuff then at your pet store. I am serious. Please take the time to go to a hunting store if you live in a colder climate or if you are looking for that perfect leash to train with. I really think you will will all thank me latter. I am going to post this as well.

[zefi]

Hi and welcome to the PR to you and Oliver. Great to have someone doing something so different with their poodle. I know poodles are perfectly capable of hunting and I do know someone who has done it, but its very rare. Look forward to hearing stories and seeing photos!

[Roland]

Hey someone who is really doing this!!!!!!! That is too cool! Yes they are the original water retriever. People at the dog parks are always amazed at how athletic, and rough and tumble Oden is. They are very athletic, and scary smart.  You are going to love training Oliver, they pick things up so quick, and they love to learn. The smart really comes in handy too. He has learned habits of other breeds, like boxing (Boxers), and that if you can't catch the Greyhound, don't just run with the rest of the pack, cut him off, find away around over under any obstical, they have great reasoning, and problem solveing ablility, as well as doing as taught.
 That also sounds like a really good way to tire him out. These pups have allot of energy. They need exercise, socialization, and Mental stimulation.  They can also be terror pups, they are smart enough to get at anything they want, remember where you put it , and wait until you are not looking. A Poodle will spoil you for any other breed.
I want to see pics

[bkitchen0406]

There will be pics soon. If anyone wants to learn how to train their poodle for hunting let me know. I mention this because training them as a retriever is a lot of fun even if you never hunt with them. You basicaly teach them a very advanced fetch game. If you want to learn more about it let me know and I will start a thread and keep it updated. Actually I will just keep updating this one. How about that.

[bkitchen0406]

I have recieved a lot of harrasment from other hunters because I am using a poodle. You wouldn't even believe it. I always go against the grain so I don't care to much.

[Fluffy]

Hi Bkitchen- congrats on your puppy - you sound very switched on in the training dept.  Look forward to hearing more.  Hope your poodle shows those doubters how it should be done.  Love to see photos.

[bkitchen0406]

I went to a hunting forum that is for all of the US. Everyone there was nice and had seen poodles hunt before and said they do well. Must be something in the water here in Ohio for people to be so rude.

Update on Olivers waterfowl training.

Last night on his second try he was able to mark and retrieve two different dummy objects. He is told to sit and stay. Then one after another, two different objects are tossed out. The command MARK is used with each toss. He must sit and say during this. Then His name is the command to go and get a dummy. He comes back and drops it. Then I use his name again as a command to get the next bird. He did this well. Eventually we will work with 4 dummy objects. Its almost like a memory game. Thats why I thought it might be good for the non hunter that has a poodle. It's an advanced game of fetch.

[bkitchen0406]

I could not believe he got it on the second try.

[Roland]

Thought you might be interested in this site. came across it back in June when we first got Oden.
http://www.vipoodle.org/docs/WPindex.html (Hunting page)
http://www.vipoodle.org/ (This is the home page)
Don't let'em get to you that is not a local thing, the breed has got a bad rep somewhere down the line and their origings have been forgotton. When you got the best retriever in the group, Oliver will be a good ambassitor dog for the breed (and if he's not the best, he'll still be your best friend, and that's what's really important).  Somewhere here in Jersey we came across a Poodle breeder, who will only sell you a pup if you plan on using the dog for hunting, to preserve the purpose of the breed.
I never engage ignorant people, I just smile knowingly think "What a yutz" and continue on with my Poodle. One of the best things I've heard said, is "it's none of my business what other people are thinking of me".

[zefi]

The owner of PSG (poodle support group, a list for poodle owners) hunts with his poodle, a black mini. Right now I cant remember either name... I think the poodle is called Howie. Anyone remember?

[bkitchen0406]

I heard the very first hunting dog was a small poodle used to hunt rabit.