A check cord is a valuable tool that can be used to train your dog for simple commands as well as hunting abilities. A check cord slips around the D ring in the leather collar on your dog. It is made of strong nylon that is easy to handle and will not bend like a rope. When you tug on the cord, you are letting your dog know that he is doing something wrong.
When you are training a hunting dog, you want him to close to you. There is a point when you are working with your dog when he will have to be away from you. This is where the check cord comes in handy. You should use several drills to use the check cord to train your dog on basic commands.
The check cord should be used in quartering drills. The dog should not tug on the cord to try to take off running. He should quarter in front of you. You can use the cord to get him to turn when you want as well as to sit and come to you. The cord should ideally be about 20 to 25 feet in length. The purpose of the cord is to tug at the collar, giving your dog a reminder that he is doing the wrong thing. When the cord does not pull, he knows that he is behaving accordingly.
There is a bowline knot at the end of the check cord that will keep the cord from getting tangled. The D ring should be at the back of the collar of the dog. When you are using the cord, you should be careful not to tug on it too hard. You should give a brief tug when the dog steps out of line. Using a cord is similar to using an electronic dog collar in that you want to give gentle reminders to the dog when you are going through drills. If the dog takes off running, you can then pull firmly on the cord.
Your dog should walk in front of you at about ten and two, as if comparing to a clock. When you first put a dog on a lead, his instinct will be to pull at the lead and try to move further away from you. One of the first things that you need to teach a dog is how to quarter. This is imperative for a hunting dog and also for any dog.
Sitting is another drill that you can practice with your dog using the check cord. You can also teach him to retrieve in this way. Instead of using voice commands, however, you are better off to start using voice commands to sit and come after he has gotten used to the check cord. This will make it easier for him to make the connection to the verbal command and will also make training easier.
Training a dog with a check cord is not difficult and should be a practice for all dog owners. A check cord is easy to use and will help you train your dog in basic command drills.
Geoffrey A. English is the Founder of GundogsOnline.com, the internet's premiere online magazine dedicated to hunting dogs. Their site has a wide variety of dog supplies such as Garmin 220 dog tracking collar, Dogtra 200 NCP GOLD, and Innotek ADV-1000.
0 comments:
Post a Comment