In a broad sense, steadiness underpins virtually all of the behaviors we train for. A steady dog resists temptation, filters out distractions, keeps his impulses under control, and obeys commands happily and eagerly. In other words, he’s a dog that’s a pleasure to hunt with and a pleasure to live with.
If the gospel of steadiness has a high priest, it’s professional trainer Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels. As he puts it, “Steadiness becomes a lifestyle. It’s something that’s practiced and reinforced every day. The foundation to steadiness is building what we call default behaviors—behaviors so entrenched that the dog literally knows no other way to do it. We don’t train dogs to be successful; we train them so they cannot be unsuccessful.”
Stewart begins teaching the place command when a pup is just eight weeks old, prefacing every command with the pup’s name. The name becomes the dog’s cue; he learns that if he doesn’t hear it, he doesn’t move. “The place command instills steadiness from day one,” Stewart notes, “and it transfers seamlessly to the field. Wherever that place is—a boat, a blind, a water stand, the back of the truck—the dog knows that when he’s sent there, he stays until he’s released by his name. Some people argue that early steadiness training diminishes a pup’s drive and desire, but in my experience that’s simply untrue. If anything, by instilling patience and anticipation of a reward, early steadiness training enhances those qualities.”
Something you should try to avoid, Stewart warns, is getting into the habit of calling your dog off place from, say, the other side of the room and having him come to you. If you’re not careful, this habit can erode steadiness by creating what Stewart calls a “creeper in training.” This is a dog that will start to inch off his place whenever you turn your back. Instead, Stewart suggests returning to your dog to release him whenever possible.
As soon as your pup learns sit and stay, you can begin to reinforce steadiness and build patience by making him wait for his food. “Food is a great motivator,” Stewart notes. “The dog learns that when he does his job, he gets his food.” Once the sitting pup makes eye contact, Stewart puts the food pan down. With a young pup he’ll wait a few beats before speaking his name to release him. With older, more experienced dogs he may speak the names of other dogs as a distraction, or scuffle around as if he’s trying to flush a bird from cover.
Group work with other dogs is another terrific way to reinforce steadiness. It can be as simple as getting together with a couple of hunting buddies and their dogs and taking turns heeling one dog through and around the other dogs while they sit and wait for their names to be called.
A more advanced steadiness exercise is something Stewart calls “double dogs.” With two bumpers out, one handler sends his dog for a retrieve. Then, once that dog has picked up the bumper, the other handler sends his dog for the second bumper. (It’s important for the first handler to remain quiet while the second dog is completing his retrieve.) You should begin with the bumpers placed far apart, gradually narrowing the angle as the dogs become more comfortable operating in tandem.
Be careful not to undo all your good steadiness work by throwing too many objects for your dog to retrieve. “If you keep throwing things,” Stewart asserts, “you’re going to unsteady your dog. There’s no need to give your dog marks over and over. Make it a memory bird that he picks up later, or let another dog pick it up, or get it yourself.”
This brings up what Stewart calls the “Three Ds of Steadiness”: Denials (not letting the dog have the bumper), Delays (making him wait for the bumper), and Diversions (throwing a lot of bumpers at various angles and distances while requiring the dog to remain focused on the one he was sent to retrieve). “If you keep the Three Ds in mind as you train,” he says, “you’ll be well on your way to establishing those default behaviors that are the hallmarks of a reliably steady retriever.”
