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Mind Reading Is A Two-way Street
From the moment you bring a gun dog pup home, it starts reading your eyes to anticipate your next move. You owe it to your pup to be able to do the same for it. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
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f you pay close attention to your hunting dog, you know it watches every move you make. It looks closely at you when you GUN DOGGIN’ 101 get out of your favorite By Scott Haugen chair and it can tell by your demeanor whether you’re getting up to grab a snack during a break in the football game or taking them outside to potty. When gearing up for the hunt, your dog can tell by the look on your face when it’s time for them to stop so you can put their vest on. Or whether or not it’s OK for them to run ahead of you when walking to the hunting locale. They know when the hunt is over and it’s time to go home, without you saying a word. By looking at you, your dog knows when you’re getting frustrated – and likely why. Their tail wags when you laugh, even if you’re not looking at them. If you’re a duck hunter, your dog knows by the look in
your eyes when birds are approaching. Or, if you’re like me, you watch your dog’s eyes, because they spot way more ducks than we do, and usually sooner than we can.
SPEND ANY TIME getting to know your dog you’ll realize that it’s trying to read your mind in an effort to please you. But do you look at your dog’s body language, facial expressions and eyes to try and read their mind? Do you know how they walk when they’re ready to go to the bathroom, how their ears hang when happy, sad or in pain? Do you know how your dog is feeling, what it’s thinking or what its next move is going to be? If not, you should – dogs communicate through body language and facial expressions, just like humans do. “One of the biggest obstacles I deal with is teaching dog owners how to read their dog,” shares Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs in Lakeview, Oregon. Spradley is one of the best known and most respected dog trainers in the country. He’s patient,
loves working with all gun dogs and spends a lot of time getting to know the dogs he’s training. “A lot of people bring me dogs for simple training,” continues Spradley. “Whether they want me to teach it to whoa, sit at blind or not break on the shot, it’s all simple stuff, really.” Spradley spends time watching a dog before he begins training it. He notes its demeanor, attention span, how it makes eye contact and its body behavior. Then he proceeds slowly and very patiently. “I don’t want the dog to be shocked by any of my movements or commands. I keep communication simple and calm. While the dog’s reading my mind, I’m doing the same to it so I can anticipate what my next move should be.”
ONCE THE DOG is trained, Spradley has the owner come pick it up. But before taking it home, Spradley spends time teaching the owner how he trained their dog so the nwsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2023
Northwest Sportsman 161