Teaching WHOA With The Barrel

Contributed by Dave King

The barrel is a very useful tool when it comes to training a dog whoa. There are only three things that you need to be successful using the barrel. The first, of course, is a 50-gallon barrel. These can be picked up for pretty cheap at your local stock shop for a reasonable price, I got mine or about $10 each. The second thing you need is a bathroom rug or a piece of carpet to place on top of the barrel for the dog to stand on so they won't slide off when you put them on. Lastly you need the most important thing which is...patience.

Training a bird dog to do anything takes time and the time you put into will pay off in the end. Now on to business! The barrel should be set on the ground in the open so the dog can't try and jump onto anything around him. Place the carpet on top of the barrel so as to give the dog something to grip when they are on top of the barrel. When placing the dog on the barrel put your knee against the barrel so it won't rock, we don't want that to happen yet. When I first place a dog on the barrel I DO NOT give him the command. The barrel is a new environment to the dog so I always want to make the introduction to be pleasant so bring treats and pet them a lot as they are standing. I tend not to say anything to the dog while standing on the barrel. The reason being is I want the dog to make the connection when I say whoa that he shouldn't move, but there isn't anything wrong with giving a little praise. While you are doing this remember to keep your knee against the barrel.

After a couple of times just standing on the barrel start to incorporate the word "whoa". Keep petting the dog and keep saying whoa. As long as the dog is doing what he needs to be doing (standing straight up and still!) don't remove your knee from the barrel. If you find that your dog is leaning into you to stabilize, remove your knee from the barrel and step back. Now, I don't like to let my dog fall since all training sessions are supposed to be fun so once he starts to shake on the barrel I'll quickly get my knee against the barrel again to stabilize it and tell him whoa, then I will go back to petting and saying whoa. Now it is up to you. All that you need to do now is to keep repeating the steps and keep your patience, as this will take time. The way that you tell that your dog is done is by removing your knee from the barrel and walking around it. If you can walk all the way around the barrel with out the dog falling off, then you are good to go and start working on the ground. Good luck and I hope things work out for you and your dog.

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