Meet the Trainers: Q&A with Veteran Dog Trainer Mike Lardy

Meet veteran retriever trainer Mike Lardy of Handjem Retrievers.

Location: Wisconsin and Georgia

How long have you been a trainer? Retired after 42 years of field trial training.

Early Stages:

For new puppy buyers, what should be the training priorities in that dog’s first year?

First priority is being a good citizen. That means crate and place board training, learning patience, and understanding limits. Exposure to birds and a variety of natural environments is critical. Depending on your time and facilities, and your dog’s abilities, you could have a steady dog that does multiple marks and simple blind retrieves by a year of age, but don’t have a set time table.

What’s the biggest mistake you see amateur trainers make when dealing with a puppy?

I’d say thinking they need to wait until some magical age before they “train” their puppy. Today, there is so much information out there on training very young puppies to perform somewhat complex tasks with positive training. Learning how to learn starts when you get your puppy home.

How significant is choosing a name? Pros and cons to different names?

I wouldn’t sweat this detail too much but let’s avoid three-syllable names, and anything that sounds like sit, here, or no. I’ve known two dogs whose names started with an S that developed a little no-go problem due to confusion with sit. One more consideration- if your dog gets lost in the neighborhood, what’s it going to sound like when you walk around yelling his name.

Specific Behaviors:

What’s the most difficult introduction (water, gunfire, multiple retrieves, dog blinds, etc.) trainers deal with?

Proper introductions to all of these are easy, but the consequences of unplanned and possibly traumatic introductions can create huge problems, especially with regard to water and gunfire. Repeated or prolonged exposure to cold water or suddenly falling into water could create problems for a pup. Likewise, exposure to fireworks or close gunfire at the shooting range could create insurmountable gun shyness. Make any introduction gradual and positive. My young dogs were often staked out by the dog truck, hearing the distant gunfire on the marks we were training the older dogs on, so it was just a non-issue. Shooting a .22 pistol (or similar) as you lengthen the distance of early marks will make any retriever have positive associations with gunfire.

What is the simplest way to correct breaking and improve steadiness?

Avoid the problem in the first place! The conventional wisdom has been that you didn’t want to diminish their desire by steadying young dogs too early. Then, at some point, you decide your pup is old enough to “get steady” and you lower the boom. Today, it is more conventional to create the habit of steadiness right from the get-go by teaching a very young pup to sit still in general, and when marks are being thrown. Eventually, a little pressure from the heeling stick or collar may reinforce absolute steadiness, but the skill was taught as a fundamental habit, so consequently less pressure is needed to attain a high standard.

How do you approach correcting whining in a young dog?

First, make sure you don’t reward whining. If your dog has been adequately aired don’t let him out of the crate or kennel when he whines or give him undue attention. If it continues you may decide to admonish your young pup with a squeeze on the muzzle, but teaching patience from the beginning is more effective than correcting for noise. Learning to remain still on a place board, wait patiently on a stake out chain, and otherwise wait (to eat, go out the door, load up) will reduce the chance of a vocal dog. However, an inordinately high level of prey drive coupled with a genetic predisposition to making noise can create challenges that even experienced professionals will find difficult to control. I simply wouldn’t get a puppy out of a noisy dam or sire.

What are your rules or guidelines when dealing with training in the summer heat?

First, keep the lessons short and simple. Second, avoid pressure. Third, always read your dog for signs of stress. Hard-going retrievers will seldom self-limit their effort- they would work until they dropped. It’s your job to quit long before you even have to think about them getting overheated. If I’m training on marks. I’m more likely to do them as singles, and to design the tests so extensive hunting to recover the mark is unlikely. Don’t assume that working in the water is any kind of guarantee they’ll stay cool. Summer water temps can create dangerous working conditions. Finally, always monitor the cool down after working. Don’t confine a panting dog and don't let them crawl under the truck. Give them a cool-down walk and then stake them out in the shade.

Hunting Focus:

What are the main training indicators that your dog, regardless of age, is ready for the fall hunting season?

First, make sure your dog is accustomed to gunfire- and not just a distant .22 pistol. You’ll inevitably be shooting a shotgun fairly close to your dog so it needs to be accustomed to that with a very gradual introduction. Second, for safety reasons you need a reliable recall. Generally that means a recall that can be enforced fairly with an e-collar. There are too many potential hazards out there to risk going afield without an enforceable recall. It would be great if your dog had been exposed to birds, steadied, and perhaps force-fetched but it's ok to take out your youngster if that isn’t the case. Just keep your expectations low, and it’s probably best if you hunt alone initially so you’re not worried how your pup’s performance is affecting your hunting partner’s outing.

What are some of the most common bad habits dogs tend to pick up during the hunting season, and how are they addressed?

For waterfowl hunting, I’d say it’s the loss of steadiness. It’s just too easy to overlook a breaking dog as you focus on shooting. If steadiness declines and you’re not willing to “train” while hunting, then I recommend you put the dog on a stake out or otherwise restrict him. For upland hunting, it’s moving too far ahead and ignoring your attempts to restrict their range. Again, having a reliable and enforceable recall is primary, but you don’t want to have a yo-yo hunt pattern where your dog goes out too far and gets recalled repeatedly. Ideally, you’ve worked on hunting at a reasonable range and having the dog pay attention to the direction you’re moving.

What are your ideal expectations for your retriever throughout the waterfowl season?

Like the doctor’s creed, first, do no harm. Having your retriever along for the hunt should be enjoyable and stress-free (well, almost). If you’re screaming commands while your dog is running amok, then you haven’t put in the work to prepare your dog. Be mad at yourself, not the dog. Ideally, we want to recover all the birds we shoot. Whether you achieve that with excellent marking and crisp blind retrieves, or you simply take the dog to the area and get him to search diligently, the recovery of birds is paramount. We can’t expect perfection in the first season, but it is gratifying to see how good our retrievers can get if they have a sound foundation and then get some real-world experience under their belt.