Meet the Trainers: Q&A with Veteran Dog Trainer Walter Schalau

Meet veteran retriever trainer Walter Schalau of Southern Oak Kennels—Great Lakes.

Location: Leroy, Michigan

How long have you been a trainer? 13 years

Early Stages:

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

I like to see focus training for the first few months, until the adult teeth have come into place. This should consist of short training sessions with your puppy, while using food as the reward, for very basic obedience. I would also like to see the desire for retrieving to be built during this time, which should include very limited rules, and always fun. I think that socializing your puppy to many different environments can also lay the foundation for a very confident puppy, that will be willing to work and be less focused on its surroundings. Once formalization of Gun dog training begins, it’s best to have a trainer or program picked out and stick with it. Often owners will hit a wall and lose confidence in their abilities to advance from where they are at, so it’s good to have a network of people to offer advice. I would recommend joining a hunt test club, a dog training group, or work with a pro in your area to get the most out of your time.

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

From my experience, I think that obedience is often worked too much as a puppy, and it causes them to lose interest in training. I like to see fast and quick training sessions, where the puppy is completely focused on you the entire time. If it has time to watch a leaf blowing across the yard, while not paying attention to you, pick up the pace.

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

I have trained many dogs with different names and to be honest it never had a huge impact on the training, but it is a personal preference to have a single syllable name that does not sound like a command (i.e. Steel/heel). At the same time don’t overthink this one, its your dog go with what you like.

Specific Behaviors:

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

While this typically depends on the dog since some of them learn and retain things better than others, as a trainer I’d say that running blinds is typically the most difficult introduction. Teaching dogs to run blinds can be a difficult task. The dog relies on working with you far more during this exercise than anything else. Working as a team you must overcome their natural desire to handle factors such as cover transitions, wind, running the bank, and what they see. It takes time and repetition to build the trust required to perform this task well.

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

In my opinion, the best way to fix breaking is to not allow it once they have been steadied. That means no reward for breaking; they don’t get the retrieve. We like to improve our dog’s steadiness by having them sit out and honor other dogs working. I usually have at least 3 dogs out at a time once they are steady. Lots of group training to condition them to the fact that every mark that falls isn’t automatically theirs to go retrieve.

I do believe noise can be genetic but most of the time it is created. Don’t reward puppies for being noisy. This must be started at a young age and for me it starts with the crate training process. If they are noisy while retrieving, they don’t get the retrieve.

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

We are fortunate that we don’t usually have extreme heat very often in Michigan. Dogs will acclimate to temperatures so the best thing you can do is be familiar with the signs of overheating and the procedures for properly cooling them. It is best to never allow them to overheat so take caution and try to train during the coolest parts of the day. Every dog handles these extremes differently. We tend to see the biggest impacts of heat when we have more than 15-degree changes in the weather from day to day. It takes them a couple of days to adjust to rising temperatures.

Hunting Focus:

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

At the bare minimum a dog must be steady, introduced to gunfire, picking up birds and is great with recall. Typically, all of this occurs around the 5 to 6 months of training mark. Start small and simple the first few hunts, and don’t be afraid to take your dog back to the truck if things start to unravel.

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

Common bad habits picked up during hunting season, number one is breaking. A dog could be completely steady during training, but once they are on a hunt they break. As a trainer that is the most difficult to fix. I always recommend my clients to tie their dog up on their first hunts. The last thing I want is a young dog learning how to hunt and get a correction for breaking. Switching birds during the retrieve is very common for a young dog and must be corrected while changing direction from the original line. Once they get the bird in their mouth you have lost your opportunity to correct. Other common issues would be running banks around water and just going into autopilot because the hunt has gotten too fast paced. We begin setting standards for our dogs on the very first hunt, so take the time to slow down, focus on the dog, and build on small successes. After the season is over it’s a great time to reflect on what needs improvement and get them back to training.

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

With a dog that is experiencing its first few hunts, I’d like to see them set up for success. Ideally, the handler would focus on the dog 100%, making sure that it is staying steady, quiet and set up in a location to mark the incoming birds. I would begin to increase expectations as the dog’s ability and confidence increases through experience. Common behavior to correct include breaking, switching birds, not completing the delivery to hand, and handling errors. If these go uncorrected during a hunting situation, it will become habit for them anytime they are hunting. As the season progresses all these areas should show improvement within the skill level of the dog.