California Sportsman Mag - July 2020

HUNTING

JUST SAY ‘WHOA’

Routinely teaching your dog to “whoa” during everyday life will pay off come time for the hunt. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

By Scott Haugen

A

s a kid I grew up watching the cartoons of the late 1960s and ’70s. I loved Bugs Bunny, and a favorite character from those Looney Tunes shows was Yosemite Sam, the ruff, gruff, outdoorsy fellow who was always on a mission. And no matter what animal he was riding – horse, mule, camel, elephant – he could never control them. Sam would belligerently shout to get the critters moving, but could never stop them on command. “Whoa!” he’d start. Quickly the

number of whoas increased, as did their intensity. Eventually, Sam relied on force to get the animal to obey, followed by an uncontrollable shout of, “When I say whoa, I mean whoa!”

AS I WRITE this, we’re in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Like you, I’ve spent a great deal of time with my dogs the past two months – 24 hours a day, to be exact. While working with Kona, my 4-year-old pudelpointer, a few days ago, I caught myself channeling my inner Yosemite Sam, saying, “When I say whoa, I mean whoa!”

I laughed out loud, then looked around to make sure no one saw me. I turned red, broke out in a sweat and couldn’t believe I had resorted to that childhood expression. It was the biggest slap in the face a dog trainer could receive, and nonetheless it was self-inflicted. Teaching your dog to “whoa” is one of the most important commands it will ever learn. A firm whoa is a command that allows us to redirect our dog’s attention and results in the dog becoming instantaneously steady. It’s a tool we use to influence, control and protect our dogs.

calsportsmanmag.com | JULY 2020 California Sportsman

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