BILL WEST

---

Training Seminar Perspective

I'm a believer. I only wish I'd have known about Bill West and his dog training techniques about a decade earlier. It would have saved me money spent with some less then professional trainers and more importantly, prevented me from creating problems in dogs in the first place.

Thinking about all of the things I could have done differently, about the only thing I wouldn't change would be the library of dog training books I've accumulated. There's a lot more humor in those books these days.

This past Spring, Bill West was at the Prado Dam dog training area to present a seminar on the basics of training pointing dogs. At the time I didn't pay that much attention to the number of "students" at the seminar, but memory says it was more then 20 people and more then twice
	that number of dogs (including just about the largest yellow Lab I've ever seen).The weather was cold, damp and windy and no one left early either day - not the professional trainers that were there or the well-intentioned amateurs such as myself. There was just too much to learn and only two days to get it all done.

Bill used the dogs brought by the other handlers/owners and myself to demonstrate his training techniques. As impressed as I was by the simplicity of his methods, I was even more impressed by his ability to "read" each dog in the few seconds it took to lead the dog to him and for him to grab the dog's leash. Bill never once shouted at a dog, lost control over a dog, hit a dog or in any way did anything that wasn't a positive reinforcement to the desired change in behavior or action of the dog. None of his training was physically demanding of the trainer or the dog and the only stress or pressure placed on each dog came from "within" the dog.

There's a great deal to be learned from the Bill West method of pointing dog training. As I've used his techniques over these past months, two things especially stand out - Bill's methods work and they work to correct problems. I've been using Bill's methods on three dogs since the seminar. Each dog was in need of something different - retrieving, steadiness on point and backing. Over the past months, I've had a limited amount of time available to work with each dog. In less then 2 hours total time each; the one retrieves to hand (most of the time), the other is not only steady on point but now to flush and sometimes to shot and the third is consistently backing. This took 6 to 8, 15-minute sessions for each dog. My current plan is to step back to more yard work to improve each of their style.

Working with easy to set up, controlled situations and very little equipment (a pinch collar and a short check cord), progress is controlled and quick because the dogs are self-correcting. While you're still careful not to make a mistake, as Bill says, "you're only set back a day because you'll come back tomorrow and fix it." That's right, the dog's not "set back" a week or month in its training when you make a mistake, they're only "set back" until your next training session.

That by itself is quite a lesson to learn. The other two points from this Bill West seminar that I've shared with everyone who cared to listen are: 1) stop talking to your dog on point and confusing him and 2) stop being embarrassed by your dog. Imagine if you didn't speak English.

Now imagine that someone was going to teach you the meaning of some English words by example and use. Now further imagine that if you don't understand the meaning of these new English words after hearing them for just a few times that your "teacher" assume that if he speaks the words louder each time he uses them you'll understand their meaning sooner. Ad a bird, a dog, a check cord and maybe a training table and you pretty much have the standard method of teaching a dog your meaning of the words "whoa" and "no".

Picture in your mind, your dog's on point, it takes a step forward to get closer to that enticing bird smell, the dog is focused on that bird and now you rush up shouting "whoa" "whoa" "whoa". This is supposed to build confidence and steadiness in the dog because it now knows exactly what you want? You say your dog "flags" on point?

Your dog also doesn't know what the word embarrassed means and never goes out of its way to embarrass you. It can only be a dog. A dog wants to satisfy its own self-interests. Your training teaches the dog that by serving your interests (pointing, retrieving, etc.); its own self-interests are satisfied. Something working for the wages of a dog (praise, a treat or a drink of water), doesn't deserve the confusion you create for them with your embarrassment. Do yourself and your dog a favor, stop the training for now and come back to it later or at some other time. Keep the training times something you both look forward to.

I learned a good deal more at Bill's seminar. Unfortunately, much more then there is space here to write about. If you are looking for some firsthand experience with these training techniques, I suggest you get in touch with Sam Madamba, and soon. There's still time between now and the season opener to make some much desired progress with your dog. There has been talk of an advanced dog training seminar by both Bill West and Bill Gibbons. Hey Sam, sign me up! I'm ready.

Cliff Frank
San Diego, California (USA)