Is the Deer Dog Blueprint any good?

dogs arent dumb....work is work...playtime with kids,is playtime.
no different to my dogs doing ducks one day and deer the next.
my old heading dog smoke,mustered cattle one day,hard as hell on the heels he was,completed in shepherds trial the day after and went out with me and caught 140lb boar the following day.

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Originally Posted by +Snoop

What Stagstalker said. I'm a relatively novice hunter and as a city slicker this was an ideal first programme to train my new pup. Two of my other mates had done the course a year earlier and had experienced success. Pros, it provides you with a framework for training a hunting dog, and also as Stagstalker said teaches you how dogs think - which is different to us.

Cons - it is super strict and not ideal for a dog in a family. Realistically most people are going to struggle to lock their new puppy outside in a kennel or crate when young kids want to hang out with it. And the "significant other" may have strong opinions (possibly not grounded in reality) that differ from Mr Michaels around strictness with dogs. It was a real stress point for us both and I'd probably struggle to sell the idea of training another dog (I've already floated the idea for 6-8 years time).

Training Areas - if you are in the city, make sure you have access to 2-3 small park areas (you don't need a big space) that you can take your dog to do sessions. If you look at bush reserves etc, there are still places even in big cities where you can go and you aren't going to be interrupted by heaps of people and other dogs and dog owners. I managed it in just off the Auckland CBD.

Realistically - I trust the dog, give the dog room to move, and he keeps his range. For my and my family's sanity I run a Garmin e-collar linked to a Garmin Alpha 200i. I hardly ever use it with it, and probably don't need to. But, it gives me peace of mind, and an excuse to have a high end toy that tracks us both and helps me to get less lost. Super useful, run him on hand and voice signals, and with time "the look".

I let Kai range more than the course says to. Jimmy Bissell's articles in NZ Hunter are excellent on this. My dog is a viszla/gsp cross (so yes full on, but so am I) and they are bred to move in circles to pick up scent, so sometimes he trails behind and around me. Once you have range established you just let them roll. In retrospect Jimmy Bissell is really on point around this. Read his articles. They stop you being such a police officer with your pup who is trying his best for you, and has the odd good day and bad day. Lose me deer. One in the tops. He barked at my daughter as I was going to shoot a sika across the valley. Who cares, he is way better than me and has put me onto many a deer for the freezer in the bush.

I enjoy listening to Paul Michael's pod casts and content. I think, find a dog you like (that has hunting lines), and every dog has imperfections just like us) and enjoy the course. Be realistic about what you can achieve in terms of the training, and balancing the needs of the family (if your in this situation). I just love hunting with my dog. He's a far better hunter (from day one) than me, and has led me to plenty of animals. The last few trips I've seen/put up 5 animals a day on Public Land - and that's a lot more than I was seeing on my own. I love the hunting companion, it just makes the whole experience better.

If you need a structured programme go for it. Just be realistic and don't beat yourself (or your pup) up over imperfections and everyone has a good and bad day.

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Thanks for that. Like you I'm a husband and father, so I will have people (my Mrs and 3 kids) interacting with the dog and I know they will not be doing what the course says (though I will be walking them through the basics like the commands for SIT, STAY etc). I have just googled Jimmy Bissell and I will read his articles because like you mentioned I get the feeling that the course does kind of encourage you act like like a Police Officer (as you put it) with the dog but my dog is a family dog also, so I want more than a "hunting tool" as some people have put it. As far as training areas go I have a secluded bush reserve with very low foot traffic near my place that I plan on using to train with the dog.

I used the Blueprint for the first few months with my pup. Definately got some good stuff in it. As others have said, its a bit strict for some. Get the basics right and go hunting.

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Originally Posted by Chur Bay

I used the Blueprint for the first few months with my pup. Definately got some good stuff in it. As others have said, its a bit strict for some. Get the basics right and go hunting.

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Cheers man. Yeah that's the vibe I'm getting: get the basics right and get out there

@BobbyP agree with what has been written above, blueprint useful to get the basics down. Mixing in kids etc def took the edge of the discipline but she and I both learned enough to get started in the hills. I reckon as long as you have a good sit, recall and some degree of range control can’t go too wrong.

Main issue with being a family pet is she will take liberties with getting up on couches and sneaking into beds. Still miles better behaved than most of the pooches we meet on our walks tho which I will credit to some to the lessons from the BP for. Even if you just do the monthly payment for a month or two and watch through the videos you can pick up a lot.


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Originally Posted by Jake77

@BobbyP agree with what has been written above, blueprint useful to get the basics down. Mixing in kids etc def took the edge of the discipline but she and I both learned enough to get started in the hills. I reckon as long as you have a good sit, recall and some degree of range control can’t go too wrong.

Main issue with being a family pet is she will take liberties with getting up on couches and sneaking into beds. Still miles better behaved than most of the pooches we meet on our walks tho which I will credit to some to the lessons from the BP for. Even if you just do the monthly payment for a month or two and watch through the videos you can pick up a lot.


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Hahaha yeah the Mrs was letting the dog onto the bed but I've managed to stop that and now the dog knows not to go up onto beds or couches. I hear what you're saying about most dogs not having any discipline and it's clear that most owners do not put any real level of effort into training their animals

our wee pup Poppie is doing something rather weird which I BELIEVE I can use to my advantage...she will be romping around like a loopy visla and if we put a jacket/doggy T on her,its like she has taken a chill pill,take it off and the loopy switch goes back on...we have done it half a dozen times with the same result.
Im thinking when I do get on to taking her bush,a T shirt vest will be worn when in serious,find a deer mode is on..then take it off,telling her OK to goof off again.... dont know if it will work but Ive seen it with SAR dogs with a working vest.... food for thought anyway.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

our wee pup Poppie is doing something rather weird which I BELIEVE I can use to my advantage...she will be romping around like a loopy visla and if we put a jacket/doggy T on her,its like she has taken a chill pill,take it off and the loopy switch goes back on...we have done it half a dozen times with the same result.
Im thinking when I do get on to taking her bush,a T shirt vest will be worn when in serious,find a deer mode is on..then take it off,telling her OK to goof off again.... dont know if it will work but Ive seen it with SAR dogs with a working vest.... food for thought anyway.

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So maybe put a vest on the dog whilst training to, hopefully, get them to associate the vest with "work"?

Thats the plan Stan..... she is still only a wee sprout so training at moment is tennis ball retrieves up in hallway (nowhere else to go but back to me with it) sitting at meal times,coming when ever we ask,crating/kenneling,being quiet/no barking...and general good manners.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Thats the plan Stan..... she is still only a wee sprout so training at moment is tennis ball retrieves up in hallway (nowhere else to go but back to me with it) sitting at meal times,coming when ever we ask,crating/kenneling,being quiet/no barking...and general good manners.

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Cheers, I'll give this a go. Any recommendations for dog vests (I've never bought one) and where to pick them up

think the Tshirt came from $2 shop.... we have a proper realdog backpack for the big dog..... no good buying anything for wee Poppy yet as she still growing like a mushroom.... hope she stops growing soon or will be a monster.

We won a Stoney Creek blaze orange dog vest. I use it on public land if not too hot because I don't want someone to shoot the dog thinking it's a pig.
The dog gets all excited if I get it out because she knows it means we're going hunting the next day.

The Blueprint talks about dogs having "situational awareness" (I think that's the term they used). You can use that to your advantage, by training so the dog knows bush = hunting, park = spaz time.

Ecollar awareness too I bet......... if I dont behave that thing will beep,then buzz then BITE....best behave myself.....

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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

Just be aware that the "blueprint" is not newly discovered information. Its all old news being repeated
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funnily enough Ive heard Nathan Foster being absolutely slammed on this very website for just that very same thing........Paul has done a good job of putting it all together and is savvy enough to have tapped into the modern time poor technosavvy generation who dont like to read n learn from books..... if it helps folks and they are happy...good for him

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

our wee pup Poppie is doing something rather weird which I BELIEVE I can use to my advantage...she will be romping around like a loopy visla and if we put a jacket/doggy T on her,its like she has taken a chill pill,take it off and the loopy switch goes back on...we have done it half a dozen times with the same result.
Im thinking when I do get on to taking her bush,a T shirt vest will be worn when in serious,find a deer mode is on..then take it off,telling her OK to goof off again.... dont know if it will work but Ive seen it with SAR dogs with a working vest.... food for thought anyway.

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This is exactly what Police Dog handlers do with their tracking harness - it locks the dog into head down find the bad guy scent work. If you can tie the calmness of the coat into a deer on the deck it will reinforce the coat as "calm" time.