Whoa
It's not just for pointing dogs.

written by Butch Goodwin
       of                     

Northern Flight Retrievers  

During the course of a phone conversation with my friend Steve Snell, who owns Gun Dog Supply in Mississippi, I mentioned that I was working with a young Labrador whose owner wanted him taught to whoa like a pointing dog. I told Steve that the training was going well, but the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was the dog wanting to sit each time I gave him the "whoa" command. As a result, I had started his initial "whoa" training on my table (so I wouldn’t have to continually bend over to lift him up to a standing position), and I planned to move to the ground when I was satisfied that he solidly understood what was expected of him.

Steve, who has both Labs and pointing dogs, remarked, "You know, I have always wondered why retrievers weren’t taught to whoa. For a dog that is going to do any upland hunting at all, it seems like it would be one of the most important commands that he could be taught."

I had never really thought about it before. I often teach my own retrievers whatever commands I find to be necessary for the kind of hunting they’ll be doing. My old Master Hunter Chesapeake was one of the best upland dogs I ever hunted with, and he was taught, as was his mother, to freeze in place and stand steady at "whoa" - but they were both started on their training when I lived in close proximity to a pheasant club where I trained almost daily.

I don’t actively train pointing dogs, but I have force-fetched quite a few pointers, shorthairs, pudelpointers, and Brittanys over the years, reinforcing the "whoa" command their owners had started rather than having the dogs sit, both on and off of the training table. I think it makes sense to also teach a retriever to stop and stand frozen in place on command; I can only figure that "whoa" wasn’t commonly taught because throughout the formative years of retriever training and field trials in this county, the retrieving breeds were considered to be primarily waterfowl dogs.

But, based on the training requests I get quite regularly, that thinking seems to have turned a corner, as our hunting dogs are now expected to wear many hats, and more and more retrievers are asked to become multi-purpose hunting dogs. I believe I see almost as many as I do with pointers.

Unquestionably, "whoa" is the most important command that a pointing dog is taught, and, if trained correctly, it should have a singular end result: Stop now and don’t move. The ability to freeze a dog in his tracks is very beneficial not only to hunters with pointers but also to those with a retriever.

The principal reason for teaching a retriever to whoa is to stop him when he pushes the envelope of effective range, stop him from chasing running birds, or stop him from diving in on a flush until the hunter can get into a better position for a shot. But for the waterfowl hunter, it can also stop a dog from splashing around in the water, causing a commotion while searching for a downed duck when suddenly another flight commits to the call or decoys.

You can argue that blowing a "sit" whistle will stop a well-trained retriever, achieving the same result, and that’s entirely correct - but for the most part, a "sit"-whistle is taught in conjunction with casting drills: The dog stops, turns, and sits, looking to the handler, expecting a change in his direction. A "sit"-whistle requires that (1) a whistle be handy (and not frozen); and (2) as taught for casting, the dog turn and look toward the whistle, which causes him to break his concentration away from the bird he is chasing or about to flush. Similar to how it is taught to a pointing dog, the purpose of teaching "whoa" to a retriever shouldn’t be to change the dog’s focus away from the bird but to simply freeze the dog in his tracks.

I mentioned earlier that I had started teaching the young Lab to whoa on my training table. There are many ways to teach it, but I have found that the fastest and least backbreaking method, regardless of the dog’s age, is to start on the table, and then, when the foundation seems solid, progress to the ground. To start a dog of any age on the training table, the first rule is to accustom them to the table before attempting any real training or commands. This involves putting them on the table for short periods and having them walk up and down until they relax and begin to feel at home. I always expect that the dog will try to fight against being up on the table - this is new to them, and they are out of their natural environment.

When he seems comfortable on the table, it is time to begin teaching the dog to stand. To start, you might have to hold him in place with one hand under his belly and the other extending from his neck, holding him between his front legs. It is important at this point that you remain calm and frequently repeat the "whoa" command - in a reassuring voice, and, whatever you do, don’t allow him to sit, lie down, or jump off the table. Patience is the key to initial success.

Of the retrievers I have taught to whoa in the past, I found it easier, when training an older or larger dog, to put a rope around his waist and toss it over the cable above the table to keep him from sitting. Continually lifting or trying to keep a larger dog from sitting can quickly wear you down; the waist rope is kind of like having a third hand that will help to hold him in place until he gets the idea of what is expected.

Something else you’ll find as you progress is that a release command such as "okay" will become just as important as "whoa." This is the same release command you will eventually use in the field, so you might as well start now and use it consistently. The release command will tell him
that he has done a good job and that he is no longer expected to remain in the "whoa" position.

But don’t use your release command to begin playing with your dog and getting him excited. I see trainers who release their dog after doing a good job only to get him fired up a little jumping around. All this accomplishes is to teach the dog that when he hears his release command, he can act stupid and forget what he has learned. The release command should be like "at ease" in the military - you are no longer standing at "attention," but you are still under control.

Once your dog will stand steady without being held up or restrained, you can begin to step back from the table while you remind him to remain standing in place using the "whoa" command and holding your palm forward, like a traffic cop. This will give him a visual image to complement the verbal command. This is all very much the same way you probably taught him to "stay" while sitting, only now he’s on all fours.

I can’t emphasize enough that at this point in his training, you should only require him to remain standing steady for a few seconds, gradually increasing the length of time as he becomes more reliable. Also, begin moving farther away and off to the sides of the table as you continue to use the visual and verbal commands to reinforce his standing steady.

When you can step back a good distance and walk around with the outstretched hand, try reminding him to whoa as you turn your back on him and walk away without making eye contact. You might even eventually try disappearing around the edge of a building or into another room - completely out of sight. This is the test that will tell you if he truly understands what is expected of him.

At some point during this training, your dog is going to step out of the "whoa" position or sit down, and you will have to go back and reposition him. Make your correction quickly, and put him right back into the acceptable position. If he seems to back slide and wants to test your willpower by refusing to comply with what you have taught up to this point, it might be necessary to back up and repeat the steps.

When he is solid on the table, it is time to move to the ground. Remember: Whenever you make a major transition such as this, you are likely to see some resistance to the change. On the ground, always be prepared to back up and reinforce what you have taught on the table. And if he insists on avoiding doing what you have already taught, don’t hesitate to back up onto the table to reinforce his training, and then try moving to the ground again. Moving from the table to the ground hasn’t caused him to forget everything that he has been taught up to this point - he is just rebelling by throwing the last of his avoidance behavior at you in the hopes that you will give in before he has to. Whatever you do, don’t give up hope! He will eventually understand that he must obey the "whoa" command on the ground exactly as he has done on the table.

Sorry, but you’re not quite finished. You haven’t yet reinforced his stopping while moving and remaining steady at a distance of more than a few feet away, and you haven’t introduced live birds into your controlled training situation. Pointers are normally trained to whoa at a distance by introducing a single whistle blast at this point. Pointing dogs are also normally allowed to range much farther out than flushing dogs and aren’t taught that a single whistle blast means to sit and face the handler to expect a cast. So, since your retriever will be hunting much closer, and unless you choose to introduce a whistle, your voice command should suffice.

It is probably most logical to begin stopping your dog while he is walking loosely on a lead or check-cord. I hesitate to suggest that you teach it while the dog is actually heeling along beside you because, more than likely, you probably taught him to sit while heeling. It would seem confusing to teach him to sit at heel when he hears a single whistle blast and now expect him to stop and stand steady, but it can be done if you have the patience.

Put your dog on a long lead or check-cord and try calling him toward you. When he is about halfway to you, put your hand up like a traffic cop, tell him, "Whoa," and see if it works. If he stops and doesn’t sit, you are miles ahead. If he doesn’t stop, or sits, you need to control him with the check-cord and correct him just as you did on the table. If you need to return to the table and then back to the ground to get the point across, don’t hesitate to do it. Once he is stopping solidly close by, keep extending the distance and finally eliminate the cord entirely. You will eventually have a retriever that will whoa and stand steady when he hears the command, regardless of the distance.

As a final step, I introduce live, shackled pigeons or chukars to reinforce the dog’s steadiness. I normally go back to the table, where I have total control of the situation, to introduce birds and then, again, work my way down onto the ground. Honestly, if your foundational training on the table followed by reinforcement on the ground is solid, incorporating live birds into the scenario will likely not present a huge problem.

If you are an upland hunter or want to be able to stop your dog before he runs across a road or spooks ducks that have their wings set above your decoys teaching "whoa" adds another dimension to your arsenal of training commands. Right now, you might not think it’s useful, but you’ll soon find that it’s a more valuable command than you ever imagined.