How to Teach an Italian Setter Its Name

Series Summary

Since Italian Setters, or Bracco Italiano, like all dogs, are inherently wild animals they all need some sort of training to become accustomed to their surroundings and the rules of your home. The most difficult part of this process is communicating with your dog in a civil, non-violent way that lets them know you are boss and this is the rule. By praising positive behavior and correcting or ignoring negative behavior you are able to show your pet what is acceptable and what is not in a loving way that does not make them fear you. This creates a relationship between you and your dog that is based on love and not temperament.

This video series will show you lots of tips, information and techniques to help you train your Italian Setter to recognize their name, to sit and to lay down. You will learn how positive reinforcement is more effective than physical punishment and the best way to correct your dog when they are misbehaving as well as how to get them accustomed to the world and the distractions in it.

Video Transcript

" Hi! I’m Melanie McLeroy with Taurus Training for Expert Village, and we’re going to work with a Bracco Italiano also known as an Italian setter. True to her nature, sweet Bella is very, very kind, very sweet and very energetic. So this particular breed definitely needs plenty of exercise and a lot of training; because she’s a hunting dog as you can she, she’s constantly scanning the environment. So, it’s very important that we teach her how to pay attention. Now, see how she moved her body up against me, just tangent, don’t let your dog do that, shut them away when started invading your personal space. If you haven’t already, please check out the pre-training videos on relationship. Alright, where did you go Bella, off trying to find a bird I’m sure. So I’m going to say Bella’s name and reward her when she makes eye contact. This dog makes beautiful eye contact, Bella, well, usually, good, good, oh! moving around so much, it’s hard for her to make eye contact, Bella, good. Now we have a particular challenge with Bella here, because she’s rejecting my treats. I’m using some really, really yummy treats, but she’s so excited to be outside. It’s difficult for her to pay attention. She’s still responding to her name, which is very good. So I’m going to try just giving her some attention, which is what she loves, when she makes eye contact, Bella, good, good girl, Bella, good, oh! yeah, Bella. Now I’m using my body to help her out here, good, that’s a good girl. Now the next thing I would try is definitely a squeaky toy or a ball, because these dogs tend to really, really love balls. So if food doesn’t work for you when you’re training a dog, don’t hesitate to use a different type of motivation. So this Bracco Italiano is paying a little bit more attention now, so we’ll go on to teach her how to sit. "