Hi
Have got the recall from flushing pheasants now and it IS slowly getting better with the bunnies, but earlier this week we encountered a flock of swallows in the meadow diving and swooping to about two foot off the ground......it TOTALLY blew HIS mind!  As soon as one swept up, then another swept down to just outside his range and so it went on for nearly 30 minutes.  Long lines are not the solution with this dog.....with one on, no matter how light he just sticks close by and looks at me with a pained expression.  I need to find something that is more interesting/exciting or valuable to him than the swallows......any ideas?

I thought I would try and implement a suggestion that I had read on here about bagging up his food into small portions and then when he ignored the recall, showing him that I was throwing one portion of food away.  Well, I have obviously spoiled the brat by using chicken, sausage and liver as treats for when I blew the whistle, he came bounding up, I proffered the Burns kibble, he looked at it, looked at me and I swear the words 'you  have got to be joking' would have been on his lips if he could but speak!  Obviously, he wasn't hungry enough, but what worries me is, will I lose the recall totally by sticking with this method until such time as he does deign to eat or should I try the same thing but with the other more valuable food? 

Thanks

PS  When do swallows clear off to Africa or wherever it is they disappear to?  August or is it later?

I think you will find that they were house martins. The ONLY reason I know is because we had the same thing happen at school the other week on the playing field (I am a lunchtime supervisor)

It was mine and Wendy's turn to walk around the school grounds. When we got to the playing field, we noticed masses of birds ...and I mean masses...there must have been upwards of 50.

They were swooping down very low and then going into a large oak tree time and time again. We walked closer and closer and the birds weren't in the slightest bit afraid. They swooped so close that we could have reached out and touched them.

I am assuming that there was a glut of insects in that area and that was what they were after. We stood there amongst all of these swooping, diving and twittering bitds for a good 10 minutes before walking off. Later on we went back and the birds were still there.

When I got home I looked up swallows , swifts and house martins and it appears that HM's are the ones that do this :)

Absolutely stunning sight!

I would not worry about the dog chasing swallows or house martins or whatever they are.  [Providing there is not way he can chase into a road or other danger.] This will not stop the dog being a perfectly good working gundog [if that is what he is to be] or a well behaved companion.   It will not muck up the recall as long as you don't recall him when he is chasing them.  If you do he may learn to ignore the recall whistle. 

I'd use the very best food when training with distractions.    A recall from a flushed bunny for example deserves rump steak!

Melodysk, house martins aren't that cute when they have made a nest in the loft and wake you every morning at 4.30!!! And the mess they have made on the cars, we actually used the garage for the cars last night - this is maybe the third time there has ever been a car in the garage!!!

Wasn't aware that I had said they were cute! We have birds in our eves too , not house martins but sparrows and they make enough noise :)