I have a 8 month old Springer Spaniel puppy, that I would like to do some gundog training with. I live in Wiltshire. Does anyone know of any clubs or training classes, as I am finding it hard to find out local info. Also, are there any suggestions on books to read?
Thanx
Laura

Hi Laura,
I have a 2 year old Springer , I never took her to a trainer ( I did with my GSP) , I used a training video by Ian openshaw, which I can really recomend.
Try going to a site called DOG'N'FIELD I joined their forum to get advice on a few training problems I had and they were very helpfull.
The CLA game fair is coming up soon, I think it is down south this year and I garantee you will find all the training videos, books you need.
There are always Gundog demonstrations and training demo's at the fair, Always a good day out.

Laura

I use Gundog Training and Advanced Gundog Training by Martin Deeley, available from Amazon.

It's always useful to either consult a professional trainer, or go out sometimes with someone else who trains dogs. They can then see things that you are doing wrong that you don't even realise. ;)

Wiltshire Working Gundog Society, Mrs Coulson 01373 474598
Bristol and West Working Gundog Society, Mrs Hughes 01454 228439

HTH

9th & The Non Retrieving Spaniel

Excellent books 9th :-)

I think so. We have lots of others, but the Deeley ones are the ones I go back to again and again. Normally to see why TH isn't doing something she was doing yesterday

Normally to see why TH isn't doing something she was doing yesterday Because if she did your life would be straightforward :D

Fiona
x x x

Thankyou very much to 9th and Craig for replying. i have looked on Dog - n - Field and enquired about joining their discussion forum.
9th, I also have a non retreiving spaniel. he is a monster! He goes to fetch really fast, collects it fine, and then comes halfway back and has great delight in running away and i go to fetch the ball! Any suggestions? Abot the only thing I find that works is taking out two balls, and throwing the second one, as soon as he has dropped the first, but then he obviously does not retrive to hand. i really do not have a clue about any of this, so any suggestions on anything spaniel related are much appreciated.

From Laura and Jerry (Springer)

You have to go back to basics on the retrieving. Start with very short retrieves in confined areas, then open them out only when successful. Only do a few at a time, and see how you get on. At the moment, he's got you trained to do the retrieves, so turn it around, be firm, insist on returning every single time, otherwise he will know he can get away with it if he wants.

Forgot to add, at this point in time you might as well stop him running-in as well. Get him to sit, throw the ball, but don't let him go for it. Pick it yourself while he sits still. Do it a few times, letting him retrieve only occasionally, that way he'll learn that just 'cos you've thrown something, doesn't mean he can go and get it.

You can try a long line as Fiona suggested, but you may find it hard juggling the line/enticing the dog back/getting the ball. Plus you get really dirty hands. Ha, at a training session the other day, a little black cocker went for the retrieve, picked the dummy, took a left turn and disapeared into the undergrowth, then came back 10 minutes later with half a deer leg, and no dummy. God knows where he got it from. In a situation like this, a long line would be extremely useful :)

It just had to be a black cocker :D I don't think I'll do any gundog training with Holly, knowing my luck she'll come back with the whole deer :D :D :D :D

Fiona
x x x

Yes, Jerry likes deer's legs too. The only time he's ever growled at me is when I took it off him.

I agree with Dave. Throw the ball or dummy a very short distance, short enough that if he starts to run off you can catch him. Plus, as soon as he picks it up, peep-peep him into you. If he starts to run off, you can catch him, take him either side of the face and walk backwards, peep-peeping, so that he has to follow you. Then sit him and make him hold the object and then "dead" to get the object from him.

Plus. If he's mucking about, maybe 1 or 2 retrieves a session and not every day. Also. Do some days where you throw the object and then you retrieve it, so that every day and every throw isn't a retrieve.

And. Every training session should end on a positive note. So if he's not retrieving well, do some quartering or some heel work, or some stopping to the whistle, so that the last thing he remembers about the trip out is you giving him lots of praise.

HTH. All you gundog experts, please feel free to criticise :D

9th [$ The TH (who defeated the expert FT Trainer ]) )

Would it help to have the dog on a long line so that you could haul them back in if they started to wander off when they should be retrieving?

Fiona
x x x

Dunno. I had TH quartering on a long line and now she's pretty good at it. I think Dave's suggestion of very short retrieves in an enclosed space (I used to do them in my hall) is best. If there's no such space available, then a long line might do too.

Number one essential before even attempting a retrieve is an absolute controlled recall. Once you have that then on to the retrieve.
With young dogs in my class I always find a fence, wall, hedge or something which I can use as a barrier behind. By standing close to this barrier as the dog is returning you to make it impossible for the dog to circle around you. Crouch down low as the dog approaches so as not to look as if you are competing with the dog for the article. When the dog gets to you make a big fuss of it before taking the article. (Lets face it, if you had just gone to the trouble of fetching something and as soon as you had someone tries to take it away from you, would you take it to them again?)
Do not do too many retrieves in one training session. Stop leaving your dog wanting to do another and you will find it soon comes together.

Regards, John

John

What do you do with a spaniel that finds whatever it is, however well hidden it is and then lies down next to it, refusing to move, until someone collects the article for her? :D

9th

9th, a Clumber? :p

J ''HIC'' pardon :o

Is there another kind of spaniel?

No seriously. Yes. It's the TH. Defeater of professional gundog trainers the length of the country.

Now re-allocated as my beating dog ;)

What happenes if it's a runner 9th. Does she follow it?

Regards, John

So far she's only been shooting rabbits (well, not her personally obviously) and she's been taught not to chase them. As she wont retrieve anything at home, we've concentrated on making her a beating dog.

We discovered too late that this is a trait of one of the lines of her breeding.

I don't think it helped that she went to pick up a rabbit that wasn't quite dead and it kicked her in the face :D

Laura,
I had my Springer when she was 6months old and she did exactly the same, she run out like a bullet, would retrieve from the deepest thickest bush and would return on the staightest line.......until she got about 15ft away were she would stop and throw the ball to my feet.
I worked out that she was anticipating me throwing the ball/dummy again.It took me ages to stop her doing it,I simple stopped throwing the ball again,if I throw the dummy and she retreived it and did not bring it to hand as she dropped it I would walk backwards away from her If she dropped the dummy and followed me I would call her send her back and again if the retreive is not to hand keep calling her and moving away eventually she would retreive to hand ( Make sure when you are moving back that you also watch were you are going.........I didn't and I'm sure i heard her laugh when I fell down that ditch)