Jack and I are just back from our first attempt at real gundog training.  Jack, my working cocker, has always had a real working drive and I've tried to channel that by doing little bits of training by hiding things around the garden and house and also when we're out but this was something else!  I swear after the first retrieve of the dummy he had a huge grin on his face.  He was absolutely loving it.  I thought he might be a bit gun-shy because he's never been introduced to one before - but no - he was an absolute natural.  Now that he's had his first "lesson" I want to do more with him as it was such a pleasure watching him being soooo happy.  I don't want to get involved in real heavy stuff but just do bits and pieces to give him a fulfilled life.  Can anyone recommend a good book, dvd or video? 

He did let us down at the end of his session though!  Jack lives with 3 other dogs, one of whom likes to try and take things off him.  Because of this I keep "special toys" for him that only we play with.  He'd had such a good time today he decided that this would be one of his "special toys" and took it away and buried it!  Boy was I embarrassed.  He did go back and get it though.  I thought I was going to have to splash out for a new dummy.

Annie

Working Springers and Cockers by Mike Smith is very good but our favourite is Training Spaniels by Joe Irving.

Good luck with your training, how old is your dog?  Remember to approach everything very slowly and the moment you stop getting good results go straight back to basics.  I've known so many people who just 'do a little bit' then the following shooting season they are planning their second dog!!!!

There is nothing more satisfying than watching a spaniel do the job it is bred for.

Best Wishes
Jacky

PS you can get the Spaniel Training video from the Turner Richards website.  It gives a good overview.

Hi Jackycat, thanks for the advice.  I'll get the books and have a look at the website.  Jack is 2 and a half and I suppose without knowing it I have been training him but this was his first real session.  It was wonderful watching him be so happy - not to say he is not a happy wee dog but this was something else!  The guy I trained with today has shooting rights on a nearby country estate and works his own dogs.  He has labs and a WGP and he was very impressed with Jack - although he might have just been saying that for my sake, but I don't think so.  Jack's got a great pedigree with lots of field trial champs in it.  From 8 weeks you could see his drive.  Thanks a lot and I'll let you know how things go.

Annie

Good luck with your boy, you'll soon be hooked and wanting to take him into the field once he is fully trained. I used to be a vegetarian and hated people who went shooting but i got persueded to go along one day and onced i saw the dogs worked i was hooked, i now have 3 trained labs 1 thats in training and now about to bring on another pup from my litter, All this in seven years :)

Kerry

Haha, our family has gone from 0 - 3 in 7yrs too!  We bought a working spaniel who would be trained just to give him something to do.  I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.  It's been a brilliant experience and has changed our families life for the better.

I go picking up on the shoot which is why I have my labs but I would love to have a springer or cocker to go beating with but would definately need some training myself berfore trying to train a spaniel!!! :)

Hi Kerry and Jacky

Thanks for your replies.  I think you are both right.  To see a dog do what its bred to do is something else.   Jacky - I've ordered my training material and the book you suggested by Joe Irving.  Can't wait for them to arrive!  Kerry - are spaniels that hard to train?  I think I may have my work cut out for me!!!!  I know I'll enjoy it.  I always try to give all my dogs (4) interesting lives and have probably unintentionally been training Jack i.e. throwing his favourite toy and getting him to wait until I say to go and get it and also hiding things.

I also ordered a book "Training Pointers & Setters" as I have an 11 month old Bracco Italiano too and want to train her up.  I have to say she is something else!!!  Very independent and loves to range.  She points at birds in the garden and I've been trying to get her to hold the point before chasing.  I've had some success with her but once I know what to do I'll be able to be more focussed.  Starting to work on Jack first though and do little bits with the Bracco (Ruby). 

I'll keep you both posted.

Annie

Hi Annie,

where do you get the training pointers and setters book ? I would be interested in this as there isnt alot around on actually working setters and I would love to train mine .......

............ now I just have to teach the boys to read ;)

claire :)

oh annie, i love bracco's know nothing about them but think they are gorgeous. You are so lucky, I keep thinking about getting a different breed but always go back to the lab, i really need a retriever over an pointer or setter as my main thing is picking up, (can't remember the last time i went beating!!) and alot of the places we shoot is over the water or in woods. I know this may sound silly to some people but I would love a standard poodle as they were first bred as water retrievers.

Claire, I have got a book on working pointers and setters by David Hudson I would be happy to send it too you as it was sent to me by my book club as the editors choice and I never got round to sending it back (all paid for!!!!!) :)
If you would like it PM me and let me know.

Kerry

Hi Kerry,  Ruby is beautiful.  She's a chestnut roan and stunning!  She absolutely knows it though.  There are only 3 bitches in Scotland, Ruby is one of them.  I don't show her because she has an overshot jaw - this is common in the breed - but she will be worked now that I have the bug!!!!

Annie

Have pm'd you :)

Kerry

It doesn't sound silly to me to want a standard poodle, after all that is what they were originally bred for.  What I say is, if you really want a standard poodle - go for it girl!!!

Annie

Nice to know someone doesn't think I'm crazy :).

When i say to people that I would like one they all laugh, I think they just just have an image of a show poodle all done up to the nines and can't see it in all the mud and water!!!! Even when I try to explain that the cuts they have were actually done for a reason they still think I'm crazy, I try to say thats its just elaborated for the show ring but all to no avail!!! Well I think I will have to try but can't yet as I am hopefully keeping a pup out of this litter to train so won't have time for a second pup.

Don't worry anyone else reading this I [bold]won't[bold] be breeding labradoodles :)

got the bold wrong, can anyone tell how you all do it??

Its just b and /b within the brackets rather than the whole word, labs.

Yeh, the cut is all about keeping them afloat isn't it?  Wouldn't it be fab to have a working standard poodle?  I know there are a few in working trials and think they do quite well.

Annie

I would love a working poodle, if anyone knows of a good working line.... As I understand it the cut was to allow them to move easily through water while keeping essential organs warm and protected.

Like some of you guys I got in to shooting through having a very livley lab that needed to work to stay sane. He was never a very good gun dog as he was bred from show lines. But my second is quite promising and should be having her first outing to a pigeon hide next week if Im feeling brave and patient!   Any tips would be most welcome.

That's right, I knew the cut was supposed to be for practical reasons!!!  I had Jack out today to do some training.  Since we've been back in the house he seems to be a bit disturbed.  I think he's been stung by nettles.  Anybody got any suggestions for this?  And, is it common?  He does have a tendency to get a bit itchy on one of his front legs and has done since he was a pup, but I manage to keep that under control with piriton and tea tree wipes.  Any suggestions on this latest problem would help.

Thanks in advance.

Annie

It is not uncommon for them to get stung by nettles and the first thing I normally use is Aloe gel as it is cooling and soothing.  

Thanks for that.  I have a really good pharmacy in the village that's really into complementary stuff.  I'm sure they'll have it there.  He really is suffering poor chap.  There is nothing like a woebegone spaniel - those eyes!!!!!   I'm off to the chemist now - I can't take any more of these sad looks!!!

Annie

You should be used to those looks with all that lovley baking you do ;)

Hi Bluebell

Can I just say one thing? And please don't take this the wrong way and please don't think I'm being nosy and should mind my own business, but is the dog you are taking pigeon shooting used to feather? The reason I ask is that a lot of young dogs, if they pick a pigeon normally get a mouth full of feathers because they are so loose and they have so many that it can sometimes put a young dog off picking up birds for a long time.  Anyway you probably know this anyway and your dog is probably experieced and think I'm nosy but it would be a great shame to put a promising dog back quite a few steps in thier training. Anyway I wish you all the luck its great to see so many peole on here with working dogs. :)

Hi Labs
I am aware that pigeon can be a bit off putting and to be honest i would be chuffed to bits if she just sits in the hide with me and behaves OK! I had planned to take a stocking with me and put a still warm bird in it as although she has retrieved feather she can be a bit funny and she has never retrieved a 'warm' bird  before. But yes we are past the phase of going yuck and pulling the wings off of the dummy so that she can retrieve a nice 'clean' dummy! Anyway woith me shooting there may be nothing to retrieve, or it may be a rabbit, just depends how it goes :)

I was going to suggest putting one in a stocking as they can then experience warm game. One of my dogs used to pick cold partridges perfectly but when she first picked a warm one she spat it out and WOULD NOT pick it up again. She soon changed her mind when she saw the others were getting all the retireves!!!

How long have you been shooting? I had ago at a few clays once but have never had ago at game. I just go to work the dogs but maybe one day will pick up the courage to have ago!! I am scared of the gun and the kick. Where I go shooting they do a couple of duck drives from boats, I always get the image of me shooting the gun and flying backwards in to the water, well it would be amusing for everyone else I soppose!!!!

I'm sure you will do fine with your pigeon shooting, practice makes perfect :)

Kerry

Im hoping that I can get her retrieving warm game before we start shooting again in Sept!

I started shooting about a year after I got Hook, so about 7 or 8 years. Initially just clays, which can be a bit hard on the shoulder. I would recommend the ladys clay shooting days run by the BASC to gain confidence they are very supprotive and will give you all of the tips about gun fit for girls etc. I always shoot clays with 'only' 25g load in my 20b. You do not need a heavy load to kill them, contary to male opinion!

I started shooting game because I was invited to a beaters day on a small local shoot and one of the experienced  guns stood with me to help me and give me confidence, which was great. From the time I hit my first phesant I was totally hooked and would now far rather shoot game than clays. Since game can be expensive joining the local pigeon club has been the solution for me, although I have to confess that I rarely hit more than half a dozen birds, so it is MUCH easier on the shoulder.    

Somehow I have also got in to rifle shooting and my first deer was a big thrill, sadly I have not spent the time on that to get really good on game, although I do practice regually on targets. Now if you want to feel recoil some of the rifle loads move me (no longer a slip of a thing) 4" down the mat in the prone position :o

Having said that I will probably go to the clay shoot at the local manor next week and make a complete fool of myself as I find that knowing where the clay will go gives me far too much time to think and I invariabley miss the easy ones

Claire,  Turner Hudson website.  Tried to do a link but didn't come through.  I was thinking that perhaps I should have gone for Basic HPR but I can always exchange it if I feel it is too heavy for me at this stage.  It may be the same one Kerry is talking about.  I think it probably is.

Annie

Good luck with her Annie, I'm sure she will become a fantastic gundog you will have to keep us up to date with all of their progress.