Gundog Training Forum

This is bosco my five month old springer from bridevalley sprucehill lines. There are other dogs in the litter with even more colouring!

Awbeg muffins lines go back to the famous monalue line...hard hunting "traditional" irish woodcock dogs who would hunt heavy covered scentless ground for fun in pursuit of the odd woodcock

I got the impression that the reason some trainers refrained from retrieving between 3 and ten months was that this is time when most problems arise...when pups are teething etc...would there be any 'mileage' in this theory

I have read on this forum several times over the past couple of years that some trainers will do a small bit of retrieving (spaniels) up to 3months and then will not do any retrieving till they are 9/10 months. What are the reasons for this? Looking forward to hear your thoughts please

This was a really good thread nearly 4 years ago i wonder have things changed since then ....

Thanks for all the replies so far however i could do with a bit more information regarding the character, hunting traits etc of the dog if anyone has any info. Maybe i should have mentioned in the op that i was thinking of using him as a stud

Has anyone seen or heard how this dog performs? What is he like in heavy cover like bramble? I know he has not been in England for very long so people mighnt know a lot about him nevertheless I said id ask. Some of the Irish lads might know a bit more about him and the type of pups he produces etc. ...

Ive often witnessed dogs that regularly retrieve woodcock walk right past a dead bird. For some reason unknown to me the woodcock can be quite scentless sometimes...somebody did say to me once that a woodcock that has recently landed would be scentless having travelled over the sea...dont know how m...

so the rapeseed oil question was for a possible cure for dry skin around the eyes? is this dry flaky skin, is the fur still there? is there any signs of weeping, perhaps as suggested by rascal if the skin is red raw, There is no simple answer without all the facts in detail :) ya the skin is dry an...

Its interesting that a couple of you mention nasty cover could be the cause. She is the hardest going dog i have ever seen in the thickest of brambles and she does it at a hundred miles an hour which is worse again. I will get her checked out just in case it is something else.