Gundog Training Forum

At the moment Molly is sitting to whistle nicely, if Molly bumps into game during a walk or training session I am going to let her chase for the 1st or 2nd encounter with game. Just so she know how's to "go" before I tell her to "stop" She probably wont chase the first encounter...

Hunting on game scent is massively different to hunting the pup into game. Of course, hunting a pup, randomly, to encounter game, will never slow a pup down. Doing it too early (live game hunting), does give you very little chance to assess the pups true character & how it will be, approaching &...

Can't quite understand how you could interpret what I posted as me stating that you had to be hard on a pup to get the best out of it, quite the contrary. I think that even you would agree that you have to be gentler when dealing with a 4 month old pup than you would with a 10 month old. And in you...

& my point was/is, what is to be learned from the fact a very very young pup can successfully drag the carcass of a hen pheasant or a Zebra ( in Crackered's case) to you, if you care to let it or encourage it to. What is to be gained from that? I'm not saying it causes anything or should not be ...

Rascal wrote:

whistleshappy wrote:
My point regarding a young introduction to cold game was actually to give the dog the earliest chance of understanding how it's partnership with a BOP was going to be. Nothing to do with retrieving it. But you knew that.

I did?

Rascal

Yes.

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/Rascal_2010/IMG_7646.jpg http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz244/Rascal_2010/IMG_7660_3.jpg Midge at 10 weeks old. Get them retrieving anything and everything with enthusiasm at an early age, makes life so much easier. Who would want their dog retrieving so...

One acception could be if the pup was to be worked with BOP's in the field but I have no experience of this so couldn't possibly say one way or another. :? :think: My understanding of training with BOB's is more for the HPR and hunting flushing breeds because they fly and alight again very quickly,...

An interesting thread. I've got a young pup and an older pup out with two different experienced people, both aiming for field trials. One is doing the softly, softly approach with the older pup, very much following Joe Irving and the other intentionally chucked the youngster in at the deep end. The...

I'm not trying to persuade you to do it at all, :shrug: you asked my reasons for doing it and I gave them..... Most five month pups have the strength and height to pick a partridge. It works for me and I'll continue to do it, you continue to do what obviously works for you.....If it ain't broken as...

As I said a youngster once it will run in and retrieve anything you toss for it then I'll give it a couple of retrieves of cold game preferably a partridge or a hen and I don't stress about it but do it in a restricted area to limit the novelty value.... I don't actually care either how it's return...