gettin my spanial to hunt

[Rascal]

How long have you had the dog and did you get the papers for the dog or a demonstration at all?

Rascal

[beth.james]

I think people were well within thier rights to be a bit skeptical with you having so little info re the dog and the guy you bought him off had only had him a week himself - guessing you had a good deal on him But well done for not biting back and keeping everything civil Hope you can get the young lad going, hopefully with a little help from the guys on here (who're all really helpful and knowledgable) and don't just pass the dog onto someone else like he seems to have been done so far... With a bit of work and consistency I'm sure he'll come good. As Pol says, how long have you had him? You may still be in the stage of trying to bond with him, especially if he's changed hands regularly. Also, buying a dog that age, I would have liked to have seen some sort of demo for what he can do/his potential. At 22 month old it's difficult for a spaniel to have done 'absolutely' nothing, as you say he can clearly recall and retrieve...

Just my thoughts - sorry can't help with the specifics of spaniel hunting - I'm more of a lab girl altho have done some work with spaniels but not enough to be advising.

[conor87]

i hav the dog 3 weeks now. Papers yes and a demonstration. I knew when i was gettin the dog that he was a bit green, the owner b4 done very little wit him. I thought it wud cum naturally to the dog to hunt but he is showin no signs at all. Rascal u seem to no a thing r 2 about spaniels, hav u ever cum across 1 dat wont hunt

[bannvale gundogs]

I have seen one who would not hunt but as I suggested above it did come good in the end. Spaniels and rabbits have a natural affinity a few runs on them and positive encouragement. allow him to chase get him hunting first worry about the steadying etc till later, i have read of dogs which would not hunt due to a negative association to scent due to harsh treatment when trying to steady the dog which could be the problem with this fella as he is as old as you say and had quite a few owners. the cure as above.
So first get bonded, then try and get him into a few bushes chasing bunnies if all else fails get charlie to give him a talking to provided he can understand him lol I hear he has a great love of wabbits and the methods in capturing them.

[Labfan]

Why did you buy it, if it dosent hunt?

[smudge04]

Conor, Welcome to the forum. You've already had some good pointers via some of the questions posed to you for example

If your dog has no idea what game is , why should it hunt for it ?

The dog is young so there's plenty of time & hope! However your bond with the dog is even younger so work on that first, he's more likely to learn if he's keen on working with you. Have a look at this topic: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1006 not exactly your issue but if you find something he is keen to have/retrieve/find you can build from that getting him to search out a favourite toy/ball/sock/dummy from under things around you. I would think that you always have the option of contacting the bloke you bought him from and getting some help there too.

As beth says well done for not snapping back at some of the comments, you'll find that almost everyone on here has the right intentions and is helpful but occasionally a new member doesn't get that welcoming feeling here through a combination of no previous history and a slightly odd first post or two ("text speak" doesn't help either!). This often leads some to be sceptical of whether the post is genuine or someone coming on here to Troll.

So "old hands" can we try and be as welcoming as possible whilst trying to fathom a newbie out please?
And new members - have a good look around first, read some topics and get a feel of what the forum is like and which topics get good responses and I would always recommend posting a "hello" in the welcome section so people know a little about you and your dogs - it makes further questions and comments much easier...

Iain

[Megsdad]

Conor, Ian's quite right to admonish us old gits for being rude! If you don't know what the dog's life has been like so far assume you're starting from scratch with a young puppy as he says. I am sure with kindness and patience you'll get it right. There was a lady in cocker championship this year with a 'rescue' dog. She got him at 2 years old after he'd been returned to breeder as a no-hoper! Let us know how you get on and put up some pictures. Terry

[looandbea]

Hiya Conor. All spaniels hunt. Get the dog onto game and encourage every move it makes that will help you accomplish what you need. Nose down for a sniff,quiet praise. Running about like a loon,quiet praise. If the dog does starts to search, but suddenly stops and stands looking at you, walk away and recall it. Dont try and encourage it when it stops. Walk away.When the dog returns to you and is walking forward again, set it hunting again. I got this advice a while ago for a dog that would loose confidence while hunting and it worked brilliantly. Hope this might help, and good luck. Dave.

[conor87]

thanks to all who left positive comment. thanks. i probably started off on the wrong foot lol. i hope to get a few pics up soon and keep u's all posted on how the wee dog is coming on.
cheers to all

[Polmaise]

I recently just bought a springer spanial. The dog is 22 months old but has had no work at all. Its back ground is gud comin from rough shooting dogs which the seller assured me were excellent.I hav had the dog out a few times to see if he will pick up any cent but to no success. I wud b greatful if anyone cud advise me on a few drills r methods that wud help me and my dog. cheers

Glad to hear it Conor, look forward to the progress you make with the dog.
Positive comments can come as negative sometimes ?,it depends how you receive them.
Mostly ,they are with the interest of the dog,not for the poster! (imo)