Greymaster wrote:IThe OP speaks in terms of dropping the rabbit rather than releasing the rabbit which makes me think it is not being asked to deliver to hand.
Surely this is just semantics?
Release/give/drop/out (in the context of a retrieve in any discipline) surely are synonyms?
The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail more than his tongue!
Allyson Tohme MGoDT (MT)
Polmaise wrote:It may surprise you that I am of the opinion that someone else should not be doing the shooting when training a a dog ...young or otherwise! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moBXEEJcChs
The dog should be working with you and you should be working with the dog,for the purpose of the gun.
Nice advertisement, but that is a full on competition, for trained dogs. Of course you could dispense with the spaniel and the lab, and simply use the one HPR, when trained. Recall that the case in question is a 9 month HPR pup. Ultimately and hopefully its potential as a rough shooter's dog will be realised.
Greymaster wrote:I have formed an opinion that this pup is being rushed. I see the bit about the birds, (assuming crows and pigeons given the age and shooting season). One has also to think about how much exercise a 9 month old pup should have, although I concede I am very cautious in this regard.
The OP speaks in terms of dropping the rabbit rather than releasing the rabbit which makes me think it is not being asked to deliver to hand. Personally I believe that when training a young dog, someone else should be doing the shooting.
I do not think the OP is talking in terms of introduction to shot, but full scale working under the gun, and I think there are too many pitfalls with such a "rushed" approach.
At 9 months my pup would hunt any wind in relation to me & without undue interference. She could found her game well without busting it, pointed staunchly & was already adept at working moving game. She retrieved & was effectively free from chase. Shooting game over her point was the natural progression that consolidated her training. And I prefer to shoot a dog in myself because then I am in full control, & the dog is building a working relationship with me. By 6 months she had experienced game contact on a daily basis & was like a mini-gundog with the basic hunting/pointing skills & routines that she would need for the rest of her life already 'conditioned' into her. This 'natural' self-training approach that is developed in synch with the young pups awakening instincts & learning curves works better for me and, as I explained, is common practice in other countries. I accept that if you approach your training from the more traditional 'obedience first' perspective then this would not fit, but I don't think this approach brings out the best in the breed, if you're looking for a rough shooting dog.
