Hours in the rabbit pen ? How many

[My dogs best friend]

Hi gents/lady's looking 4 some info on getting my 1 year old cocker steady to the flush of game !! I'm guessing a rabbit pens the way forward but how many hours or days would this usually take !! What should I be looking at paying or would I be better of letting a pro trainer take this part of her training ? All advise very welcome .

[Rothievale]

As always, depends on the dog, its temperament (soft/hard, clever/thick), their chase instinct, some are born chasers, some are not so bothered, and the experience of the handler. The last 3 springers I have trained have been buggers for chasing! And I really had difficulty getting them steady. Prior to that my cocker and springer were a doddle!

[Springfield Pointers]

Hi gents/lady's looking 4 some info on getting my 1 year old cocker steady to the flush of game !! I'm guessing a rabbit pens the way forward but how many hours or days would this usually take !! What should I be looking at paying or would I be better of letting a pro trainer take this part of her training ? All advise very welcome .

There is no fixed rule. It would depend on the dog. As always it's finding the right balance, you want to make sure that the time spent is positive and the right messages are getting through. Short productive sessions are better than long nagging ones.

[Breezybrook]

My advice is send the dog to a professional. The dog needs short sessions often, by the time you pay petrol costs driving to a pen and hire of the pen, you may as well pay someone who knows how to get the job done properly. It will happen quicker and hopefully be done correctly.

[trekmoor]

I prefer not to have a pup in a rabbit pen for more than 15 minutes and very often I would be into and out of the pen again within 5 minutes.

Wullie

[jeffD]

Wullie can you explain why

thanks

[trekmoor]

The longer a pup is in a pen the more time it has to realize it is in a pen where it can and will be caught. In order to have a pup behave the same way outside a pen (sit to flush and turn to whistle) as it does inside a pen I get out of the pen after just 2-5 flushes before the pup comes to know it is in an artificial situation.
I think rabbit pens are great but they do have their limitations .

Wullie

[jeffD]

Thanks Wullie

[JAN]

I go training with my cocker & my clumber every week (different days) and we spent 5-15 minutes either in the middle of the lesson or at the end in the rabbit pen. Sometimes everything went perfectly - others it went seriously wrong but whatever happened we persevered so we always ended on a positive note, ie a perfect flush, or sitting still while the rabbits where driven past us. With the clumber she was initially abit sticky in hunting freely in the pen so much to my horror I was advised to let her CHASE the first rabbit she flushed. After two circuits of the pen at a speed a racing greyhound would have been proud off! we had a 5 minute chill out then started again, after that she was spot on.