Place board Training

[welsh]

I agree, with the running around buckets the dog seems to be doing an obstacle course, knowing there's a bird at the end. But I think this may be used as a kind of foundation drill, i.e. the dog is not really expected to hunt so much as to run a pattern, which future drills will build on.

That's a pretty normal range for the dog to be working over here.

[trekmoor]

Having watched the video I can only say that I think my cockers would do very well in America . They hunt those sort of ranges with no need for buckets ! The quartering seen in the video was at least double the distances seen in British spaniel trials ....maybe even triple our hunting distances ?

Wullie

[alpha]

Having watched the video I can only say that I think my cockers would do very well in America . They hunt those sort of ranges with no need for buckets ! The quartering seen in the video was at least double the distances seen in British spaniel trials ....maybe even triple our hunting distances ?

Wullie

Perhaps that's why so many get sold to the states
Think small noises are also acceptable over there....

[welsh]

The quartering seen in the video was at least double the distances seen in British spaniel trials ....maybe even triple our hunting distances ?

Yup, that distance is pretty typical on open ground. When I watch video of UK trials I am continually amazed at how close the dogs are expected to work.

[Blackjaw]

Gundoggy and Crackrd: I think you are both right because I am pretty sure Trish's dogs name was something like Madison's Pride and Passion.
Wullie: I agree that we in the U.S. run our spaniels (especially springers) to wide in Field trials. Even cockers are run a little wide for my liking. Pretty sure a lot of trailers have forgotten they can request their wing gunner be at whatever distance they want (provided they don't make the gunner walk through impenetrable brambles/etc.)

[Gundogguy]

The quartering seen in the video was at least double the distances seen in British spaniel trials ....maybe even triple our hunting distances ?

Yup, that distance is pretty typical on open ground. When I watch video of UK trials I am continually amazed at how close the dogs are expected to work.

I think one must remember that it is not in anyone's best interest to critique the differences in our cultural running styles. Foe example the N.American's run their dogs to wide and deep or the Brits keep to much control on spaniels. Oh contraire we should celebrate the fact that our beloved spaniel have the ability to be trained to run under two different cultural systems. To do it with style and panache that we here or you over there can appreciate these fine dogs.
Place boards or not the thing we love about dogs will not change.

[pontbeck]

A spaniel should flush game within gun shot and as long as that's happening both our cultures should be pleased.

Bill

[Gundogguy]

Gundoggy and Crackrd: I think you are both right because I am pretty sure Trish's dogs name was something like Madison's Pride and Passion.
Wullie: I agree that we in the U.S. run our spaniels (especially springers) to wide in Field trials. Even cockers are run a little wide for my liking. Pretty sure a lot of trailers have forgotten they can request their wing gunner be at whatever distance they want (provided they don't make the gunner walk through impenetrable brambles/etc.)

+1 to that concept. Though one time in Ohio, gunning in a trial judged by Paul McGagh and My wife, Paull and I did crawl on our hands and knees through the brush. Another factor could well the number of Springer judges that are called on to judge the trial. The sport being what it is means that if you ask good qualified Cocker folks to do the judging the host club may conceivable lose an entry or two. I had gunned many a Cocker stake where both judges had much more springer experience than cocker.
Entry's are dear! Recently the Maine trial had to be cancelled due to lack of entry's.
In Sept in my home state of Michigan there will be a 3 day trial, 2 Open stakes and 1 Amateur stake, with a very nice entry 48 dog in both the opens and 23 in amateur. The size of our trials are also a cultural concern.
And knowing many of the participate of this event there will be a number of dogs that will be competing that have been trained, in part or all on the place boards.

[trekmoor]

My personal opinion is that British trailers keep their dogs in too close ....but American trailers let them too far out. When I trained my cocker Charlie I had the distance of about 12-15 yards from me in my head. I was told at the time that I was letting him hunt too far out .....but ,of course, I knew better ! When it came to running him in tests I had to do at least a weeks work on turning him within ten yards prior to the tests and one particular judge still thought he was hunting too far out.

I thought hard about it after my experience with Charlie but finally decided that I was right and that every test and trial judge in the country was wrong ! I trained Dax to hunt at about 15 yards too when I got him about a year later.
I agree with anyone who says this could be too far out for rabbit hunting but for hunting winged creatures it works fine and I think the dogs find more game. Since American spaniel trials always seem to feature bird shooting and not rabbits then maybe their hunting distances work fine for them.

Wullie

[Naj]

I believe one of the major differences that determines running style is that British trials are run on high densities of game, where tight pattern is beneficial due to the ever present risk of missing stuff (an eliminating fault), whereas American trials are run on planted game & where the birds, as I understand it (please, correct me if I'm wrong ), are 'flagged' so the handler/judge/guns know roughly where they will be. I think the wide running style also reflects the nature of much of the hunting in the States, which is generally on lower densities of game than most spaniels are used to being worked upon in this country, & primarily on feather, so a wider hunting pattern becomes beneficial. No right or wrong to it, simply cultural differences. Great hunting dogs whatever the country.

Naj