books
Re: books
Tom you can glean a lot from books and I would read a lot have a look on fleabay for bargains. But if it were me with a new pup and new to gundogs I’d do the basic hand training and then book a 1-2-1 session with a good spaniel trainer, most charge £30- £40 for an hour and the insight you get is invaluable. And in my view works out cheaper in the long run to DVD’s, a good trainer will be able to assess you and your dog and work out what you need to be working on you will probably need to visit perhaps twice or even once a month and work on the things you and your dog need to work on in between.
Every person and every dog is different... An experienced trainer will work out your dog’s temperament and yours and train accordingly, they will also probably run group training sessions you can attend later when appropriate. And these tend to be slightly cheaper than a 1-2-1 because of the numbers attending. You learn a lot from watching other folks and their dogs too and your dog learns to watch other dogs working.
By basic hand training I mean getting the pup to come when called to both voice, whistle and visual cue to sit to both voice and whistle and visual cue. You can do all that with food, treats and loads of praise if you have an excitable don’t overdo the praise but praise none the less....... Very slowly build the duration and distraction....To retrieve rolled up socks and the likes but don’t overdo that and don’t be in a rush to take the item from the pup either gradually making the retrieve item harder for the pup to find. In the edge of long grass or rolled down a slope say but keep it fun for the pup...
Have a look here at the video clip in Jame’s first post .........viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13353#p157828
And here.......... viewtopic.php?f=13&t=18845 to see what you are aiming at.
Learn to walk backwards a lot and never walk anywhere in a straight line, have a radius of say ten - fifteen yards either side and ahead of you out of which you don’t let the pup stray. Keep all the action/fun around you and your feet. Hide from the pup and let it find you, you are building a bond with the pup. Watch the pups reaction to new stuff and learn about him/her in that way.. Don’t leave the pup in the garden unsupervised where it can get into all sorts of mischief including flushing and chasing wild birds from the shrubbery and learning to self serve and you are not part of its fun.
Until you’ve got the sit and turn whistle fully embedded stay away from ditches and hedge lines too as if there’s scent in there the pup will pull out on you.
Get the pup used to travelling in a car, being handled, pop it on the worktop or table and examine its ears, eyes, feet and tail etc so vet’s visits aren’t too scary in the future. Used to noise of you clanking about feed bowls at feeding time, cars, lorries air breaks, socialised with people, kids and other dogs. Right from being very little get s/he used to you stroking him/her whilst s/he is eating and diddling your fingers in his/her food bowl and even picking it up for a second or two before popping it down again.
Most of all don’t get anxious or uptight and enjoy your pup....
Rascal
Every person and every dog is different... An experienced trainer will work out your dog’s temperament and yours and train accordingly, they will also probably run group training sessions you can attend later when appropriate. And these tend to be slightly cheaper than a 1-2-1 because of the numbers attending. You learn a lot from watching other folks and their dogs too and your dog learns to watch other dogs working.
By basic hand training I mean getting the pup to come when called to both voice, whistle and visual cue to sit to both voice and whistle and visual cue. You can do all that with food, treats and loads of praise if you have an excitable don’t overdo the praise but praise none the less....... Very slowly build the duration and distraction....To retrieve rolled up socks and the likes but don’t overdo that and don’t be in a rush to take the item from the pup either gradually making the retrieve item harder for the pup to find. In the edge of long grass or rolled down a slope say but keep it fun for the pup...
Have a look here at the video clip in Jame’s first post .........viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13353#p157828
And here.......... viewtopic.php?f=13&t=18845 to see what you are aiming at.
Learn to walk backwards a lot and never walk anywhere in a straight line, have a radius of say ten - fifteen yards either side and ahead of you out of which you don’t let the pup stray. Keep all the action/fun around you and your feet. Hide from the pup and let it find you, you are building a bond with the pup. Watch the pups reaction to new stuff and learn about him/her in that way.. Don’t leave the pup in the garden unsupervised where it can get into all sorts of mischief including flushing and chasing wild birds from the shrubbery and learning to self serve and you are not part of its fun.
Until you’ve got the sit and turn whistle fully embedded stay away from ditches and hedge lines too as if there’s scent in there the pup will pull out on you.
Get the pup used to travelling in a car, being handled, pop it on the worktop or table and examine its ears, eyes, feet and tail etc so vet’s visits aren’t too scary in the future. Used to noise of you clanking about feed bowls at feeding time, cars, lorries air breaks, socialised with people, kids and other dogs. Right from being very little get s/he used to you stroking him/her whilst s/he is eating and diddling your fingers in his/her food bowl and even picking it up for a second or two before popping it down again.
Most of all don’t get anxious or uptight and enjoy your pup....
Rascal
General Dogsbody
Re: books
Hi rascal thanks for the advice, i already have her sitting to voice,hand and whistle she recall's to whistle and voice. She retrives fine im gonna go to ian openshaw for training with her he is.local to me so not far thanks again for the reply
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Naughty Boy
- Member
- Posts: 69
- Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:54 pm
Re: books
Maurice hopper. Gr8 book.old school.
A Spaniel that hunts but will not retrieve is only half a gun dog, and even those that are `sometimes retrievers` are totally unsatisfactory.