ESS Guidance

[5pringer]

I don't know the trainer ,but I know the area , my OH was born and raised there ,like Simon said , personal recommendations are the best way to go.

[Gundogguy]

"Here at Ravenshall Gundogs we can offer several types of training. Things we can help with: •sitting •staying •healing on and off the lead •running in •retrieving to hand •hard mouthing •directional work •steady behaviour •aggressive behaviour •travelling problems"

Very basic I would of thought, and a lot of people will be very interested in his methods for over coming "hard mouth"

I, personally would wait for other suggestions before heading to a trainer with minimal credentials. Just because its only 25mins away doesn't mean its the best.
We have a local trainer 5 mins away. We now travel when needed 5 hrs.... Enough said. There's trainers and there's trainers

Over coming might be a stretch, however "helping with" might just lead a new understanding, would certainly make for an interesting session of training.

[tomc]

Thanks for the input, I see your points!

On a side note I discovered something! I was outside, and the dog bolted and wouldn't listen to a recall I slipped over and ended up flat on my behind but the second I sat up my dog was right there jumping all over me. I tested the theory again and randomly sat down and again the dog came sprinting back to me full whack and wouldn't leave my side.

I have decided not to let him off the lead again, I don't want him running around self rewarding. I'm going to take a step or 20 backwards in training and go to the start again!

[trekmoor]

Start on your bum and No , I am not kidding . Sometimes gundog folk have been known to lie flat on their backs to encourage a dog in. If I have trouble with a dogs return or with it's delivery of dummies then I sit on my doorstep while playing/training the dog. I move from there onto a chair near the steps and then begin to place the chair and my backside all over the garden. Sometimes, since I live in a quiet cul-de-sac , I then take the chair out into the road and continue training there before going into the countryside.....( I usually do the same thing in the park while sitting on a bench or a boulder or a tree stump.)

A good recall is far more important than good heelwork . Heelwork is only needed occasionally, recalls are needed every time you go training.

Wullie

[tomc]

Haha sound advice, I will have to give it ago.

I am just worried that I do not have a good bond with the dog outside of the house and garden. Sometimes it seems like he is a different animal! I know there are lots more distractions to contend with but its kind of depressing when all he is interested in is the shiny leaf blowing in the wind when you are trying to give him praise and fuss!

Edit: I found this article http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/gundogs/tes ... lead-21601

What are your thoughts on the advice?

Thanks very much for your time!

[Naj]

Great advice. But are you in a position to carry it through? I would have thought that with its previous trainer the dog would have been carefully managed when at exercise. If you have since taken it for walks & effectively allowed it to run/hunt freely without maintaining careful management/control then this may be one of the reasons why you are having problems now, especially with a dog of this age. And if anyone else hasn't already mentioned it you need to take your training exercises out of the garden & start from scratch in many different places so that the dog learns to respond to you consistently no matter where it is. We need to bond with our dogs but no amount of bonding is a substitute for proper training. There must be plenty of people with the most unruliest of dogs who have a great bond with them around the house & garden. You have to show the dog how you want it to behave in any given situation.

Naj

[tomc]

Reading your comment I don't think it is to do with the 'bond'. And yes, the dog was kept and managed at training very well, and because he was brought up in that training environment at that kennels I think he associated that place with work (read 'has been shown how to do it and what is expected of him by a competent trainer in that environment) , and he works very well there.

I will hold my hands up and admit in my naivety yes we have taken him for walks/let him run free . Having learned the somewhat devastating impact this has had we have stepped waaay back to basics. He is not a very bad dog (yet), he will work well from time to time. And I am very proud of the work we have done with his retrieving, he wasn't interested in it at first but now he has no problems with the majority of his retrieves. But I think my obsession with getting him to retrieve, my inexperience and frankly my impatience ( ) have brought about this situation.

But I am learning a lot, and with the right advice, and my new found patience and love for training the dog I can succeed .

Thanks for your reply Naj

[Rascal]

Tom have you just tried too hard with the "bond" thing admittedly taking him for walks won't have helped. But if it were me I'd be tempted to give him some "kennel rest" for a few days and not make anything of him at all other than feed him and let him out for toilet breaks, it won't kill him honest....

Then I'd go back to the basics of not hunting outwith your acceptable distances, recall etc in a pretty sterile environment for a start but not your garden..

I would contact a trainer close to you PDQ too as we can't see the two of you where a good trainer can and offer their advise...

Rascal

[tomc]

Probably yes. I don't have a 'kennel' as such but he does have a crate. Should I crate him for the time he is not carrying out natures calls, or just let him around the house but ignore him?

Have got a visit to the trainer on Friday, I will see what is said.

[Rascal]

I wouldn’t particularly want to crate him for too long although dogs that are recovering from surgery have to undergo that sometimes and it doesn’t kill them…. If I were to do that I’d put him in a quiet part of the house or even the garage where he doesn’t see/hear much at all for a couple or three days possibly after you’ve been to see the trainer and then start again with proper boundaries in place. Be firm, fair and fun….. It’s often a big adjustment for dogs to go from kennel life to living in a house.

FWIW I’d go to an independent trainer with this dog…..

Rascal