Bored with training

[bodgy]

I confess to have become bored with training my 1 yr cocker. He is coming on well but I have run out of fresh ideas although he still loves his sessions. I had training which culminated in the rabbit pen but a fox got into the pen and killed most of the bunnies so I am trying to find a way of replicating this at home with little success. He stops , stays fetches dummies, blind retrieves, quarters quite well, comes to whistle etc but I feel the urge to take him on a small shoot. Is he too young ? Any fresh ideas?

[Naj]

Give him to me & take up golf.

Naj

[Judy]

Wrong answer Naj, should have been; "Give him to Judy, he'll never be bored there with three bitches to keep him on his toes".

Is he steady to shot and feather?

[bodgy]

I hate golf ! and it isn't him who is bored its me ! He is getting steady to fur/feather and ok with starting pistol but haven't tried 12 bore yet. I am thinking of getting a 410 to start off with

[Springfield Pointers]

Bored? If I could be so forward as to ask how on earth could he be bored? Just give him things to do, it's not rocket science, they really are happy just going for a walk, they don't need a new exercise every day.

[tiernin]

It's not the dog that's bored its the owner

[Gundogguy]

We play a dog game every year at our club picnics. It's called the "Blind retrieve".
We rope off a small area and then scatter a dozen bumpers around the area we then draw the name of a dog and handler. the handler and dog are led to the area, dog on leash.
The handler is then "blind folded" taken to middle of the area turn around three times The handler then directs his dog to fetch up the bumpers, great fun re leaves boredom immediately. The winner is one that retrieves all the bumpers the fastest, usually there is a fiver or a tenner in the pot.
Or seeing as how the dog is perfect you could take up trialing just to releave the stress of boredom!

[Mike A]

I struggle to understand how you can be bored training a year old cocker If he is anything like my year old Sprocker he really should be keeping you on your toes ,especially this time of year with a lot of game about to pull him out and test your training

[tiernin]

In the uk wee train different from you guys but each to there own as long as you're having fun

[hily]

I confess to have become bored with training my 1 yr cocker. He is coming on well but I have run out of fresh ideas although he still loves his sessions. I had training which culminated in the rabbit pen but a fox got into the pen and killed most of the bunnies so I am trying to find a way of replicating this at home with little success. He stops , stays fetches dummies, blind retrieves, quarters quite well, comes to whistle etc but I feel the urge to take him on a small shoot. Is he too young ? Any fresh ideas?

Hate to tell you this BUT you never stop training a gun dog.Take him on a shoot but explain to the keeper why you have the dog on a lead.Take note of what is expected of the dog and try and work it into your training if nowt else the visit to the shoot it may get your juices flowing and renew your apatite for training.A.T.B.