distance handling with spaniels?

[Judy]

But not real gun dog work?

[Naj]

Genuinely of zero interest to me, and I cringe at hearing such "run-and-gun" shenanigans referred to as an haitch-PR event.

Naj, what you conjectured with "flyers" can occasionally happen in a trial - and the dog is given ample opportunity to "hunt up" the bird. The judges of course would've marked the fall before calling a dog's number to release it for a retrieve. But the cover is usually dense as to prevent even them (and the handler) from *seeing* the bird as a runner. The dog that "steps on" a shot flyer scores highest for marking, but a dog that marked the fall by going directly to it only to come up with the bird 50-75 yards away as a runner certainly wouldn't be marked down for it. Alas, it would just be a bad break in a game of straight lines, lots of water to win or lose in, and of course (rounding rather back on topic) precision handling.

MG

Thanks MG.

And ssssssh, best not to let SP know.

[trekmoor]

I have always liked trials , I'm not sure I'd enjoy competing in American retriever trials though. They seem to be made as artificial as possible in order to give every dog an equal chance and in the process they lose the very things I keep gundogs for. I, like everyone else, have to find a balance between excellent handling on the part of the dog and initiative.
When I fail in this it is usually favourable to initiative.

Wullie

[Naj]

Unless a handler is doing a fair bit of cherry picking then drifting to 'initiative' is inevitable for every working handler/dog combo if they're regularly working on live game. With taught behaviours you either use them or lose them and in the shooting field opportunities to use the 'advanced' handling techniques you practiced in training to cover ever eventuality are generally few & far between compared with the routine knock about stuff. And if your dog goes wrong it is often difficult to immediately correct the problem so behaviours slip.

Naj

[jeffD]

My first cocker spent lots of time in a hide with me shooting pigeon and would often do blinds out to 100 yards plus with no problems, my springer was a shite in a hide so I rarely took him, the best I could send him on a blind was 40 or 50 yards. Dogs adapt to the sort of shooting you do with them.

[Naj]

I don't think many first time pet owners realise the amount of time & commitment that keeping a pup entails, and how destructive & annoying they can be if not properly managed, & that's before they face the full force of an awakening hunting instinct with the gundog breeds. Their ideal puppy suddenly turns into an uncontrollable monster that they would pay any price to get out of their lives.

Naj

[Strathcraig]

I don't think many first time pet owners realise the amount of time & commitment that keeping a pup entails, and how destructive & annoying they can be if not properly managed, & that's before they face the full force of an awakening hunting instinct with the gundog breeds. Their ideal puppy suddenly turns into an uncontrollable monster that they would pay any price to get out of their lives.

Naj

Is this on the right thread Naj? Seems to fit in with the 'On Edge' chat

[Naj]

Spotted the deliberate mistake.

[crackerd]

Naj, you "handled" that very nicely - a silent angle back, as we would say, cast from your keyboard back! (shhhh...) into the appropriate thread.

Now can you hand SP a mashie niblick to see if he can handle a short game analogy for hunting, er, finding the green?

MG

[Naj]

Just had to google mashie niblick. All that golfing stuff is wasted on me.