training transition to working
training transition to working
My gsp is 15 months old and is near "fully trained", he recalls, turns on the whistle, drops, and does various retrieves, with directions, and has lately started hunting. He will hold a point, the only thing he doesnt do is walk to heel off the lead, as i never taught him. The problem is as the above had been done from day one, he would drop as many times as you wanted and turn when you wanted, recall straight away. But lately instead of doing 2 30 min sessions a day, the last 1 month has been 2 hunting sessions a day. I have noticed his commands have gone really really slack, as where before he was rapid. With the stop whislte blown he will just continue to doss about and only sit if i walk to him, I have to blow the recall whistle say 3 times, And turns have gone to 2 blows. I have not yet had a text book hunt or flush, he has bumped rabbits after entering cover and pigeons he has pointed and flushed (on command) have flown away whilst he is under where they flew, I had him point a rabbit which then jumped in a hedge, but he wasnt tall enough to see it so when he moved on he just went sniffing in the hedge. Should i go back to basic training or is this a phase? I noticed it more today as the rain was there and his rear never hit the deck but seemed to hover when told to drop.
Re: training transition to working
I haven’t any experience with a GSP’s but I think 2 30 minute hunting sessions a day is too much, I think you maybe need to go back to basics and no it’s not a phase IMO.
I think you need to ensure you are consistent with your commands always, so when you introduce something like hunting your training criteria goes back down to zero and you are consistently enforcing the sit, turn and recall whistle with the added distraction of game/scent. At the moment he’s learning that he doesn’t have to do it on the first command and pretty soon he’ll be thinking he doesn’t have to do it on any command and become self employed. Take him back to basics and see how you get on, it is easy to take your eye off the ball when you introduce the excitement of game for the first time but consistency is what it’s all about really.
Rascal
I think you need to ensure you are consistent with your commands always, so when you introduce something like hunting your training criteria goes back down to zero and you are consistently enforcing the sit, turn and recall whistle with the added distraction of game/scent. At the moment he’s learning that he doesn’t have to do it on the first command and pretty soon he’ll be thinking he doesn’t have to do it on any command and become self employed. Take him back to basics and see how you get on, it is easy to take your eye off the ball when you introduce the excitement of game for the first time but consistency is what it’s all about really.
Rascal
General Dogsbody