It's all about the training!

[Kibble]

Thank you for this post, which was timely as it turned out.
Yesterday, as it was not windy, I took her over the river and up into the woods. She retrieved fine, apart from the tedious spin arounds, until we were on the way back. Then she stopped, with a retrieve, to scratch at what had been a muddy puddle. She eventually brought back a very muddy retrieve in a muddy mouth, and I decided she must just have been thirsty. It is very dry up in the woods just now and she had done a lot of running.

Leaving the woods, I noticed several sheep right by the foot bridge that we needed to cross. I have not seen sheep there before and I guess they too had come for the water. I put puppy on her lead. I don't trust her with the river, yet, never mind with sheep that close.
Anyway, the sheep ambled out of the way so I just led her past, as if they were not even worth comment. Then took her over the bridge and down on the sheep free side for a drink and a paddle.
She is getting more retrieves on walks now, and I am concentrating on 'no praise until the retrieve item is back in my hand'. Still a long way to go, but hopefully going in the right direction, trying not to rehearse mistakes, and remembering she is a puppy, when she decides to zoom across the field just for fun.

I am trying to discourage her from wanting to greet everyone she passes. She is not a tiny puppy anymore, but people still come up, tell her how cute she is and give her a stroke. They don't ask me and, to be honest, it's a bit of a nuisance, especially when I am trying to get her to walk nicely to heel and all she wants to do is a full body wag.

Today I took her to the moors instead, where there are no people, and lots of icy puddles. It was very windy, and no sheep in sight. At least I now know that she will retrieve from heather, reeds, boggy ditches and icy puddles: no style in the wind, but lots of enthusiasm.

[Nickheref]

I am trying to discourage her from wanting to greet everyone she passes. She is not a tiny puppy anymore, but people still come up, tell her how cute she is and give her a stroke. They don't ask me and, to be honest, it's a bit of a nuisance, especially when I am trying to get her to walk nicely to heel and all she wants to do is a full body wag.

This is one of the issues I have with "puppy class socialisation" in that the aim appears to encourage the dog to want to play with every dog and person it meets. I want my dogs to ignore other people and dogs, not to be nervous of them but just not interested in them like sheep!
Have you had someone's huge dog run up and stand over her with the owner saying it just wants to play yet?!

[newf]

Sometimes you have to meet unwanted attention by being a little rude: “nope! sorry training my pup” and keep moving. I have no trouble in that dept.

[Kibble]

Have you had someone's huge dog run up and stand over her with the owner saying it just wants to play yet?!

All the time!
The second day I took her out as a tiny puppy, a lab bounded round the street corner, no owner in sight. My pup had more idea what to do than I did (she quickly rolled over, yelping). When the owner appeared I was reliably informed that, 'they need to socialise'.
Again today, this time a golden retriever, bounding along the lane. Eventually the owners appeared, by which time their dog was a field away.

Sometimes you have to meet unwanted attention by being a little rude:

I am working on it. By the time we were walking home today, I positively dragged her past one friendly person, whilst explaining, 'sorry, she's not allowed'.

However, greeting wasn't today's problem.

After a few of reasonable retrieves. I threw a ball for my puppy, but she was too busy sniffing something to bring it back. I hid behind the hedge and waited. Quite soon she appeared (looking suitably worried). I sent her back for the ball, and she brought it, but then returned to what she had been sniffing and dragged out a scrap of pidgeon wing with a bit of bone and flesh attached. Clearly this was her treasure and she wasn't inclined to either give it up or leave it behind. She kept dragging it close, dropping to run for a retrieve and popping back to drag it on again.
I sent her off chasing a ball, while I picked up the messy wing and put it in my bag. Unfortunately this caused her to jump up all round me, which I really don't want so I popped her lead on and we walked home. It was time anyway.

What would a well trained spaniel do if it found a scrap of bird like that?

[ips]

Kibble
I think even a well trained spaniel would retrieve the bird carcass after all it is in its breeding to bring you dead and nearly dead things

[Kibble]

Thanks ips
To be fair, she didn't quite bring the manky pigeon wing right to me, but she thought about it!
There are so many things (heel, no pulling, no jumping, retrieve straight back, no flyby, give etc.) she knows what she should do, thinks about it, but mostly just doesn't quite do it.
On the other hand she looks for me, checks in often and recalls well so, as long as she doesn't lose any of those essentials, it's good.

[newf]

Once you have a strong retrieve, then you can teach ‘leave it’. My dogs frequently come across discarded moose parts and on occasion a dead small animal. If I see them wanting to do anything other than investigate these finds, they’re told to ‘leave it’. If I miss what they’re up to and they are carrying anything, I typically allow them to bring their prize to me; whereby, I then ask them to ‘leave it’. This command covers two scenarios but only one behavior. That is, your interest or attention is ended.

P.S. my dogs are allowed to free hunt within reason (60yds) when not hunting or training. I enjoy the dogs being dogs.

[Kibble]

Thanks Newf
It's good to have a strategy for these unwanted happenings, which are bound to occur. It's not the first time she has found bits of dead animal. Last time I managed to lob a ripe rabbit's leg over a convenient wall.
Unfortunately she still sees, 'Leave it' as optional and I guess I need to make more use of putting the lead on until she is (hopefully) under better control. Spaniel training is not easy

[canismajor1]

Have you had someone's huge dog run up and stand over her with the owner saying it just wants to play yet?!

All the time!
The second day I took her out as a tiny puppy, a lab bounded round the street corner, no owner in sight. My pup had more idea what to do than I did (she quickly rolled over, yelping). When the owner appeared I was reliably informed that, 'they need to socialise'.
Again today, this time a golden retriever, bounding along the lane. Eventually the owners appeared, by which time their dog was a field away.

Sometimes you have to meet unwanted attention by being a little rude:

I am working on it. By the time we were walking home today, I positively dragged her past one friendly person, whilst explaining, 'sorry, she's not allowed'.

However, greeting wasn't today's problem.

After a few of reasonable retrieves. I threw a ball for my puppy, but she was too busy sniffing something to bring it back. I hid behind the hedge and waited. Quite soon she appeared (looking suitably worried). I sent her back for the ball, and she brought it, but then returned to what she had been sniffing and dragged out a scrap of pidgeon wing with a bit of bone and flesh attached. Clearly this was her treasure and she wasn't inclined to either give it up or leave it behind. She kept dragging it close, dropping to run for a retrieve and popping back to drag it on again.
I sent her off chasing a ball, while I picked up the messy wing and put it in my bag. Unfortunately this caused her to jump up all round me, which I really don't want so I popped her lead on and we walked home. It was time anyway.

What would a well trained spaniel do if it found a scrap of bird like that?
[/quote]
Eat it

[Judy]

I long ago learned to teach three commands which may seem very similar to some people - "leave it" if they haven't actually got around to picking it up, "give" if I want to take it off them and "DROP IT!!" if whatever they are trying to force me to take is seriously unpleasant. My worst was the maggoty rabbit the then pup brought me, being a pup I had to take it, hand covered in plastic bag in lieu of a surgical glove. I was coping nicely with trying to get the bunny folded into a poo bag without actually touching it when I realised the pup was eating the maggots as they fell from the bag. "Leave it you*******" , so much for always being nice when young dogs bring you their little treasures...