help with cocker pup, please

[crog]

Hi, my name is craig, and im new to this forum. Im looking for some advice, ive recently been given a 5 month old cocker, he was given to me from a family that only had him for a few weeks, and they could not do anything with him, he trashed there house ect. Any way, he is from grate working parents, KC registered, and rest of it. My problem is he has been aloud to chase birds, and anything that moves, cats, bikes, leaves out the trees, you get the idea so when i have him out he is paying no attention to me he is looking all over the place, trying to follow sent trails, so there for the walk to heel is not fantastic, although he will sit on the whistle on the lead, but not hand signals due to the fact he is always looking the other way, and off the lead he is gone! His recall in the garden is 100% comes sits, and waits for the next command. I know i have a bit of a challenge due to the fact ive not had him from a few weeks old, but has grate potential, i just need to harness this desire to hunt, but am struggling to make it on my terms, not his! I personally have never come across a dog with a pray drive like his, and i have a springer and a springadoor, that i have trained and successfully work. Any advice will be gratefully received. Oh and he is also a dominant dog, we are working on that, and im pleased to say i have almost won that particular battle!

[Gazelle1000]

I am no expert however would recommend training him where there are no distractions and get that solid before moving on or a few sessions with a gundog trainer.

Where are you located ?

Chris

[crog]

Im in Norfolk. As i say the training in the garden is 100%. Ive never started training a dog that ive not had from day one, its a learning curve!

[Tungulria]

He is plenty young enough to turn around. Don't worry about the gundog stuff too much. Work in your bond and your basics. Then build up to the gundog stuff. Get a good trainer to assess him and give you your priority areas to work on. Great age to get a pup really as in a few weeks is when most people start their serious training.

[Big E]

You might be going up in too big a leap. Bit like rolling a ball across the hearth rug for a new pup to chase then taking him out and launching it two hundred yards and expecting him to do the same.
If he is doing it in the garden then find a place just twice its size without any distraction then go up a size again. Im sure youll get it sorted.