Gundog Training Forum

i now have my pups at a decent standard and am now moving onto getting them to drop to the shot, they will heal while i throw dummy and stay till i send them in but the prob i am having is when i am using the gun the blood gets pumping and they run in , should i just reign in back in on lead back to basics but with the use of the gun, or is there any other methods people have used ,
cheers
kev

Get somebody else to use the gun for starters, there's no way that you want to be shooting & running the pup at the same time.

sorry should of mentioned i do get somebody else to use either starter or gun so i can be more in command , i get my mrs to stand 30 yards away thrown dummy and fire shot with starter while they in the sit 10 yards away from me but as soon as they hear the starter and see dummy he off , take away gun and repeat and no problems , si i think i will go back to basics in close with lead on and slowly work away from there

Take the dummy away for now, not the gun. Overlay the shot with your sit command and once the dog is sitting to shot only the reintroduce the dummy. When you first get the dummy back have the dog on a line. I assume the pup is adequately introduced to the gun and not breaking because he is startled?

Just a thought, are they steady to someone else other than you throwing a dummy without shot?

If the answer is no then I would go back a step and have the Mrs toss a dummy on a signal from you as the dog is hunting and as she does so blow the stop, if the dog breaks for the dummy have the Mrs pick it up before the dog gets to it so it doesn't get rewarded for the run in. Rinse and repeat the dog will work it out fairly quickly.

Are you working the two dogs together when you do this? If you are then do it individually first then both of them together.

Then move on to shot individually for a start but maybe send the dog for a blind retrieve first assuming the dog sits to the shot, so they don't initially associate a shot with a dummy sailing through the air....Build it from there...

Rascal

If you can use a helper to throw the dummies then if that helper can pick the dummy back up if the dog runs in then the reward of the retrieve can be removed.

Iain

smudge04 wrote:If you can use a helper to throw the dummies then if that helper can pick the dummy back up if the dog runs in then the reward of the retrieve can be removed.

Iain

No. Get the dog sitting to the shot first... then reintroduce the dummy.

I know a magical training tool - it's called a leash. No it's not the only thing solving steadiness but for now very useful to you. Also, i always begin with clapping my hands instead of a fun shot, it works surprisingly well. So i throw a dummy over my shoulder, clap my hands in the same motion which the turn into an upraised hand as sit command and yes i whistle too. If i need to i have a leash on the pup, having one foot on the leash. Too much? Practice without a dog but its easier than it sounds?

If my pup runs in i just meet it, saying nope, that was wrong, take the dummy without any praise, walk out placing it roughly where it landed. Then back and sit the dog where it was sitting and there i whistle stop and PRAISE. Then i send my dog to retrieve and praise lots. I then redo it and if i was reasonably clear the dog sits and get lots of praise.


However i would begin with a rolling ball indoors before combining thrown things with a gunshot.

Helene

Rascal wrote:Just a thought, are they steady to someone else other than you throwing a dummy without shot?

If the answer is no then I would go back a step and have the Mrs toss a dummy on a signal from you as the dog is hunting and as she does so blow the stop, if the dog breaks for the dummy have the Mrs pick it up before the dog gets to it so it doesn't get rewarded for the run in. Rinse and repeat the dog will work it out fairly quickly.

Rascal

Totally agree, if my pup wasn't doing this 100% correctly it would never had a shot fired near it.

I'm with SP on this one but am a bit confused at what the op is trying to teach - drop to shot or steadiness to fall/dummy? And why is the dog only breaking on gunshot? Can you think of any reason why this might be? Have you shot stuff over the dog & let it run-in or allowed it to run-in to a dummy launcher?

Also not sure what breed we are talking about. Presumably its a spaniel or hunting breed if you want it to stop 10 yards from you to shot. You'd have been better off starting by dropping it 10 yards to one side of you & tossing a dummy the opposite side so the dog has to pass you if it breaks & you can intercept it, then develop the training from there. It would also help to train the dog to drop automatically to a thrown dummy while it is hunting, both with & without a shot.

Naj