Gundog Training Forum

I am having problems with my 9 month old Springers recall. Not an un-common problem for a springer as I can gather!

We did book in for a 1-2-1 with a gundog trainer but she came into season so we have delayed it for a few weeks.

I have got a copy of total recall but that seems very much reliant on food. The problem is since January she has had issues with colitis that we are still trying to get to the bottom of. Therefore, treating her isn't easy as we are trying different foods so don't want to be using treats as well.

Her recall in the house and garden is great. She also walks very well on the lead to heel and is ok at walking to heel off the lead in the garden and other non-distracting environments. She will retrieve a rabbit fur tennis ball in the house and garden but no where else. She won't retrieve a plain tennis ball.

The problem is when she starts to hunt. If she sees a bird she bolts after it and will chase until it is out of sight with no response to shout or whistle whatsoever.

I understand she will want to hunt and we are looking to advance her on the Gundog training. But how do I keep her hunting close to me and working for me? Also how do you make the transition from back garden to other off lead places where inevitably there will be birds?

Any help is much appreciated!!

Not an uncommon problem for ANY bird dog, not least of all a Springer.

Teach her to hup every time you say it. Much easier than calling her off something she's already chasing. Tell or whistle her to sit and voila! Problem solved.

What are you doing when she bolts ?

If you are quick enough to get after her as soon as she bolts then bring her back to where you first blew the stop whistle .

Mike A wrote:What are you doing when she bolts ?

This is part of the problem. I'm not sure what to do. I currently go after her getting more and more angry! She does come back but depending on how her chase goes it can take a bit of time usually within 30 seconds.

I then tend to put her back on the lead for a bit - as she works herself into a bit of a frenzy chasing. So it seems pointless letting her run off again at that point.

I don't use the whistle again when she ignores it. To avoid her getting use to ignoring it.

macbud wrote:If you are quick enough to get after her as soon as she bolts then bring her back to where you first blew the stop whistle .

It's quite dificult to catch her when she decides to go. I try and get her attention on me when I notice she has seen something. Thet works for short periods but dificult to avoid chases happening all the time.

Cass wrote:Teach her to hup every time you say it. Much easier than calling her off something she's already chasing. Tell or whistle her to sit and voila! Problem solved.

I have been whistling to get her to sit but not worked on it from a distance. When she has her nose down hunting she tends not to pay attention to my calls or whistles - this is probably the main problem.

We did try a long lead but I wasn't that keen. She tended to just run to the end of it and nearly hang herself and I didn't see much improvement.

sounds like you could just do with reading a few good books on spaniel training and looking for the steps that have bee missed or not fully instilled. some dogs haven't even started training proper at 9 mnths, don't get angry and try not to get frustrated- its meant to be fun for you and the dog.
Sorry there will be no clean straight fix with this because nothing is broken other than missing bits along the journey IMO

kent wrote:sounds like you could just do with reading a few good books on spaniel training and looking for the steps that have bee missed or not fully instilled. some dogs haven't even started training proper at 9 mnths, don't get angry and try not to get frustrated- its meant to be fun for you and the dog.
Sorry there will be no clean straight fix with this because nothing is broken other than missing bits along the journey IMO

Yes I think you are right - it's the in-correct training not her! We let her free run from a young age and now she is keen to keep doing it.

I do train her twice a day so I would like to know I am doing the correct things. Definitely some gaps in what she has been taught - could you recommend any decent books or dvd's to assist with training?

We are going to see a trainer but some material to be going on with would be good.