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how old is too old


Fredwalton
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I have a year old springador who I would like to do some pigeon shooting with, he is a very intelligent dog and loves searching and retrieving stones when I throw them into a field, so wondered if it would be possible to now try and train him to retrieve pigeons once I have shot them?

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First advice would be stop throwing stones for him to play with , it could lead to a costly vets bill.

 

He should be perfectly trainable at his age , my lab is two and still has plenty to learn .

 

Even at the age he is the biggest mistake would be to rush him into shooting / retrieving pigeons.

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My brother and sister in law had a weimaraner they used to throw stone for while walking in on a beach in the IOM where they live , it had one operation to remove stones from its stomarch , during a second operation for the same thing it died on the operating table, I am not sure who was the most stupid the dog or the owners !

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It was only today that I first threw a stone normally its a tennis, so will not throw stones anymore!!! I think he would be a great brusher as he loves seeking out pheasants and looks so pleased when he does and he doesn't chase after them which I guess is a good thing?

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He's at a perfect age to train, time to get started :) As for not chasing pheasants - he may not do it now but you can bet your bottom dollar that at some point he'll be tempted to!

+1 on that. My 6 month old springer pushes things out and stands and watches. But you can see the thought is there. Stop whistle keeps him in check at moment but am always ready for him to jump up and go....

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Just been out for 10 mins with the dummy, just tied him up walked out placed the dummy and then instructed him to 'find it' and he was great at it, but was a little hesitant to bring it, but got better at the end.

Don't you think it may be wise to get the dog steady before rushing into retrieving.

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Horses for courses. You need a clear idea what you want to do before you start training. I'm still a little iffy as to whether this is a serious post. If it is, find a trainer to help you - it won't break the bank and you'll get the end result you're after :)

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I think its a serious post , I just think the op needs some guidance as he seems not to understand the need to have a loose plan in place.

There really is a lot more to training a gundog than retrieving .

 

Yes in some cases getting a dog be retrieving is very important , some cockers particulary can be reluctant so its important to get them happy carrying and delivering stuff from a young age .

 

If you have a dog that is already keen to retrieve then there should be no need to put too much work into that at this stage , better just to give the occasional one more as a reward for doing something else well.

 

I think like Bigbird it would be wise to seek out a local trainer for lessons , as it can be as much about training you as the dog .

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Please don't take offence bigbird but why would I waste my time posting on here if I wasn't serious? As you can tell im new to this so am purely seeking advice. Ive had plenty of good advice about actual pigeon shooting so thought I could once again seek advice about dog training.

 

My overall plan isn't to train him into a full gun dog I would just like to be able to take him pigeon shooting once in a while to help me retrieve shot birds. If people feel this isn't a senible thing to do then I won't, as I have said purely looking for some advice

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Hi Fred

 

I've only ever had German Shorthaired Pointers which are HPR's.....Hunt, Point and Retrieve (one was fabulous, a few were good and one was a bloody nightmare) so the training was slightly different to what you require.

 

As a non professional dog trainer I would suggest that you don't let him do too many retrieves at this stage. As you've already mentioned, the most important thing would be to make sure he's happy to sit still and quiet in a hide for what can sometimes be quite a period of time. Why not put the hide up in the garden and get him used to just sitting/lying in it with you. You could even start feeding and grooming him in it if it helps.

 

One thing you MUST NOT do (imho) however is to send him on any retrieves from the hide until he is completely willing to sit happily in the hide for as long as you need him to. Gradually build up the training so that you can leave the hide for a moment and return without him coming to find you. Once he's completely steady, just send him out for one retrieve towards the end of the session. After a while he should be able to stay without having to tie him whilst you throw the dummy (if he's not 100% steady then don't let him retrieve it). Position yourself in such a way that if he dashes in before the command you can get to the dummy first. Once he's steady, YOU should go and retrieve the dummy 8 times out of 10 while he stays and watches you. The retrieve should only be given to him when you tell him he can. This will get him in to the habit of going only when you tell him and not when he wants to. If not you'll just encourage him to dash out of the hide to 'go find' at his will and not yours.

Don't rush things. Little steps give the biggest rewards. Have fun and enjoy each other's company.

ATB Mark

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Group training with a decent club/trainer is a great thing for both dog and handler,esp when starting of from the beginning, might as well learn the right/easy way first.

 

It is such a long thing to try and explain from scratch that a thread/posts is never ever going to cover much of it, afterall look how many books have been written about it.

I'm sure there will be plenty good advice already written on here if u trawl throu a few older threads or possibly stickies?

 

Take it easy with ur dog the now until u have read a book or got some advice/help as another month or 2 will not make any odds really but if u start training bad habit's now could be a nightmare to correct later on.

Amost everything comes from heel wrk/obedience thou without an obediant dog and a stop whistle u will never really get that far (althou could easy be argued a very high % of working dogs have no stop whistle including my own at times :whistling: )

Edited by scotslad
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  • 1 month later...

People might shoot me down but as said above see a trainer, I had read books watched DVDs but just a couple sessions with a trainer and bas is coming on much better (although having to lay off for a bit due to a ligament issue).

 

 

Thing a trainer will pick up on is what your doing wrong, first session I had dog hardly had any training......I had loads.

 

I'm only starting and there are real experts on here, but wish I had started with a trainer last year.

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