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Malc

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Posts posted by Malc

  1. Just to add my tuppenny bit......

     

    One of the guns I use more and more for pigeon shooting these days is a Webley & Scott 812b. £350 brand new and it never missed a beat, having fired LOTS of cartridges over the last year or so. For pigeon shooting it's great and saves my better guns from getting scratched, etc. I imagine you could pick up a used one for a good price.

  2. if only I could get her hunting more.

     

    I have a 6 month old Lab bitch in training now. She hunts like a spaniel. I trained her to retrieve the thrown visible dummy first, then thrown into 6 inch tall grass where not visible and at the same time introducing the command "lost". Then onto totally blind retrieves placed (without her seeing) up wind, in 6 inch tall grass. I would work her down wind of the retrieve and repeat the the command "lost". I'm just at the stage of training her to hunt without the wind, but now, on the command "lost" her nose goes down and tail goes up and she hunts great.

  3. Sorry for slow reply. To explain my reason....

     

    Throwing dummies/balls/etc is simply a method to train the gundog to retrieve. Your dog now knows how to retrieve now and should move away from this "unrealistic" training to more relevant exercises. If it was just a pet, not a gundog, then this would not matter and would be a really good way of exercising the dog. But your dog is apparently dropping the dummy in front of you in the hope you will throw it again. This is no good. I suspect this is because it has learned that a dropped dummy, means another fun retrieve. Of course in the shooting field this is unacceptable. The dog cannot be allowed to drop game in front of you and should never be encouraged to do so. You would never throw a pigeon or a pheasant for the dog to retrieve, especially if the dog had just brought it back to you, so why do it with a dummy this late in training?

     

    The retrieves should be stopped and the dog exercised in other ways for a couple of weeks. Then, when you start retrieves again, never throw them or use a launcher. Always place them blind or get someone else to throw/launch them, some distance away from you and the dog. Get the dog to hunt it up and retrieve it to you. Then accept the retrieve and put it away in your pocket/bag. Send the dog for a second blind retrieve straight after and it should get the idea that retrieving is about bringing balls/dummies/birds back to you, for you to keep and not bringing them back for you to throw again & again.

  4. For sale is my really excellent Barbour Gamefair waxed jacket. It's too big for me and has hardly seen any wear at all. If you want a better one, then you would have to buy new. The wax is in excellent condition and it smells fresh & clean! It has 2x moleskin lined hand-warmer pockets, 2x lower bellow pockets, 1x internal washable, game/poachers pocket. All studs, poppers, zips, under-arm vents, etc are excellent and fully working. There are no scuffs, tears or pinholes at all, basically because it has hardly been worn.

     

    This is a really nice jacket, in really nice condition and a real bargain at £75 posted within UK.

     

    Barbour.jpg

     

    Approximate measurements of this jacket are as follows:-

     

    Nape of neck to hem = 34.5 inches

     

    Armpit to armpit across chest = 27.5 inches

     

    Armpit to cuff = 20.5 inches

     

    More photos are available on request, please specify the area of the jacket you want photos of.

  5. IMHO. Try to get rid of the tennis ball and dummy, they have obviously become her toys. I presume that; when she has dropped the retrieve in front of you, that you then rewarded her by picking it up and giving her another retrieve. If this is the case, then it should stop. I suggest that you do not throw any more retrieves ever. After a couple of weeks break with no retrieves, carefully place the odd retrieve without her knowledge,(blind). Make her hunt it up wind. When she retrieves it, put it away in your bag. Praise and move away. Gradually encourage her to come close in and retrieve to hand by backing off and praising.

  6. Good advice from wdg.

     

    I would just add; that I do not "take" the dummy, I encourage the dog to "bring it back" to me first and then only later to "give" me it. This is very important indeed, especially with a possessive dog as the one you describe. If you attempt to "take" the retrieve, a possessive dog will really enjoy that game!

  7. Yep, if the dog is a good, keen retriever: don't push it over the top with too many pointless retrieves. Concentrate on "quality" retrieves, rather than quantity. Channel the dogs' eagerness for the retrieve to motivate it to complete other training/practice such as quartering, etc.

  8. My last Lab bitch was a good size for the breed and she was happy in a 36" x 25" crate. Plenty of room for her even if she was in it for prolonged periods. I found that she preferred to curl up on the back door-mat though! LOL. Currently, I have a 22 week old Lab bitch in the same crate and she is fine.

  9. I trained a Cocker dog a few years back and I found no conflict between heel work and quartering. From a very early age he was walked each day around the village on the lead, with very strict attention to his obedience and road safety. He was exercised off lead too, always within shooting range of course. He would hunt & quarter all the time that he was off lead but was never allowed to get on too far. When gundog training commenced in ernest it was very easy to let him use his natural quartering and hunting instincts and still have good control to stop him ranging too far. So I would say, heelwork and general obedience is a good foundation for any spaniel when combined with off lead controlled exercise.

  10. IMHO the reason a dog is good or bad rests purely with it's breeding & training. If you have aquired a pup who has parents with good working ability, then it is likely to have the potential to become a good worker, with the correct training of course. If the parents are useless, then you may find the pup has less potential whatever colour. I suspect most Chocs are from show lines and that could account for the reputation they have gained.

  11. Jack Pyke Hunters Jacket - English Oak pattern

     

    •Breathable

    •Waterproof

    •Noiseless

    •Outshell: 100% Polyester brushed tricot with laminated

    membrane.

    •Lining: 100% Polyester brushed mesh & taffeta.

    •Full length double opening zip

    •Concealed hood in pocket

    •2 lower front bellows pockets with cartridge holders

    •2 hand warmer pockets

    •1 internal chest pocket

    •Fold-down waterproof seat flap

    •Elasticated weather shrouds on wrists

     

    Brand new - Size XL to fit 40 to 44 inch chest. Bargain at £50 including postage within UK. Will swap for same in size Large or anything interesting that takes my fancy of a similar value.

     

    JP-Jacket---Hunters-EO.jpg

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