straightbarrel

Keep up the good work bud and good luck. It's easier to train a dog than it is to be a consistantly bad speller! You make me and DM look good! All the best.

ha ha...nice one y IP

Throwing dummies is not going to be the same, you are quite right mate, but if the dog can not behave in a manufactured situation i.e a training situation, then it will struggle on a real day in the field. Throwing a few dummies and it succeeding for a day or two is not the answer, it is a start, but, it has to be done- if the dog is to get the message, and more importantly, it has to be done over a reasonable period to make sure the dog is ready to move on to the next stage. If the OP has access to a rabbit pen, this can speed the process up but either way, however boring it might seem, it needs to be drilled into the dog. Inconsistency and/or lazy training, will only result in faiure. The trainer failing the dog! As far as the long lead is concerned...forget it, dogs know exactly when they are on a lead and when they are not. The dog knows what is required of him, make sure he is trained to do it.IMO

You are obviously pulling our *******, Good luck.

Glad to hear it, and glad to of been some help to you. It would have been a shame if you had continued to train the dog up, decided at some stage to have a go at trialing your dog, only to find out later that what you had was a sprocker and you were unable to trial it. The information you gave regarding the sire's name was incorrect but it's good that you have since recognised your mistake and corrected it. Good luck. Edited to add- I make it 11 on the the dams side, 5 generations?

Chances are your dog is not actually a pedigree Cocker Spaniel. There is no Cocker Spaniel registered under the name Jumping Jack Lad...there is however an English Springer registered under that name and judging by the photo in the above post(post#49), it could well be him! I'm guessing you have a copy of both dam and sires pedigree's and not one for your pup? I'm also guessing all or most of the FTCh's are in the dams pedigree. Nice pup all the same, strong looking legs. http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx

Agree with some of the above however you must instil in the dog, or re-instil, that not every mortal thing that falls to the ground is his. You must have done the initial training with the dog to have him already working so just go back to the part you used to gain some steadiness to begin with,or further back if you feel it neccessary. Sit him up, walk a few paces away, with him still sitting throw an object you know he will retrieve so that when it lands, you are between both the dog and the thrown object. If he gets up to fetch it before you command him, intervene with a correction and put him back on the spot he started out on. Keep doing this until he starts to get the message. You do most of the retrieving, let him watch you go out and retrieve the objects thrown, give him one in four or five of the retrieves you chuck. A bit of this each day for a week or two should help him. Once he is back to 100% on staying put, then you can work on using the stop whistle to stop him half way out to the retrieve, with you still standing in a position to correct him before he fails. I suspect you have probably already been through this in his initial training? http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/185209-bum-shuffle/ It would seem you are going backwards with the dog. This post above last month was the first step to the dog running in, you should seek a local hand to give you some hands help before you wreck the dog altogether. IMO

I think once the body drops to a certain temperature and shivering kicks in, you can say with some certainty that the body is cold.IMO

Ground-work needs to be in place first,as Kent says, you need a clear precise picture in your own mind on exactly what you expect from the dog but not only what you expect from it, what others will expect from it on a working day. In my opinion, it is better to listen, watch and learn from as many different people, dvd's,books and all the things you see on you tube and other internet sites, then just pick the snipets of information that seem to be constant throughout and go with them. Without wanting to offend anyone,you are probably better off taking advice from people you know to have been successful in training gundogs,people that are recognised and respected within the gundog world. The dvd's of Openshaw, Martin, Lisset will all be very helpful to you. The books by Irving are excellent, in particular 'Gundog Training, The Trade Secrets'. All will help you build a picture of how you aim to achieve the best results. You must aim for high standards, the kind of standards all of these pro trainers expect from their own dogs, there is no reason, once equiped with sufficient knowledge, why you should not end up with a dog to be proud of at the end of the day.The other consideration, once you are confident enough in your own knowledge, is to then try and find a well bred dog. Something that has a decent FTCh history within it's pedigree, preferably a pup from parents you know or have seen working. This, in my opinion, especially for someone new to dogs and gundog training, is the crucial ingredient. Once you have something that you know comes from a very capable background, then the rest is up to you. It is not rocket science, as long as you have a clear picture and you are consistent you will succeed. Good luck.

Culling all the cats in the neighbourhood would probably help matters. I would also seize the opportunity to get rid of the wifes cat, no matter how much she love it!

E=MC2...ohh and a beak blur

Just thought it might have been worth trying maybe one of the pup foods that are high in all sorts to help with building a dog up, high in protein etc and other essential things. Prob best off taking some advice from an expert ( not me!) . I do remember not too long ago having to change the food ( well known brand ) I was feeding a pup, it was just piling the lbs on too quickly.

I would have been tempted to put a neo vest on her for a while when she was out and about, training etc.It might stop her feeling every blade on her body and back, might reduce her panic attacks a bit. Just until she regains her confidence a little?

Distance/scale is the main factor. Something travelling 28 mph 500 yards away gives the camera far more time to capture the image, try to capture something doing 28mph under your feet, very difficult. I'm not so sure that the calculation of 28mph is correct anyway. How can you possibly "guess the starlings head moved 25mm in 500/1's" Well you can guess, but that is about all you can do. Great pictures though, no matter what speed that stinkers head is travelling at!