brettguise

Was thinking about going away with a friend shooting to a different country for things like deer, boar whatever goes outside of the UK. Anybody recommend anywhere that's not bad price for an interesting bit of sport? Haven't had much luck online.

Lets hope some owners are reunited.

Im taking all this on board and I dont know if it looks like I am taking the dog out for formal training lessons and hammering the dog with commands over and over again. For example today I took my pup down the canal for a walk I let her off and let her run around and after 5 minutes of walking Ill throw in a recall "Here" she comes and gets lots of praise. I continue walking for 5 minutes and ill pull out a ball and give it a throw with a fetch and when she has it ill recall take it from her gently praise and then continue walking. I don't stand on a field and do all those things over and over again I just throw in the basics whilst on a walk with the dog. I took some of the advice I read yesterday and only used voice commands and left the whistle at home on this mornings walk.

I spoke to a trainer before I had her and he said he does not start training any dog until its 8 months old, I considered that a long time! I see what everyone is saying that's why I don't want to ruin the dog, mixed opinions on time scales of training here.

She sits when we stop wherever I go already that seems to have come naturally but I will enforce that. Ill leave heal for another week or two and start to get that sorted. At the minute I keep her keen with any play retrieve and tend to go for a walk with a tennis ball get it out she gets excited I throw it once possibly twice if she was really enthused and then pocket it and continue walking and will throw it in a different location. sometimes If I recall her in and she comes I praise and throw the ball as a reward. I only throw the ball a maximum of say 5 / 6 times on a walk I never let her get bored always make sure shes ready to chase again and then cut the fun so shes keen the next time. I have only stopped her on the recall about 3 or 4 times since Ive had her. I will stop the stopping on recall for the minute. I can stop her when she is mooching about and she sits and then I walk to her and she doesn't go down on the floor. Maybe those 3 or 4 times has knocked her confidence on the stay and I go back to her. I can cut any stops incorporated in a recall for the next few weeks at least. Will that help do you think?

Im following the gun dog training made easy book but the next step is 6 months with heelwork and gun sound. Should I carry on with basic obedience? From day one I introduced the whistle at feeding times and within a week she had sit perfect straight away so I started introducing the whistle. Its gone from there really. I haven't pushed her or made anything difficult its all been during play shes just keen to learn.

Just turning 15 I think this sunday but it may have been last sunday, time flys you forget the dates!

Hey guys, My labs 14/15 weeks now she is perfect on Sit and Recall with hand signal, voice and whistle. She will also Sit and stay at a long distance. I have let her roam and blown the sit/stop whistle and she will stop. I have sit her up and recalled her with a stop and then finished the recall and she is doing all that perfectly. The only thing she seems to get cautious with is being told to sit and stay and then when I return to praise as I get close ish to her she lies down like she has done wrong but I reassure and give lots of praise. Should I start the stay again and go back to a short distance? Just wondering what else I can be doing. I haven't done any heel work or tried to give her too many commands just throwing the commands sit and recall into different situations. Cheers for any advice given. Brett

I have a 14 week old lab and from day one she has been kennelled alone at night and during the day and is allowed in the house when we arrive back from work. She is like a bottle of pop when let in but she soon calms down and sleeps. She doesn't bark or cry. Maybe I got lucky but I lock the kennel up and close the door to the outside so there is no drafts. Plenty of bedding and she seems fine. Already has a nice thick coat as well.

Result!

Interesting read!

I chuck pigeon breasts in occasionally my dog is fine with it.

A cracking idea that mate looks the muts nuts. Lovely looking rotty as well.

Fantastic post. I feed raw now but ive learnt a trick or two from your post, especially all the supplements to add to help with certain conditions. I'm going to try that apple cider vinegar in the fresh water daily for a start!

Great news on a speedy recovery, the wound looked really nasty as well.

Stourbridge for me

Did you take him to the midland game fair by any chance? If so that's the test for any dogs obedience it was bloody rammed.

No I wouldn't do that at all the cooked can splinter and harm the dog as they go brittle from cooking but are soft raw. Only feed raw unless you want a sick dog or even worse a dead dog and a huge vet bill. Better to be safe than sorry!

I feed a mixture of vegetable, mince meat, chicken thighs and legs from out a big bag defrost and chuck them in with an egg occassionally and a teaspoon of olive oil twice a week to keep the coat shiny. I also feed chicken livers all organ meat. Id say for a jack russell and a whippet its costing me £1.50 a day. Not much difference from good dried food in fact it might even be cheaper as we mixed a tin a day of dog food with it as well.

Ill look at making some sort of drainage. Ive made sure there's no sharp edges but I will keep an eye if it gets chewed. Thanks and I will look at the soak away idea as well to see what I can do on the ground im working on.

Erm, watering the grass? It will have a roof so the hosing off bit would hopefully just sweep off lol.

Yours cant be if you have to work out a way to get your wife to accept your puppy!! Kennel it and be done with it.

I started feeding my dogs raw a few weeks ago its made a hell of a difference. Seem a lot happier dogs, enjoy meals a lot more they had really gone off dry food with a bit of dog food mix no matter the brand we tried, they cant eat the raw quick enough. There coat is shiny, no moulting on my jack russell now. Doubt ill go back to dog food on them.

Being 21 I still live with my mom and we have two dogs already, took some persuading but she said as long as you look after it, walk it and pay for it and it sleeps outside then she will allow me to have one. I said that when I buy my own house in a couple of years that's obviously the dog id take. After reading about the gun dogs I realised that the dog sleeping outside isnt a bad thing and a project I enjoyed putting together, the kennel is built to my specification and its warm inside its insulated and the sparky is coming in the next few weeks to wire it up and get some heating in it. Id ask her about kenneling it and pair it with your other springer. They will have better coats for beating as well

Would you start throwing balls and letting them bring it back to you before 6 months just not formally in a playful way to stimulate the dogs brain?