Quartering again- drag line

[darren m]

teaching ESS to quarter

 

i,m not having much luck with this quartering .

i remember that you can use a drag line ( from an old post ) , but wondering hows the best way .

 

are you supposed to lay a scent using the line or is the long line for the dog only

 

someone explain

[bunnybasher07]

yeh i had the same problem but i have drilled it into her and shes good at it now, tbh I dont think you need scent because its a distraction (if its a young dog might just ignore you and go for the scent but use scent once its doing it well) could be wrong but, i didnt use scent when starting off because my ESS was so hyper she didnt need scent

 

Dont need a long lead aswel just plenty of encouragement left and right unless shes running a riot and too short peeps of the whistle once it gets the correct range left and right, also quarter her in an open field so theres no distractions, this is what i dont with mine. iam sure someone will explain it better than i can

 

Hope this helps

GM

[darren m]

hyper is what shes like , finding it difficult to teach her that this is work and not play .

 

in open field she does hunt follow scent but just goes wide and not controled , i was thinking a scent line might make her more accurate , maybe not .

 

guys give me more tips , shes a good little bitch , but i,ve been trying for a while now and no real success

[Raja Clavata]

I was expressly advised to ensure there was no game present, or at least very little chance of it being present before training on the field.

 

Based on what I read in the Brander HPR book I started out using an 8m+ lead to get the dog zig zagging across nicely. To start with I believe you should only double pip when the dog turns into the wind rather than away from it as doing so is seen as a major fault and you only want to reinforce the correct behaviour.

 

Once you think she's getting the hang of it on lead you can try without. I would think that by this time though you want her turning in the correct manner reliably as you are going to need the double pip to tell her to turn rather than an after the event positive re-inforcement when on the lead. By the same token though I would also think you don't want to go with the lead for too long in case it inadvertently limits the range the dog will run out to when off the lead (not generally a problem on HPRs 'cos they like to go long - dunno about spaniels).

 

It would seem logical that the best place to do this is on a narrow(ish) field with hedge or better still fenced boundaries that way you can encourage the dog out to the limits and they should naturally turn.

 

The other thing I was told was to be quiet and not constantly talk to the dog - allow it to concentrate and only use the whistle if possible.

 

Just a slightly different slant perhaps but hopefully something above is useful. Let us know how you get on.

 

BR

Raja

[darren m]

so you dont actually lay a false scent then??

 

all i can think to do is stick her back on a long lead and walk about an open field( no scent ) from left to right , double pipping her when i decide to change direction and giving her a gentle tug on the line --- does that sound ok -- or have i missed something out

 

thanks

[PWD]

Was tempted but never used a line on my Cocker just the turn whistle and an over exaggerated zig zag initially .but was advised when he turns to have him come towards you before being cast off in the opposite direction,,,so working him like a V rather than just left to right..this stoped him zig zaggin ahead of me and a point that work,s in the field as you cant keep up with the dog if it starts to quarter ahead and before you know it is straightend out and doings is own thing . Cocker has the advantage of keeping its nose up unlike a Springer though so the visuals work better maybe . Start in a clear flat field though...or you will keep falling over on your a*se ...I started mine on the marsh flats..big mistake as you just get the rythm and you go t*ts up down a blind gully

Edited October 23, 2009 by PWD

[Raja Clavata]

I was advised to start with a gentle tug and only double pip when the dog turned the correct way (head on to the wind). If she turns correctly then not an issue but you don't want to re-inforce her turning away from the wind.

[PWD]

Good point RC made about keeping the chatter out ...makes a world of difference when you want the dog to pay attention at a particular point , you wouldnt stick an I pod on it and expect it to stay as sharp ...dogs soon turn of to nagging and to much whistle blowing ..its a fault you dont know till someone points it out

 

Are you going to quarter it up to something like a hidden dummy or just do the excersise by itself ?

[darren m]

Good point RC made about keeping the chatter out ...makes a world of difference when you want the dog to pay attention at a particular point , you wouldnt stick an I pod on it and expect it to stay as sharp ...dogs soon turn of to nagging and to much whistle blowing ..its a fault you dont know till someone points it out

 

Are you going to quarter it up to something like a hidden dummy or just do the excersise by itself ?

 

both mate and your right about the whistle i do think cause i use it a lot , she eventually turns off.

 

this morning i took her out in the vale of belvior set her off to quarter ( just training ) , first off she went ok , but then got wide and further away from me , all the time i,m pipping and calling and trying to correct her and nag her .

eventually she turned off and did her own thing , just found a scent and work it out gets too far away and flushed a pheasant , end result ok , but thats not what i wanted .

 

bit latter on she flushes another bird and decides to try and run it down although i,m blowing the stop and recall , if only i had an E-collar on i,m sure a good zap would of made her think twice

all i want is for her to quarter or hunt but a lot closer than she does i,m stumped

[WGD]

I was advised to start with a gentle tug and only double pip when the dog turned the correct way (head on to the wind). If she turns correctly then not an issue but you don't want to re-inforce her turning away from the wind.

 

Only relevant for HPRs where back-casting, which is what you are describing, is a fault.

 

It is not with spaniels where, although the wind influences the hunting pattern, the nose should be on the ground.

 

Darren - there is a lot you can do to get the dog hunting for you rather than hunting for itself but I haven't got time just now, will drop you a PM later.

[darren m]

Only relevant for HPRs where back-casting, which is what you are describing, is a fault.

 

It is not with spaniels where, although the wind influences the hunting pattern, the nose should be on the ground.

 

Darren - there is a lot you can do to get the dog hunting for you rather than hunting for itself but I haven't got time just now, will drop you a PM later.

 

mate that would be brill , thanks

[Spaniel]

Im sure WGD will give you loads of help, but i did start quartering with both my Springers on the lead.

Only so i could give them a slight tug either when i called them or gave them a couple of pips on the whistle.It did not seem to take long for them to learn, what i wanted them todo to be honest.

 

The ideal of it is to make it fun for the dogs so take a tennis ball with you, and throw it slightly in the opposite direction to where they are going and call them back to find it.....I had mine out on Saturday and I was really pleased with her.

Nose almost down and quartering nicely and listening to me for once But keep them close, the further they go out the Springer deafness will appear

 

But I did rush a bit with my 1st Springer so she does cover the ground but she tends not to hunt with her nose down, more of a running leaping affect, but the pup (2 yrs) I let her determine the speed she is quartering from an early age and she as her nose constantly on the ground.

 

To describe the difference betwen them both is if i was working them over some dead heather fern stuff, the eldest would leap around and over it, where the pup would disappear underneath it ....