Beating advice my ess running after shot birds

[redthunder]

Alrite lads, Im after a bit of advice ive been beating on a local shoot for 2 seasons and my spaniel has been good up until the first beat of this season last saturday We started the fisrt two drives my dog was great he was working the cover and staying close no more than 20 yards away from me and putting up plenty of birds happy days. But when we went to the 3rd drive the keeper put me on the outside of a big hedge and the rest of the beaters worked a cover strip of kale behind the hedge the birds were coming over head and heading to the guns who were 100 yards away down a steep valley as soon as my dog seen a bird lift one of the guns shot it but the bird didn't go down straight away it must have travelled 150 yards or more and hit the deck to my horror my dog had gone after it and i was blasting the stop whistle and the recall but no joy :blink: :blink: my dog came all the way back to my feet and dropped the pheasant a big cock bird and was chuffed with what he had done i felt as big as a mouse because there was about 6 pickers up with labs positioned behind the guns i quickly put the dog on his lead and carried on and hoped that was that so on to the next few drives he continued to do the same and done it 6 times i dont think the pickers were to impressed. He was fine last season and is fine if he doesn't see the bird falling out the sky. Is this because ive done a lot of rough shooting with him rabbits pigeon crows pheasants snipe woodcock etc and he's used to flushing and retrieving for me he used to wait to go out and retrieve But me and my mate have just been invited beating on a big posh pheasant shoot this saturday up mid wales but i dont know if i should take my dog and make a *** of myself i would do some training with a starter pistol but im not home from work til its dark and it awkward, any advice would be appreciated cheers. Here's a couple of photos of him.

Edited November 2, 2009 by redthunder

[Spaniel]

If it was me I would get some training back into him asap.

Sit control to thrown dummies and a bit of recall work, just to re-enforce what he already knows.

Other then that seems like you have a good shooting companion there

[gdunc]

Sound advice above - don't take him beating unless you're confident he'll not do it again. The more he does it the more of a learned behaviour it will become.

 

If he does (and you're close enough) you'll need to chase him down and get him back to where he was supposed to have dropped to your whistle. You'll need to watch him like a hawk!

[rickyspringer]

Sound advice above - don't take him beating unless you're confident he'll not do it again. The more he does it the more of a learned behaviour it will become.

 

If he does (and you're close enough) you'll need to chase him down and get him back to where he was supposed to have dropped to your whistle. You'll need to watch him like a hawk!

 

 

im with gdunc, sound advice. I would definitely not take him to the big commercial shoot as he may embarass you and go backwards with all the good work you have put in, he looks great though ad spot on that he is doing the job for you.

 

from reading the post it seems like he thinks with his own mind whilst out roughshooting, what I would work on would be instead of him running out for the retrieve make him wait until told to, if that makes sense, I am making assumptions if I am wrong, I fully apologise, but he shouldn't no matter what run off for a retrieve on his own accord. work on his steadiness around falling birds whilst roughshooting and get after him and stop him whilst beating if he tries making a retrieve.

 

GOOD LUCK

[Cranfield]

Most dogs are a bit "hot" at the start of the season, but I would suggest you get the long lead out until you are sure he has steadied down.

 

I would take him to the "posh" shoot and work him on the long lead.

[Jurrasicway]

Just a thought but it may be worth when you are rough shooting making him sit a few times and go and pick the bird/rabbit up yourself just to re-enforce that everything shot is not his to retrieve - Great pictures - Good luck

[henry d]

Is this because ive done a lot of rough shooting with him rabbits pigeon crows pheasants snipe woodcock etc and he's used to flushing and retrieving for me

 

Yes, that and being, as Cranfield said, hot and early in the season. Back to basics I`m afraid with the stop whistle.

[SteveT]

Aye back to basics, ensure your dog is at the sit position when taking a shot, and your dog should only move from the sit position when you tell him to retrieve, on no account should your dog help itself to retrieving. A standing dog during the shot is already half way to running in.

Stop whistle training for the occasional hiccup certainly won't go amiss either.

I agree with taking the dog on the shoot, but if the dog is in full view of the guns keep him on a lead, as you say this is where the problem lies. Keep him on a lead and ensure he is in the sit position, he will probably pull like a demon as soon as he sees a pheasant shot, it's at this point that you need to reinforce that the dog should not move when he sees a bird drop. Like i said a standing dog is already half way there to running in. Keep him sat, he will soon get the message after he connects with the fact that as soon as he is trying to run in that he is doing wrong when you pip the stop whistle and return him to the sit position.

 

You can never give a dog too much steadyness training.