newbie to dogs

[fieldwanderer]

Grab a brew, this may take a while........

 

right, As a family, we've never had a dog and in some respects I'm not all that keen on them but one breed gets my vote - spaniels, prefferebly ess and I'm seriously considering getting one.

 

I live with my parents at the moment (better not to ask) as does my brother (who's 27 as am I), excuse the life story but you need to know some of this. I'm the only shooter in the household and I'm an agency worker (which usually means 2-4days work a week). We've all mentioned having a dog and my mum seems keen to have the company, I'd also appreciate the shooting companion.

 

I can't afford a great deal so was considering looking out for a relatively young one from a rescue place - any tips on the procedure including costs would be much appreciated.

 

Am I right in thinking, for a dog who'll probably be working (shooting) with me 2-3 maybe 4 days a week, a fairly large percentage of cooked meat (rabbit, pigeon etc) would be a good thing - the rest being made up of dogfood and biscuits? Tell me about diet and quantities please.

 

Training, well I can see this being as big a learning curve for me as the dog but I'm looking forward to it. Still fairly easy to train a dog who's say 1-4 years old?

 

Any problems having one working half the time (so very active) and as a pet the rest of the time (very sedate)?

 

Basicly, I need to know everything but don't worry, I'll not get one unless I'm sure I can give it a happy home.

[fortune82]

Im no expert as Im only on my first dog myself, a Cocker. My dog lives in a kennel and run in the back garden but gets in the house when I get home from work. To be honest he is treated more like a pet than a pure working dog and so far his training is coming on fine. There will no doubt be people who will say that pet and working dont mix well but I am not looking for a FTCH.

 

As for food I feed mine on a BARF diet which involves lots of raw meat and some bones as well. Chiken wings, Tripe, Pheasant legs and thighs (skinned) skinned and gutted rabbits, minced beef heart, dog mince etc. It has certainly calmed him down compared with when he was eating BETA food. Apparently the wheat or something can make them a bit hyper?

 

Hope this helps

[chris o]

hi pal hope you do get one as they are lovely to work and train. but if you think it is going to be relativly easy to train a 1-4 year old dog you are so very wrong especialy a rescue dog.

if i were you before you get a dog get some good working dog books and read them on the breeds and on the trainning aswell. and get some videos. nip down to a local trainning club and watch what they do and copy what they do with yours when you get it.

your best going down the pup route though rather then a rescue. as you dont know how it has been treated and what its nature is. you can get pups cheap if you look on the web and the loot magasine and local paper.

my dog cost me 160 quid and he is a full pedigree dog then extra 60 quid for his injections. and he is doing well. and listens to everything i say comes when told and sits on voice and whistle commands and sometimes just hand signals.

just dont do what i did and try and rush everything and think after 10 lots of trainning he will know it all. but honestly mate go for a pup or a part trained dog from a gun dog breeder and i think a majority of the members on here will agree with me but get a pup my advice and listen to eveyones advice and pick wisely and carefully and dont rush.

atb and good look.

[chris o]

fortune i really do hope the chicken and pheasant is de boned? raw meat is fine but i would never ever give any bones from chickens, pheasants, wood cock etc etc.

if it a pup it is a bit to rich for him aswell.

i just feed mine on dry dog buscuits and tinned meat tinned boneless oily fish aswell. ask your nearest vet aswell about a good food to feed the dog and from 8 weeks-6 months feed it 3 times a day as a baby feed little and often. the buscuits i buy are from asda and are called harringtons and they are brilliant and not to expensive aswell.

[fieldwanderer]

Thankyou very much sofar, all sound advice :yp:

 

So far, it's just a thought - it might have to wait until I move out again but it's only right to learn as much as I can first

[chris o]

thats what i would do mate. i was brought up around gun dogs and watched my step dad train so i had a rough idea of what to do but i was unsure of what to do with certain things and how often to do them. read up ask questions and watch what people do and it will help you out a lot.

[jimmyb79]

As already said, getting a puppy with good working pedigree in its blood lines will greatly increase the chances of having the dog work well with you.

The most important thing about the training is developing a strong bond between the dog and you, and its far easier to achieve this by having the dog from a really early age.

The training will be so much easier with a dog with the working side in its instinct.

A rescue dog will not be guaranteed to be happy with gunshot, or may have any range of other 'issues' which will make working it impossible.

The most important basic training is done with a pup between the age of six months to a year. This will be all the obedience and basic hunting training which a rescue dog is highly unlikely to have had.

I've been training my first cocker spaniel for the last two months (she's 8 months old) and have enjoyed every moment of having her with me up until now. I spent so much time with her in her early days that she never leaves my side at home or out and about (except when hunting of course!) I've trained my two labs as well - one of which was not from working lines and has ended up gun-shy (might just be coincidence, but who knows.)

 

In terms of diet, there are loads of well priced 'working dog mix' dry feeds about, and the BARF diet is especially good. I feed all my dogs Burns Active dry feed, quite pricey for four dogs, but for just the one shouldn't be too bad.

 

If you do get a pup, read as much as possible about the training so you get it right first time, and if in doubt, go see a trainer.

 

Good luck :yp:

[fieldwanderer]

thanks guys, been looking and you're right about the price - they're much closer to what I can afford than expected. And I've bought the subject up again with a fairly encouraging response.

 

How do they get on with ferrets? Ours have free run of the garden for quater of an hour each morning and evening :yp: Is it easy enough to train a dog to steer clear? mind you, I expect one of our hobs would make a pretty good job of that with a pup - probably nearly as big but sharper teeth

[PERCE]

fortune i really do hope the chicken and pheasant is de boned? raw meat is fine but i would never ever give any bones from chickens, pheasants, wood cock etc etc.

if it a pup it is a bit to rich for him aswell.

 

It's perfectly safe to feed a dog RAW bones from birds, fish or mammals.

 

My dogs live on raw food only, the only cooked stuff they get is kitchen scraps. They get no meal based products, biscuits etc. at all.

Main stuff they eat is:-

Chicken wing

Chicken carcass

rabbit

lamb breast

ox heart

tripe

Fish heads, still to find a good regular supply of this

Blended raw veg & fruit with egg (incl shells) & oil

Oily tinned fish + tinned tomatoes + baked beans as a treat.

[chris o]

i would let the dog out in garden before or after the ferrets to start with and introduce them to each other a bit at a time till they are used to each other my springer saw the kitten we have and thought it was a chew toy till we had to take him to the vet to have one of the kittens claws took out of his ear. they get on fine now and play with each other and chase each other round the kitchen and lounge after the vet told me to introduce them slowly and a bit at a time.

[fieldwanderer]

that's pretty much what I meant about ferrets teeth

 

O.k. so I'm sold - found one at 12weeks (iirc) within my price range, just need to convince the others in the household (well, satisfy myself they're really alright with it).

 

Before I go any further though;

 

Dog or bitch and why?

 

When does training usually start (even if it is softly softly)?

 

Here's a tricky one for you guys, useful nonetheless, give me 10 golden rules given what I've told you sofar

[fortune82]

It's perfectly safe to feed a dog RAW bones from birds, fish or mammals.

 

My dogs live on raw food only, the only cooked stuff they get is kitchen scraps. They get no meal based products, biscuits etc. at all.

Main stuff they eat is:-

Chicken wing

Chicken carcass

rabbit

lamb breast

ox heart

tripe

Fish heads, still to find a good regular supply of this

Blended raw veg & fruit with egg (incl shells) & oil

Oily tinned fish + tinned tomatoes + baked beans as a treat.

 

I have spoken to 2 professional gun dog trainers and 2 vets and all have said raw bones are fine. Cooked bones are bad news as they splinter. Dog is 11 months old and has been on this diet since 8 months with no problems what so ever!

[fortune82]

fortune i really do hope the chicken and pheasant is de boned? raw meat is fine but i would never ever give any bones from chickens, pheasants, wood cock etc etc.

if it a pup it is a bit to rich for him aswell.

i just feed mine on dry dog buscuits and tinned meat tinned boneless oily fish aswell. ask your nearest vet aswell about a good food to feed the dog and from 8 weeks-6 months feed it 3 times a day as a baby feed little and often. the buscuits i buy are from asda and are called harringtons and they are brilliant and not to expensive aswell.

 

By the way chris read the ingredients on the back of the dog food. It is cheap for a reason! Is a dog really meant to eat all that stuff? Do wolves go looking for a nice tasty bit of wheat or rice?