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darren m
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Jack ( lab ) is coming on nicely , he'll go any where and retrieve any thing , his nose is like a heat ( scent ) seeking missile, cant complain .

EXCEPT - when i,m working him , he starts off close to me , but then the distance grows and grows and i am for ever calling him back .

SO - how do i get him to stay closer to me when hunting .

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Okay lets start at the beginning. Have you taught your dog to quarter...(work the field in a set pattern)...in your situation and hunt style,meanng the UK, this would be used for rough shooting? The dog works back and forth in front of you never breaking your comfort zone for shooting.

Quarter t the whistle means that he will turn right and left changing the direction of the line he is working for game at the sound of the whistle in my case 2 pips. There is a program to teach the quarter and a program to teach the whistle response. Let me know where you are at.

NTTF

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hi NTTF -- I have,nt taught him either mate :*) , all i have been doing is to point and encourage him to scent round hedge bottoms etc as where walking along and telling him , "lost , lost " and when he gets too far in front , 1 pip on the turn whistle will usually turn him .

The problem is he leaves my contact and shoots ahead too far too quick , if he finds no scent , instead of keeping hunting slow and steady at a walking pace .

so i use to turn whislte alot , sometimes it works the total opposite way round where he does,nt leave my side to hunt , because he knows i,m for ever calling him back/turning .

i,ve not done any left or rights at all .

can you give me the programmes for both . thanks Dan .

 

all the best

Darren .

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Darren: I was looking for an article written by a US trainer on this as it had lovely diagrams in it but was unable to find it. You are jst going to have to put up with me trying to explain it to you.

 

to start go out to the hardware store and buy 20 meeters of 1/4 inch rope for a drag line. Attatch a snap to the end that you will be able to attach to a collar around Jacks neck.

 

The actual excercise is very easy, however you have to put the repetative time in to instill the pattern into the dog. To start head out to your training field and let Jack out to the end of the line. Start to walk at a 30 degree angle from him and give two pips onyour whistle. At the same time point him out across in front of you, as he reaches the opposite side change your angle to the other side give two pips on the whistle and point him across. This will have him working back and forth in front of you at roughly 10 meters and no more than 20 meters to either side of you...a nice comfortable gun range. As Jack catches on to the game you will be able to walk a straight line down the centre and Jack will continue to work left and right in front of you.

One thing I have found helps this along is to place pigeons in the grass where his quartering line will take him to them, this gives him a reward of a flushed bird as he quarters in the correct position. Remember to place the birds at opposite ends of the tangents so that if he chaces he will not bump the next bird.

 

Let me know if this makes sence....NTTF

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cheers NTTF -- Tried it out yesterday , very difficult , trying to get jack to leave me and hunt out when he,s got a slip on .

The best i could manage was to have him on the long slip , get his attention with the 2 pips and try and point him at the exact same time in the direction left , blow 2 pips then point right , it was a bit confusing for him , i think .

 

which verbal command do/should i use , as i use " get out " when i want him to go back a distance , but what do i use as a command when i point in the left or right directions , i never used any , but i want to start using one now , so he can associate the two together .

Dan -- is there a way i can practice this , with out a lead on .

 

thanks for your time .

 

Darren .

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dont know if this will help, but to get mine to do that I have access to a very ruff field, its long grass and bramble.

 

It means that I start walking with him hunting about 10 - 15 foot in front of me, After about 15 - 20 yds, I pip the whistle and point him in a 90 degree and from where we're walking (say turn him left). and also start walking in that direction myself. again after 15 - 20yd do the same again (this time to the right.)

 

It sort of follows that we end up walking a zig zag patern thru the field. Can help if no distractions (like game) in the feild but may help to move on.

 

Also use this to get him to stop to shot, (flush if he does flush anything) and also do retrieves. This can be built up stage by stage and by distances, also with you walking straight while the dog does the quatering (zig zag).

 

Hope this makes some sense.

 

trev

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