Electronic Collar

[ollie]

I'm sure this has been asked before but will the use of an Electronic Collar stop my Springer from chasing flushed rabbits into the next county? She is 11 months old, but I am a bit reluctant to use the collar incase it totally puts her off hunting. She is a very good worker but unfortunately when she flushes a rabbit she chases it for maybe 60 yards.

[rickyspringer]

back to basics mate, work on the stop, then build up the stop whilst a friend throws a rabbit plet in front of the dog, gradually working up to the contact flush.

[al4x]

won't stop her working but will stop her clearing off straight away

[Sprocket]

Personally -I wouldn't use one, I would book a session in a Rabbit pen with someone that knows what he is talking about.

I think that the use of an electronic collar is usually the fault of a poor trainer using it as a last result.

 

I am interested to see what sort of response this remark attracts!

 

Wait for it Boys .........

Sprocket

[ollie]

Personally -I wouldn't use one, I would book a session in a Rabbit pen with someone that knows what he is talking about.

I think that the use of an electronic collar is usually the fault of a poor trainer using it as a last result.

 

I am interested to see what sort of response this remark attracts!

 

Wait for it Boys .........

Sprocket

 

Well to be fair this is my first springer that I have trained since it is a pup. Can't all be perfect. Also I don't have access to a rabbit pen and I also don't know anyone who has one.

[Sprocket]

Well to be fair this is my first springer that I have trained since it is a pup. Can't all be perfect. Also I don't have access to a rabbit pen and I also don't know anyone who has one.

"Well to be fair" - It sounds like you already have an Electronic collar, In which case why ask the question?

If this is your first springer -please consider listening to somebody that has trained many of them without having to result to using one, as far as being perfect is concerned - Grow Up, I was trying to help you and prevent another Springer from being tortured through no fault of its own! I also didn't know anyone with a Rabbit pen until I searched high and low to find one! Sometimes its too easy to take the easy way out at the expense of your dog - Like I said in my first post "Wait for it boys"

[garyb]

More stop whistle work required.

 

Does the dog sit on command (everytime) at heel for example?

 

If not - you cant expect it to stop on game, or 30 yards+ from you.

 

Back to basics - 1st of all ensure dog is 110% to stop (sit) whistle at heel

 

Once that it sorted, concentrate on the stop whistle, but make it fun for the dog... Perhaps allow him to hunt some cover and then stop him - you can introuduce rewards such as a retrieve for a good stop... as soon as he stops, throw a dummy - even let him run in if you must, at this stage you want him to understand that Stop means a good thing (for the dog) is about to happen, providing he stops.

[Sprocket]

Well said gary b, I wonder if this answers his question?

[UKPoacher]

Sadly, we are following the Yanks in thinking this 'labor saving' device is the answer to all our dog training problems. Equally sadly, the examples on here where people consider e-collars demonstrates that they are being as misused as in the States, and people who resort to e-collars usually make the same basic mistakes with them as they have in conventional training.

 

I've trained gun dogs for over twenty years and was involved in police dog training for ten years. I can only recall two occassions when an e-collar might have been useful as a training aid, and both those were with police dogs that refused to let go. I could never envisage using an e-collar for recall. It would be admitting my failure as a dog trainer.

[ollie]

More stop whistle work required.

 

Does the dog sit on command (everytime) at heel for example?

 

If not - you cant expect it to stop on game, or 30 yards+ from you.

 

Back to basics - 1st of all ensure dog is 110% to stop (sit) whistle at heel

 

Once that it sorted, concentrate on the stop whistle, but make it fun for the dog... Perhaps allow him to hunt some cover and then stop him - you can introuduce rewards such as a retrieve for a good stop... as soon as he stops, throw a dummy - even let him run in if you must, at this stage you want him to understand that Stop means a good thing (for the dog) is about to happen, providing he stops.

 

Thanks for the advice Gary; yes the dog sits to command and also the stop whistle apart from when it flushes a rabbit. I will try maybe introducing a retrieve.

 

Sprocket: I don't have an electric collar, I know a friend who has one and I have absolutely no intention of torturing my Springer. If you read my first post you will find that I said I am reluctant to use the collar; I was literally looking for some helpful advice which some people did provide including a member who PM'd me, so thank you to those members. It's a bad state of affairs when you can't ask a question on a forum without being criticised; I am inexperienced at training dogs and you have to learn some way.

[garyb]

Be sure you only throw a retrieve, for a rock steady stop.

 

 

Stop him and have the dog wait a decent while before the dummy is thrown!

[monkeyboots]

ollie do you have a relesae pen on your shoot if so then you could put a few rabbits in it and a few stick piles and you would have a rabbit pen of your own try hunting your dog in away that if it gets a flush then the dog will need to run by you meaning you can get hold of it and take him back to where you had blowen the stop whistle , keep him hunting tight in front of you and as soon as you see that a flush is about to happen be ready to blow the stop whistle and get off after him if he goes to chase then a bit of a shake and back to the spot where you blew the whistle a few days of this should be enough to make him start sitting on flush or at the very least he will only go a few yards as he knows that you will be straight on his case, im at this stage with my dog and although he stops on 7 out of 10 rabbits any he does move on he only gets a few yards as im already on my way to him but he will eventualy be 100% steady to flush i hope good luck with the dog

[ollie]

ollie do you have a relesae pen on your shoot if so then you could put a few rabbits in it and a few stick piles and you would have a rabbit pen of your own try hunting your dog in away that if it gets a flush then the dog will need to run by you meaning you can get hold of it and take him back to where you had blowen the stop whistle , keep him hunting tight in front of you and as soon as you see that a flush is about to happen be ready to blow the stop whistle and get off after him if he goes to chase then a bit of a shake and back to the spot where you blew the whistle a few days of this should be enough to make him start sitting on flush or at the very least he will only go a few yards as he knows that you will be straight on his case, im at this stage with my dog and although he stops on 7 out of 10 rabbits any he does move on he only gets a few yards as im already on my way to him but he will eventualy be 100% steady to flush i hope good luck with the dog

 

Monkeyboots - I do have a release pen; the problem is getting rabbits netted for it as there are so many young ones about at the mo to be ferreting. I had a bit of progress this evening; I took her over to an area full of rabbits and any rabbits she chased I got after her and she seems to be getting there. BTW I remember you asked me about a rough area for training your dog in; there is a bit of land over behind my house with rushes and whin bushes if you want to come over some evening your more than welcome (PM me if you want).

[monkeyboots]

ollie get a few tame rabbits dutch type are best and they will do you to start with 3 or 4 would do to get u up and running , cheers for the offer to come to yours i will give you a shout sumtime and get up a run