Springer - Retreiving Problems

[Nelly T]

Got an 18 month springer, had her from 10 weeks old. She responds well to the whistle, will stop, recall and turn when out with her. She is mad for hunting when out and won't even acknowledge a dummy (rabbit fur or pheasant wings attached) too preoccupied. She will walk to heel when out and doesn't venture far away apart from one or two moments which is when I will get after her and walk her to heel for a while to calm her down again.

 

At home in the garden she will go nuts for the dummy, like a different dog, totally focused on it, she will retreive it to me but has started to muck about with it (playing, flipping it up and catching again etc..), running past and around me before coming in or as a last resort me getting after her. Not tried a cord but will do.

 

I am at a bit of a loss how to get the same focus when in the field, any ideas would be appreciated.

[Wiltsmark]

I'm thinking why not try a partridge in an old pair of tights starting with short retrieves again in your garden and keeping yourself with your back up against the house or say the fence this way she cant run past you, just wondering if she's looking for more when she's out and perhaps bored with the dummies, i'm no expert but thought it might be worth a go

[Nelly T]

She will pick cold game in the garden, and doesn't muck about as much, Pheasant, Partridge, Pigeon and Rabbit, when in the field if i take cold game with me she will run to it then ignore it rather then picking it.

 

It's really strange as she is like a different dog in the garden, I have a small narrow area to the side of the house where she cant get past me which I oftem use for one or two retreives, i am doing this maybe once every coupe days as I am conscious she might be getting bored of it. When we are out the hunting is more interesting to her then the retreive.

[kent]

Is she steady enough to shoot over? If she has done cold game in the garden a good number of times give it a go, i once had a dog that loved dummies right up to the day she got the real thing then wouln't look at one again. Not a spaniel guy though admitedly not a breed i particulary understand

[WGD]

Stop hunting mate, retrieving sessions only for a couple of weeks to bring the focus in. Classic spaniel trait, hunting is much more fun than retrieving for them.

[pegleg31]

when you take her for a walk,do you walk her to heel and let her have her own time while you stand in one place or do you let her free hunt/do her own thing?.

[Nelly T]

Stop hunting mate, retrieving sessions only for a couple of weeks to bring the focus in. Classic spaniel trait, hunting is much more fun than retrieving for them.

 

Cheers, just retrieving in the garden/confined space? or take her out and try retrieves only?

[Nelly T]

when you take her for a walk,do you walk her to heel and let her have her own time while you stand in one place or do you let her free hunt/do her own thing?.

 

It's a mixture to be honest, I'll walk her to heel, cast her forward into some rough to work, bring her back on the whistle move forward same again, or stop her and walk to her and cast her off again, always keeping her as close to me as possible. I don't just get to the walk let her off and away she goes with ME following HER if thats what you mean.

[Nelly T]

Is she steady enough to shoot over? If she has done cold game in the garden a good number of times give it a go, i once had a dog that loved dummies right up to the day she got the real thing then wouln't look at one again. Not a spaniel guy though admitedly not a breed i particulary understand

 

Yes, pretty much, planning to take her to the small syndicate I shoot on toward the end of this month/early Jan for a morning or afternoon. I have taken her a couple of times for an hour or two rough shooting where I know there less game, just me and the dog. She flushed birds, I shot one, she ran in (i let her) and nosed it then off hunting again, I thought the flush - bang - drop would finish with a retrieve, not that time, also shot a pigeon same day, she done the same thing.

[pegleg31]

It's a mixture to be honest, I'll walk her to heel, cast her forward into some rough to work, bring her back on the whistle move forward same again, or stop her and walk to her and cast her off again, always keeping her as close to me as possible. I don't just get to the walk let her off and away she goes with ME following HER if thats what you mean.

 

 

yes thats what i was meaning as this will be contributing to her being more interested in hunting.are you quatering her yet?,or are you always casting her of infront of you.or this only to search for game/dummies?

 

tto be honest the best thing you could do is book yourself a 1 0n 1 lesson with a pro trainer close to you as they'll more than likely be able to put you right straight away.1 hours lesson should'nt really cosdt you more than £30 with a decent trainer

[tigger]

Go and see a trainer buddy its worth an hour its hard to tell you over the net without seeing the dog, but as has been said i would slow down the hunting and concentrate on the retrieving clearly she can hunt so start on the retrieving all my springers have done the same thing its clearly more fun.

[kent]

Yes, pretty much, planning to take her to the small syndicate I shoot on toward the end of this month/early Jan for a morning or afternoon. I have taken her a couple of times for an hour or two rough shooting where I know there less game, just me and the dog. She flushed birds, I shot one, she ran in (i let her) and nosed it then off hunting again, I thought the flush - bang - drop would finish with a retrieve, not that time, also shot a pigeon same day, she done the same thing.

 

Ah well no point doing that again then, if you keep on doing the same thing your only gonna get what you always got