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cocker training advice please


essexfluke
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Finally convinced the wife meet bubbles

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Looking for some training tips and rerecommendationsor any good DVDs I have two labs that I have trained but never had a cocker before so need all the advice I can get please. Would like to use him for beating and rough shooting, I use my older lab for this at the moment but as shes 10 years old need to start on a replacement. i know this is going to be hard work but also lots of fun cant be any harder than my labs were :whistling:

By the way thank DjL4 He is going to be a great addition to the family.

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Looks like beating him with sticks is not the best training method.

I don't know how long you have been on at your wife to get a dog but I am still working on it.

I think the training will be the easy bit after I get the same permission as yourself.

I look forward to seeing him as he grows.....well done ATB

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Looks like beating him with sticks is not the best training method.

I don't know how long you have been on at your wife to get a dog but I am still working on it.

I think the training will be the easy bit after I get the same permission as yourself.

I look forward to seeing him as he grows.....well done ATB

 

Still got a couple of his brothers & sisters here if your wife relents Ghost .......

 

Luke - You have PM.

 

DaveL

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Be prepared for a very frustrating time!

 

Don't start too early - I started mine at 8 months and he was a pain in the bum, he is now 17months and is starting to calm down a lot and his training has been going really well for the last couple of months.

yeah mine are calming down a lot and able to recieve lessons much more easy, almost willing to learn, 15 months old!

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Finally convinced the wife meet bubbles

attachicon.gifbubbles.jpg

 

Looking for some training tips and rerecommendationsor any good DVDs I have two labs that I have trained but never had a cocker before so need all the advice I can get please. Would like to use him for beating and rough shooting, I use my older lab for this at the moment but as shes 10 years old need to start on a replacement. i know this is going to be hard work but also lots of fun cant be any harder than my labs were :whistling:

By the way thank DjL4 He is going to be a great addition to the family.

 

Firstly if you think it will not be harder than your Labs then you are delusional :lol: , they are by nature very much more head strong .

As above dont start too early , when you do start spend all your early training other than the very basics concentrating on the retrieving and recall and steadiness .

Cockers love to hunt so much that it will almost come naturally but if you are not careful at the cost of retrieving so start the retrieving as a play thing at a early stage.

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All good advice. Mine hunts without any need to show him - the challenge is to get him hunting a lot closer now.

 

He did his first retrieve on Monday - I had a walk round a wood with him on the lead and shot a 60yd pigeon (an awesome shot I must say) he sat to the shot and executed a perfect retrieve straight to hand so I was very pleased with him.

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My Cocker is almost 8 months old now, I have been doing steadiness work (which he doesn't want to do :lol: ), recall and retrieving. However, he is hunting aswell. I took him to the local park the other day and hid 2 pheasant wings which I had in the freezer in deep cover, I then walked him around the park and came back half an hour later; he was straight onto the scent of the pheasant wings and found them both, I was very chuffed :yes: .

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mine quarters naturally and follows my finger into any rough i point him at and flushes excellent, just starting on the retrieve as he has just gone over 12 months and as really grown up over last 6 weeks on his own accord, getting a lot more obedient now i think his childishness is wearing out, i am a big believer in letting them have a childhood as they might resent you later on.as the above post they dont want to be steady under 12 months.

he can still be as mad a box of frogs in the house though :lol::lol::lol:

Edited by delburt0
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The Simon Tyers DVDs are very good, as are the David Lisett one's (my preference).

 

Don't be confused by all this "starting at X age", training starts the day they can walk through positive association... whistle a pup whilst moving away from it with it's food = recall for example.

 

With spaniels the hunting is bred in, if you want a trialling dog then early focus on hunting is a pre-requisite but for shooting and beating get the retrieving and handling ingrained first - the hunting is natural but its all a balance.

 

You will have fun and if you take it easy and get some good advice (from someone with experience who can see the dog) you will do well.

 

Lovely little pup but I'd have bought [another] springer LOL

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Thanks for all the replies cant wait to get him, Dave has sent me some more pics that I will post later. Longy0710 sorry I didn't send you a pm have been away, looks like Paul has beat me to them :sneaky2: . Give me a shout when you have finished with them paul.

One question I have, is it best to concentrate on the basics for the first year ie heel work and steadiness?This is what I did with Boris my lab I didn't do any retrieves until he was nearly a year old which seamed to work quite well. I know he will be very different to train compared to Boris but i will need him to be steady and have good recall as the main target.

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Bubbles, that is priceless. :lol:

 

I would love to go on a shoot with you calling him to heal :whistling:

 

Well done, i am sure you will have a great time training and working him.

Yes I know but that was the rules, I chose the breed and the children chose the name. Think he will be shortened to bubs for shooting and training that way he will know difference between play and work.

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  • 1 month later...

Well he is 14 weeks old and fitting in perfectly, he is a cracking dog thanks Dave.

He will sit nicely and is getting on well with the other dogs.

Here a vid of him retrieving

 

Still not sure on best way to train him yet still absorbing all the different advice.

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