dipper Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 My young springer will retrieve a dummy all day but is very reluctant to pick game he needs coaxing all the time .tried him with cold game fresh game even tried him with magpie but no luck any ideas . Dipper. ' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Have you gone through the stages of tying wings/ skins etc to the dummys that the dog is happy to pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longy0710 Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 how old is the dog? I would possibly let him run in on cold game if there is a reluctance to pick, really try to wind the dog up and get it going There is a great video on youtube (sporting scene - edward martin cocker spaniel training) where he encourages a dog reluctant to pick game, with some ideas to get round this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Wings on dummies. Fur on dummies. Easy and short cold game retrieves. Take your time and don't get frustrated. Give it a few chucks and pack it in if the dog doesn't pick. Use the recall whistle and plenty of encouragement but don't get the dog over excited. Make sure the dog is totally happy retrieving the fur and feathered dummies before moving on. Don't use pigeon, don't use magpies,crows,ducks,cock pheasants,woodcock,hare,geese,squirrels,jay's,..use a small hen pheasant, a partridge or a rabbit, when it comes to starting it off on cold game retrieves. Make sure whatever you use, you have dressed dummies firstly in various stages with wings, fur etc and don't ******* the dog at all for not picking. Just encourage it to you with the whistle, first with dummies, fur dummies, feathered dummies then cold game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hey,its better than eating them in a single gulp! Seriously nothing unusual in this. Try this; Put out a dummy in a familiar and favourite spot, make it so the dog goes away from were it wants to be on the outrun and returns towards were it might rather be (I use the front gate out of the house into the field, as home means kennel, food and peoples). Ok the dog brings back the dummy just fine as expected. Now walk out and put a nice rabbit out there, its not season yet and pigeons aint no good for a shy dog. Send the dog, as soon as he gets to it he will invariably start the messing so as its nose gets ontop of it give the recall. Chances are it will over ride his trepidation and he will grab it to return- job done, work on it! I assume you have done the rabbit fur dummy, dried wings on the dummies etc.? if not then you skipped a whole stage out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Wings on dummies. Fur on dummies. Easy and short cold game retrieves. Take your time and don't get frustrated. Give it a few chucks and pack it in if the dog doesn't pick. Use the recall whistle and plenty of encouragement but don't get the dog over excited. Make sure the dog is totally happy retrieving the fur and feathered dummies before moving on. Don't use pigeon, don't use magpies,crows,ducks,cock pheasants,woodcock,hare,geese,squirrels,jay's,..use a small hen pheasant, a partridge or a rabbit, when it comes to starting it off on cold game retrieves. Make sure whatever you use, you have dressed dummies firstly in various stages with wings, fur etc and don't #### the dog at all for not picking. Just encourage it to you with the whistle, first with dummies, fur dummies, feathered dummies then cold game. If I had a dog that wouldn't pick a lot of that long list of stuff up from the get go and proper entering i should find it a nice pet home, the only consesions at the start for me are waders, any crow species because they all stink bad to a dog - apparently? and woodies because of loose feathers. The best are rabbits no question as its more he inbuilt prey of dogs, if a dog don't want at least a good old sniff or lick at least of a coney its unlikely to amount to much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Looks like you have missed something in your basic training out, you should seek out a professional trainer to run through things with you and see were you have gone wrong, you might have to go back a few steps in your training but I'm sure it will be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 If I had a dog that wouldn't pick a lot of that long list of stuff up from the get go and proper entering i should find it a nice pet home, the only consesions at the start for me are waders, any crow species because they all stink bad to a dog - apparently? and woodies because of loose feathers. The best are rabbits no question as its more he inbuilt prey of dogs, if a dog don't want at least a good old sniff or lick at least of a coney its unlikely to amount to much. That's where good, patient, calm training kicks in. Once the dog gets the hang of the easiest , or most comfortable for IT on the list, then the OP will likely find the dog will happily pick others, or all from the list, given time. The initial hurdle of it picking and carrying something it feels happy with, will, without doubt, open the door to it's ability and willingness to carry a wide variety of game and vermin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 That's where good, patient, calm training kicks in. Once the dog gets the hang of the easiest , or most comfortable for IT on the list, then the OP will likely find the dog will happily pick others, or all from the list, given time. The initial hurdle of it picking and carrying something it feels happy with, will, without doubt, open the door to it's ability and willingness to carry a wide variety of game and vermin. Hence "after proper entering" Some dogs will never pick crows, so certain things should be off limits but not so vast a list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hence "after proper entering" Some dogs will never pick crows, so certain things should be off limits but not so vast a list The OP'r is talking about a dog that wont pick anything other than dummies? Surely the idea is to make life easy for the bloke and his dog? What the hell does the length of the list matter? Or crows at this point? I was just trying to give the guy safe options to start with. If you want to start offering him advice to pick other things from the list I mentioned not to try, then go ahead. He runs a higher risk of failure and problems with the dog though should he choose to attempt it. Play it safe, don't try to be clever, just make life simple for the dog to start with. Yes you might get success if you sellotape an otters ar** to a ping pong ball and bat it the length of a football pitch, but why on earth would you want to take the risk? OP-, get a dead rabbit, hang it for the night, go out in the morn and try the dog with a short retrieve and encourage it ( not by being over excitable) with the recall whistle and an encouraging voice, to pick it up. Stand right next to the dog and drop the rabbit at your feet if you want, all you need to do is see the dog lift the rabbit and you can then quickly take it from it with encouragement and praise. Start close by then build up the distances as it becomes more confident in carrying. If it succeeds with a rabbit, stick to rabbits until the dog retrieves confidently every time. Then move on to a hen pheasant or partridge. It will soon get the hang of it as long as you are calm and quiet and encourage it gently. Try it every day for a few days, ten or fifteen mins at a time each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 if only you could read and the last thing I should want is to train a dog to pickup game I put at my feet. Better still he can PM me as I am only the other side of Clitheroe, if the groundwork is done I bet I can start it picking them in an hour or two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) if only you could read and the last thing I should want is to train a dog to pickup game I put at my feet. Better still he can PM me as I am only the other side of Clitheroe, if the groundwork is done I bet I can start it picking them in an hour or two You sure about that? All dogs can run. This dog doesn't pick game first and foremost, before anything else, it should feel comfortable lifting game, if it does it at the OP's feet, he is one step closer to it retrieving from anywhere, once it is willing to pick, lift then carry, he will have not one single problem increasing the distances it lifts and carries game. You might well start it picking in an hour or two. Why then, in a previous post of yours on this thread did you write you would get rid of the dog to a pet home? Is it a race to get this dog picking game up? Edited June 17, 2014 by Bazooka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Edited June 17, 2014 by Bazooka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipper Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thank you gentlemen for all advice I will be trying all them a s a p and keep you updated on progress .Dipper.l Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 You sure about that? All dogs can run. This dog doesn't pick game first and foremost, before anything else, it should feel comfortable lifting game, if it does it at the OP's feet, he is one step closer to it retrieving from anywhere, once it is willing to pick, lift then carry, he will have not one single problem increasing the distances it lifts and carries game. You might well start it picking in an hour or two. Why then, in a previous post of yours on this thread did you write you would get rid of the dog to a pet home? Is it a race to get this dog picking game up? No point exchanging with you any further cant read posts of others and constantly mis quote what others actually say in a thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Kent some people wear blinkers, and even wear them when they try to train a dog, god help us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 Kent some people wear blinkers, and even wear them when they try to train a dog, god help us. I can handle the blinkers its the re-occurring mis representation of the words of others time and again. This aint a complex issue at the end of the day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 I know we're you are coming from, complex is what you make things, if you make to much of things you tend to look for several answers when in fact the real answer was always under you nose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 I know we're you are coming from, complex is what you make things, if you make to much of things you tend to look for several answers when in fact the real answer was always under you nose. I'm sorry....off to find a mirror! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 I'm sorry....off to find a mirror! Best make that a big un !!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 That's very hurtful E.w. Are you saying my head is the size of a grizzly bears? Or My nose is like a traffic cone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.w. Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 That's very hurtful E.w. Are you saying my head is the size of a grizzly bears? Or My nose is like a traffic cone? You best keep that to yourself, wouldn't Broadcast that about your features you might get people talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 18, 2014 Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 You best keep that to yourself, wouldn't Broadcast that about your features you might get people talking. Ahhhh. Right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) Guys, guys!! Lol. Right, my dog wouldn't pick up feather to begin with. Firstly do we know how old the dog in question is? Apologies if it's been said, i might have missed it. I nearly gave up on mine but i think i put too much pressure on mine too soon (she's sensitive - ish) and now she'll pick anything! Edited June 21, 2014 by bigbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Posted June 21, 2014 Report Share Posted June 21, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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