B725 Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 Can't fault your honesty, it does happen but at least you know the next steps just make sure the stop whistle work's every time before Ted hunts any ground like that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj939 Posted March 28, 2019 Report Share Posted March 28, 2019 With a confident bold dog, I prefer to maintain strict discipline. Never have a grey area, steadiness is as important as drive in a shooting environment. Given his age, and a lot of experiences for a young dog, he’s testing his boundaries to see what he can get away with. With a softer dog, I’m happy to go two steps forward one step back, buzz them up in a pen to build confidence, but I can’t say I deliberately let them chase, especially rabbits. If you decide you want to let him loose a bit, I recommend quail or pheasants. You shouldn’t worry about the drive right now, he’s still young it will develop as he gains game sense. Give him a refresher on recall, do some basics again to reinforce it. And remember, you have to have bad days to have good days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Part 12: Since last disappearing we have thankfully had no more issues with that, so getting after him and telling him off seemed to have worked. After a bit of stop refresher we have been back to that woodland a handful of times now. A few times lately I have left some tennis balls sat in a box with pheasant wings overnight, and then walked out myself throwing them (without walking over the spot myself) for Ted to hunt up. Up that woodland there is obviously some scent about as he goes full speed to begin and covers ground. However once he's on the balls he actually slows down... Well Y'day I took him without the balls and just let him get on with it. He hunted faster and for longer without stopping to look at me, so I am going to really limit the use of balls and just let him get on with it. The only thing on this new hunting ground with no balls, is that he hunts much further out, as when I drop a ball close by he stays close, but with no finds he pulls ahead much more, something I will have to keep an eye on. That aside I went to see a friend who trials to see how I was doing. First thing he said "your dog keeps moving". Sat up he keeps creeping forward or moving off the spot. We had done some sit and stay basics etc before but either forgotten or not bedded in enough. Please anyone reading this, learn from my mistakes BED IN THE BASICS!!!! WE are back to sit and stay, which at 11 months is much harder than before. Before when we did some sit and stay Ted would just do it. Well lately I have been sitting him up and walking out and he keeps bloody moving!! Creeping toward me, I have to keep going to him and taking him back to the exact spot. Even worse today I went to put him back and he tried to run off a few steps cos he knew he was about to be told off! I don't want to be getting into that game of him ********* off cos he knows he's in trouble 😞 I was only taking his scruff and putting him back to where he moved from. I am hoping it's just his age and he is trying it on... We are very much back to basics at the moment. I am looking for some good obedience programmes or logs to follow to give us some brain training to keep him entertained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 Keep using the tennis balls, Ted ain't daft he knows fairly soon there's nothing for him close by that's why he hunts out further away, Sit him up next to you and just give him a little fuss then move a couple of steps but go back to him give him a bit of fuss. Repeat this about 10 million times gradually going further away. Try not to cut this bit of training short, it's a pain and boring, I still do it now 2 year's on with Stan just to remind him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 37 minutes ago, B725 said: Keep using the tennis balls, Ted ain't daft he knows fairly soon there's nothing for him close by that's why he hunts out further away, Sit him up next to you and just give him a little fuss then move a couple of steps but go back to him give him a bit of fuss. Repeat this about 10 million times gradually going further away. Try not to cut this bit of training short, it's a pain and boring, I still do it now 2 year's on with Stan just to remind him. He hunts much better (faster and also hits into cover) when I don't use them mind mate 😣 Like the other day when he got to some long reedy grass he slowed right up, pranced about for ages and then slowly walked in scented the ball and picked it up... Today I took him up there, no balls, was running about much quicker, the speed must help as when he got to the cover he just leaps onto it and then gets on with the job... If I could get him that keen for the balls I would use them more... I know I can't stop the balls totally as I need to use a ball alley to keep his pattern and work on that a bit... And yes, back to basics, I must have put him back on the spot 5-6 times again today, even creeping forward just a step or two. Never tried it on like that when younger just stayed put... will be practising and practising to stay put until told Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted April 12, 2019 Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) Lloyd, when you sit and stay him do you tend to call him to you afterwards or go back out to him and release the stay command then? 🤔 Also what are you doing with your whistle..., sounds daft but what you do with it often tells your dog what you might do in the next couple of seconds - you’ll know what I mean if you’re mindful of it next time 😊 Edited April 12, 2019 by bigbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted April 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2019 4 minutes ago, bigbird said: Lloyd, when you sit and stay him do you tend to call him to you afterwards or go back out to him and release the stay command then? 🤔 Also what are you doing with your whistle..., sounds daft but what you do with it often tells your dog what you might do in the next couple of seconds - you’ll know what I mean if you’re mindful of it next time 😊 I mix it up, sometimes call him to heel, other times return to him. I think hes too used to being called off the spot at present such as when heading out in more casual settings, so after this I am returning to him almost every time before he is allowed to move (plus giving him lots of praise for staying put). What do you mean re the whistle? I have been doing "fakes" with him, so to stop him pre-empting me, such as lifting my hand, but instead of setting him off just scratching my head etc, so he doesn't start to jump ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 We often unconsciously do things like spitting out the whistle then putting it back in our mouths to call them in rather than keeping it in our mouths all the time - little things like that can soon become the cues that the dog notice first, you see. Was just wondering if perhaps this was something that was contributing 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 Part 13: summer relaxing. Not much to update really, just ticking along over summer doing some basics. One word of caution for any new trainers, I regret the day the dog ever saw me throw a ball/dummy or any other object whilst out hunting. I warn you now: don’t ever let them catch you. Ted is being a pain when set off hunting, stopping to look at me too often 😞 he’s better on scent but some of us don’t have unlimited access to heavily scented ground. I am hoping to get him out in a rabbit pen over the next weeks to put together the hunting and the flush. On the up his steadiness is a lot better recently and has several times run out to spot a bird and sat up rather than try to chase, so think he’s working out he can’t catch them and getting better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted June 3, 2019 Report Share Posted June 3, 2019 I like my dog to keep looking at me and he does but never stops just a quick glance each time he turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2019 On 03/06/2019 at 17:40, B725 said: I like my dog to keep looking at me and he does but never stops just a quick glance each time he turns. Hoping he goes that way once into more game and actually knows what he’s hunting for in future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted June 5, 2019 Report Share Posted June 5, 2019 On 03/06/2019 at 17:40, B725 said: I like my dog to keep looking at me and he does but never stops just a quick glance each time he turns. +1 I like my dogs to flick their eyes up at me every two or three passes just to make sure I’m still there 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 The last few nights I’ve taken Ted out just the whistle and me. Hes getting into the rhythm of not looking at me more and getting on with it, although with this comes him ranging a bit further, having to recall him a bit and be strict if he ignores the stop but it’s coming along. Tonight we went to a wood that I can shoot in the season. We covered a big wood with him running for a good 20 mins + covering all the ground. I took my side by side with me, just so Ted gets used to me carrying the gun as well. We had a few pauses where I stopped him and just made him wait 3-4 mins sat with no command so he’s used to being patient. Once we had covered the wood we came out into a big grass paddock about 2ft high. We worked our way back to the car and as we got into the middle of the grass field we “bumped” a large cock pheasant. I think it took us both by surprise. I saw only about 5 ft from Ted and the bird was about 15 ft away. I immediately managed to say “hup” in my shock and Ted, who looked as surprised as me that a bird had just launched into the air sat straight away. We both watched it fly away, it was stunning to see. It would have made for a brilliant shot once a bit further out, but not today. Bring on the season I have Ted a lot of praise and fuss for sitting and off we went in the opposite direction. Afterwards I kicked myself and thought that I should have fired a shot off in the total opposite direction to the pheasant. Just so Ted got to associate the flush and the shot together .... perhaps one to remember for next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted June 6, 2019 Report Share Posted June 6, 2019 That's why I like the starter pistol as you can fire the shot without taking your eye off the dog. Pleased for you it's coming together for you and Ted, little and often and Ted will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 I’m back at my mums this weekend to visit friends so took the opportunity to hit the sand dunes this morning. Up at 04:30, off we set down to dunes, it was a bit wet on the ground but the rain held off. We got to some spots about 5 mins drive from home and Ted and I set off, just him, me and the whistle. After a few mins I spotted a couple of rabbits, but they didn’t hang about and were long gone before Ted could ever spot them. We hunted up nice and stayed in range and was getting his nose down, not stopping and not looking at me all the time so good news on that front. Hoping with more and more hunting he’ll just get better and better. He did get up to some cover patches but didn’t get into them (thick cover and bramble that a ferret would just about get into) although he did jump on top of one clump 😂 so in future if there’s ever a bird or rabbit in there I’m confident he would put it out 😂. Just a shame none of the rabbits sat tight 😣. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted June 8, 2019 Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 Lloyd, you are putting in a lot of effort with your dog. I hope you are well rewarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 1 hour ago, JDog said: Lloyd, you are putting in a lot of effort with your dog. I hope you are well rewarded. I already am mate, he brings us non-stop entertainment 👍🏻😂. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2019 Here he is on Sat morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2019 Arriving for our walk tonight I saw two cock birds going into the meadow of 2ft tall grass. I quickly got Ted out knowing roughly where the bird was and quartered him towards it. Ted hunted well and really got going on some scent. He reached the area and was hunting well. He flushed the bird, a positive flush not bumping one by accident. I knew from past times that he had chased and preempted it again so was running towards him the second he got to the area just incase. Ted flushed the bird and seemed shocked again. Likely his inexperience, he’s used to finding balls or dummy’s at the end of scent not a bird. Anyways as the bird flushed he sat, but then tried to give chase. I was on him the second he moved, think he got about 6 feet and I got hold of him and dragged him back to the spot of the flush sat him up and blew the stop whistle. Waited a minute then set set him off in the opposite direction. He hunted the whole field with good intensity and without stopping. Was quite pleased with his going. I think his pattern could be tidied up a bit but was a good day overall. Trying to be consistent with the flush and as he gets more experienced hoping that it sticks. Also just waiting for a mate to finish his rabbit pen and will get Ted in there with a long line to get the message home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Took Ted to the clay ground today to just get him used to sitting whilst taking shots. He needs to be steady as planning to take him along to a small driven shoot I’ve joined for this year. Ted was very well behaved. Walked to heel off the lead right by my side. I sat him up behind us and he stayed put most of the time on the spot, just lay down until told to move, whilst 5 of us shot. He moved once or twice but was put back and with a lot of people and other dogs walking past he stayed on the spot 99% of the time! Looking forward to getting him out this season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgy dave Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 nice dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 On 24/06/2019 at 16:16, dodgy dave said: nice dog Thank you Dave 👋🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 Part 14: Puppy tests. Ted is over 13 months now and we have done a fair bit of hunting on ground with pre-hidden stuff, he’s not looking at me so much now and getting his nose down more I have had a look and have entered him in the Usk Valley puppy test next weekend. I know his retrieves are very good, the only thing I would like to be better is for him to hunt much harder / more intensely. On game / scent he goes very well but a bit like a cocker he isn’t as intense without it. I have therefore been messaging round frantically to find a rabbit pen to get him some flushes and try to click that hunting = game flushes. I have found a place 80 mins drive away and will try to get down once or twice before next weekend, and hope this ups his game fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 Looks like it's all coming together, good luck with the test and let us know good or bad how Ted goes on. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 2 hours ago, B725 said: Looks like it's all coming together, good luck with the test and let us know good or bad how Ted goes on. 👍 Bad probably but it’s a bit of fun 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.