Recommendation for Cocker spaniel training lessons

[lonsy]

Hi,

As in the title really, does anyone know of a good place to take my cocker spaniel puppy in the Leicestershire area for some training.

Currently 11wks old and I'd like to get her off to a good start at an early age.

Thanks in advance.

[Dougy]

1st thing we did was find a puppy socialising class, you dont want to start off with too much for the little dog to take in or you may find they will shut off. 

When you were little everything was play, the same goes for little cocker, you can still start though. We also started recall at feed time, so recall and food came hand in hand. 

Desensitise to noise is a very useful for a working dog, make a load of noise while preparing their food, not silly just to get them used to loader than normal noise, simple sit commands, just simple not overly complicated stuff, and remember play, play, play. 

 

 

[Lloyd90]

Just my opinion but I think the general public “puppy classes” are not only a waste of time but can introduce issues. 
 

You can train a pup that going off with other dogs in great fun and before you know it have a dog that bolts off to go play with other dogs it had spotted in the distance. 
 

When out training, or on a shoot or trial I want them to ignore other dogs and focus on me or work. I will introduce the dog to a few people or dogs I know that I know are not numpties. 
 

 

Apart from that we spend the first several months just playing, bonding and having fun and not putting the dog in a position where it is possible to go wrong.

 

I don’t take the pup on ‘walks’ where it can run off and get into trouble and avoid most general public and their out of control dogs as more often than not they are a complete nuisance whilst shouting “it’s ok, he just wants to play!”.  
 

 

If you look on the KC website they should have a list of Gundog training clubs in your area, and the Secretary for each club should be able to give you the name and contact number for reputable trainers in your area. 

[Dougy]

@l@Lloyd90

I cant disagree with your comments, your far better experience than i.

Right or wrong we found that the one dog we had as a pup that went to these puppy classes reacts far better with other dogs that his litter brother who had not.   

 

[WalkedUp]

In contrast my puppies start with puppy obedience classes, a rather fierce police dog breeder lady runs it and so the groups always have lots of police dog pups and police handlers. The classes are set around KC obedience tests. There is certainly no playtime, just building bond between handler and dog. It is proper ‘socialisation training’, i.e. when in a communal situation dog must behave, which is far contrast to ‘socialising’! Sit, stay, recall, ignore distraction, stop to whistle, walk under heel, retrieve, ignore distraction, send to direction, embark/disembark car etc. Real basics. The pup learns it is not play time when it sees other dogs.

I use ‘shaping’ for young pups to retrieve/point/hunt - I see that as a gun dog imprinting style, not class based gun dog ‘training’. (Apart from once a month for pups for me to keep my eye in with other’s techniques etc). Trying the imprint an attitude and connection with the dog and encourage/praise certain behaviours than specific training scenarios/drills. 

Obedience is better training fundamentals for a pup that any specific gundog trainer or group I’ve come across, but I am lucky with my obedience class. If she dies I will be stuck. As the pup’s obedience grows that obedience training is amalgamated into general gun dog training and so formal gun dog drills become worthwhile.

No point doing a formal ‘retrieve’ drill for a dog that cannot sit off lead. See it so often when I’ve lead specific  gundog training classes, waste of my time in good hunting ground if people don’t have basic control of their dog. Better to leave suitable objects about and praise good presentation etc whilst also practicing recall and general obedience. I count taking a puppy to the pub and it being taught to behave as training. Same for going swimming/wading in a lake with small pup. 

Apologies for confusing rant, just remember that the gundog aspects are just one side that you are training for don’t focus entirely of them to detriment of other fundamentals. With a masterpiece sketch everything in before getting the oils out! 

Edited August 7, 2021 by WalkedUp

[WalkedUp]

Training classes are to train the handler not the pup! The handler must then put that training into action with the long hours of work for the pup to learn. We have the advantage of speaking English. Dogs must learn by happening to get it right and being praised for doing so. You have to help them happen to get it right and also foster them to want to get it right. 

[Lloyd90]

1 hour ago, Dougy said:

@l@Lloyd90

I cant disagree with your comments, your far better experience than i.

Right or wrong we found that the one dog we had as a pup that went to these puppy classes reacts far better with other dogs that his litter brother who had not.   

 

 

I wouldn’t say that mate I am far from an expert. 
 

Walkedup had given a great example of what a good class can be like 👍🏻. 
 

One problem is at the moment there is a big increase in ‘dog trainers’ who have done a weekend course and are pushing themselves as experts in the field… and a lot of stuff people do with pet dogs can be detrimental to gundog training. 
 

 

[Dougy]

1 minute ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

I wouldn’t say that mate I am far from an expert. 
 

Walkedup had given a great example of what a good class can be like 👍🏻. 
 

One problem is at the moment there is a big increase in ‘dog trainers’ who have done a weekend course and are pushing themselves as experts in the field… and a lot of stuff people do with pet dogs can be detrimental to gundog training. 
 

 

Walkedup had put it better than i had, the puppy class ours had gone to were KC registered and the training was as Walkedup said, basic obedience and not a free for all, getting them to walk round other pups without issues, sitting a few yards away from you and getting them to wait, just a few seconds is enough to start. We later then started training with the breeder.

 

http://www.jobeshillgundogs.co.uk/

[Yellow Bear]

4 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

In contrast my puppies start with puppy obedience classes, a rather fierce police dog breeder lady runs it and so the groups always have lots of police dog pups and police handlers. The classes are set around KC obedience tests. There is certainly no playtime, just building bond between handler and dog. It is proper ‘socialisation training’, i.e. when in a communal situation dog must behave, which is far contrast to ‘socialising’! Sit, stay, recall, ignore distraction, stop to whistle, walk under heel, retrieve, ignore distraction, send to direction, embark/disembark car etc. Real basics. The pup learns it is not play time when it sees other dogs.

I use ‘shaping’ for young pups to retrieve/point/hunt - I see that as a gun dog imprinting style, not class based gun dog ‘training’. (Apart from once a month for pups for me to keep my eye in with other’s techniques etc). Trying the imprint an attitude and connection with the dog and encourage/praise certain behaviours than specific training scenarios/drills. 

Obedience is better training fundamentals for a pup that any specific gundog trainer or group I’ve come across, but I am lucky with my obedience class. If she dies I will be stuck. As the pup’s obedience grows that obedience training is amalgamated into general gun dog training and so formal gun dog drills become worthwhile.

No point doing a formal ‘retrieve’ drill for a dog that cannot sit off lead. See it so often when I’ve lead specific  gundog training classes, waste of my time in good hunting ground if people don’t have basic control of their dog. Better to leave suitable objects about and praise good presentation etc whilst also practicing recall and general obedience. I count taking a puppy to the pub and it being taught to behave as training. Same for going swimming/wading in a lake with small pup. 

Apologies for confusing rant, just remember that the gundog aspects are just one side that you are training for don’t focus entirely of them to detriment of other fundamentals. With a masterpiece sketch everything in before getting the oils out! 

 

4 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

Training classes are to train the handler not the pup! The handler must then put that training into action with the long hours of work for the pup to learn. We have the advantage of speaking English. Dogs must learn by happening to get it right and being praised for doing so. You have to help them happen to get it right and also foster them to want to get it right. 

We were lucky it that we chose a trainer that was by profession a guide dog trainer and by inclination a gun dog trainer whose classes were very similar to above.