B725 Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 (edited) We arrived at the shoot and Tom is quite nervous of stranger's but slowly came round and so on to drive 1, I was a walking gun so me and Tom went down the outside so he wasn't overwhelmed with the other dog's. It was amusing initially as we were close to the other gun's he dropped to shot for a few time's. I then shot a pheasant but it was a runner so that was left to the lab to deal with. The next one he sat to flush and I thought it was to be another runner but it was flapping like made did a large circle only to drop down dead 20 foot from Tom, at this point he had never moved not even an inch, I then let him sit for a while before letting him pick up his first warm game he retieved it perfectly. The next drive I was a standing gun and he sat there lovely I shot a woodcock and decided to send him as not all dog's will pick them but he did. The day continued much the same and he didn't put a foot wrong. I only let him have 3 retrieves and let him see the other bird's fall again no movement from him so all in all it's been a brilliant day, Tom will be 14 months old next week. And the zero well there wasn't one happy day's Edited December 27, 2022 by B725 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spr1985 Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Nice write up ans Really pleased for you both that it went well 👌🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Sounds like he is well grounded and steady, well done on your training of Tom, glad to see you did not push him on his first shoot and well done for not sending him for that runner. Hope you and Tom enjoy the rest of the season and training progresses without any hiccups, come next season he should be a first class shooting companion. Well done Tom, think your dads pleased with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkin Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Well done on your training and a lovely looking dog,. Good onya mate and let's hope you and Tom have many happy outings 👌👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted December 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 I am well chuffed with him it's always a little bit of a nervous time the first time out and we have ticked a lot of boxes today,the others on the shoot were more than happy to adjust things so we could do what I wanted to achieve today ( a brilliant set of men and women ) he won't be sent for any runner's this season as he needs more experience first so as the saying goes things can only get better as long as I stick to the long term training plan, he won't get rushed into owt until I think he's ready.😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agriv8 Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Well done both of you - Tom grand first day out ! hopping you and dad get many MANY more ! Agriv8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Well done just carry on as you are taking your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffgg Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Sounds like you have got a good one well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 1 hour ago, B725 said: he won't be sent for any runner's this season I am sure you will already realise this, but not all ‘runners’ are obvious as they go down. Many a ‘dead’ bird can turn out to be a runner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted December 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Indeed I do his 3rd retrieve he had to wait a good 10minutes plus he has been trained to stop, leave it and return, I've always done it that way just incase there's a bigger dog running in at the bird it prevents any problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 7 minutes ago, B725 said: Indeed I do his 3rd retrieve he had to wait a good 10minutes plus he has been trained to stop, leave it and return, I've always done it that way just incase there's a bigger dog running in at the bird it prevents any problems I have trained (or thought I had trained) a few dogs to do that in the past. In every case that went out of the window after the excitement of a number of runners! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millrace Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 Curiously....why wont other dogs pick a woodcock?.....ive never come across this.....is it training or something about the bird....maybee just because locally i could shoot them every week our dogs are more used to them....genuinely curious..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 I have only had one dog in nearly fifty years which would not initially pick Woodcock. Even she suddenly started to pick them after two seasons work in the picking up team. She was the same with teal. In answer to the question.....Dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted December 27, 2022 Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 3 hours ago, London Best said: I have trained (or thought I had trained) a few dogs to do that in the past. In every case that went out of the window after the excitement of a number of runners! I presume all your dogs chased rabbits then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted December 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 13 hours ago, millrace said: Curiously....why wont other dogs pick a woodcock?.....ive never come across this.....is it training or something about the bird....maybee just because locally i could shoot them every week our dogs are more used to them....genuinely curious..... https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/retrieving-woodcock-117780#:~:text=It's a smell that many,put it into their mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted December 28, 2022 Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 11 hours ago, old'un said: I presume all your dogs chased rabbits then? No! Not one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted December 28, 2022 Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 18 minutes ago, London Best said: No! Not one of them. Just wondered what you meant when you said. “I have trained (or thought I had trained) a few dogs to do that in the past. In every case that went out of the window after the excitement of a number of runners!” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted December 28, 2022 Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 18 hours ago, Morkin said: Well done on your training and a lovely looking dog,. Good onya mate and let's hope you and Tom have many happy outings 👌👍 Yes I agree, lots of work gone on there to have your 14 month old doing so well. Don't doubt for one moment you will have days tearing your hair out....been there done that... but obviously the basics have been taught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted December 28, 2022 Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 1 hour ago, old'un said: Just wondered what you meant when you said. “I have trained (or thought I had trained) a few dogs to do that in the past. In every case that went out of the window after the excitement of a number of runners!” The dogs eventually reached the stage (at varying ages) where I could not call them off a visible runner pheasant if they had been sent to find it and it suddenly appeared whilst they were hot on it’s scent. For about forty five years pretty well all the dogs did was pick runners for a living. All my dogs have always been taught that rabbits are a big no no. Except the Jack Russel, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millrace Posted December 28, 2022 Report Share Posted December 28, 2022 3 hours ago, B725 said: https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/retrieving-woodcock-117780#:~:text=It's a smell that many,put it into their mouth. Interesting read thanks.....im probably spoilt that i have plenty of ground to go hunting them and the dogs are always flushing them almost growing up finding them as such....added that cockers ceem to have an in bread sence to find them....so much pleasure has been had when a line if dogs hunt a hedge and along comes the cocker....stops sniffs flurry of a tail up comes the cock and much polite slagging ensues!!........lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semi-auto Posted January 8, 2023 Report Share Posted January 8, 2023 Shortly after acquiring Merlin at eight months old, when out walking one morning, he dived into the undergrowth and came out with a woodcock. He brought it to me and presented it at the sit. I took it from him and allowed to the bird to fly free. Now I hadn't done any work with him at all, and neither had the chap I bought him from. I put this down to breeding and genetics. A couple of weeks later he brought me a rabbit, who objected violently to being picked by the dog. He now knows not to chase or pick up anything I have not sent him for.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry78 Posted January 8, 2023 Report Share Posted January 8, 2023 On 27/12/2022 at 15:13, B725 said: We arrived at the shoot and Tom is quite nervous of stranger's but slowly came round and so on to drive 1, I was a walking gun so me and Tom went down the outside so he wasn't overwhelmed with the other dog's. It was amusing initially as we were close to the other gun's he dropped to shot for a few time's. I then shot a pheasant but it was a runner so that was left to the lab to deal with. The next one he sat to flush and I thought it was to be another runner but it was flapping like made did a large circle only to drop down dead 20 foot from Tom, at this point he had never moved not even an inch, I then let him sit for a while before letting him pick up his first warm game he retieved it perfectly. The next drive I was a standing gun and he sat there lovely I shot a woodcock and decided to send him as not all dog's will pick them but he did. The day continued much the same and he didn't put a foot wrong. I only let him have 3 retrieves and let him see the other bird's fall again no movement from him so all in all it's been a brilliant day, Tom will be 14 months old next week. And the zero well there wasn't one happy day's Lovely write up lovely dog 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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