Hesitant sprocker

[danhfromwales]

Hello all, I have a 2 year old sprocker bitch that I've taken beating now 3 times. 

This is my first gun dog and alongside the dog I've only been beating 3 times also 😅

What I have noticed is she is not hardly getting in to cover to flush birds. 

She would rather stay near my side than go into cover when directed too.

I've been assured by other shooters and beaters that she needs to build her confidence and it will come which I'm sure it will. 

On our first beat she flushed and chased confidently a rabbit and pheasant, so she can do it.

But when there is nothing presented in front of her she doesn't want to know.

Is there anything I can do to get her to push further into cover when directed, cheers.

[Spr1985]

I know next to nothing about training gundogs but, and it’s purely opinion the wanting to be at your side is a good thing on the grounds of recall and not wandering to far. Have you specifically trained getting into cover? Maybe using the favoured toy/dummy into cover further and further each time will help with the initial confidence of getting in there (use the command you will use on live quarry) feel free to completely ignore what is only opinion and ideas, you’ll find plenty of members on here that know far more about training gundogs than me and no doubt they’ll be along to offer advice 👍🏻

[Weihrauch17]

I have had 6 Cockers and in my humble opinion the desire to hunt is in the dog and not something you can teach.  I gave away one,  a lovely dog with no desire to hunt at all no matter what I tried.

[smokingdragon]

When on a walk not beating, does she go in the brambles / bushes quartering? We have 2 springers and a cocker who don't work, but still go into cover whilst out see if there is any thing to flush. they have always done it and not trained to do it.

[London Best]

12 hours ago, danhfromwales said:

Hello all, I have a 2 year old sprocker bitch that I've taken beating now 3 times. 

This is my first gun dog and alongside the dog I've only been beating 3 times also 😅

On our first beat she flushed and chased confidently a rabbit and pheasant, so she can do it.

We all had to start sometime, but, as a beginner you need to realise that the dog must be taught NOT to chase the game it has flushed. On a properly run shoot you will not be welcome with a dog which chases.

[old'un]

the dog is obviously not trained.

[danhfromwales]

2 hours ago, smokingdragon said:

When on a walk not beating, does she go in the brambles / bushes quartering? We have 2 springers and a cocker who don't work, but still go into cover whilst out see if there is any thing to flush. they have always done it and not trained to do it.

Yes when we go out for walks she's constantly in and out of cover and working hedgerows, so I'm getting baffled as to why she doesn't when its most needed.

Edited December 15 by danhfromwales

[old'un]

24 minutes ago, danhfromwales said:

Yes when we go out for walks she's constantly in and out of cover and working hedgerows, so I'm going baffled as to why she doesn't when its lost needed.

that's because she is doing her own thing...hunting for herself not you.

[danhfromwales]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

We all had to start sometime, but, as a beginner you need to realise that the dog must be taught NOT to chase the game it has flushed. On a properly run shoot you will not be welcome with a dog which chases.

I should have specified that she will chase initially for a second then go firm. I've had no drama with other beaters so far and their dogs are doing the same, so is the norm on this shoot.

19 minutes ago, old'un said:

that's because she is doing her own thing...hunting for herself not you.

What shall I do to rectify this?

[danhfromwales]

13 hours ago, Spr1985 said:

I know next to nothing about training gundogs but, and it’s purely opinion the wanting to be at your side is a good thing on the grounds of recall and not wandering to far. Have you specifically trained getting into cover? Maybe using the favoured toy/dummy into cover further and further each time will help with the initial confidence of getting in there (use the command you will use on live quarry) feel free to completely ignore what is only opinion and ideas, you’ll find plenty of members on here that know far more about training gundogs than me and no doubt they’ll be along to offer advice 👍🏻

Thank you for your reply, I trained her initially with dummy's, placing the dummy in cover without her looking where I put it (blind retrieves). I'll just have to get back onto that.

[old'un]

Just now, danhfromwales said:

Thank you for your reply, I trained her initially with dummy's, placing the dummy in cover without her looking where I put it (blind retrieves). I'll just have to get back onto that.

make yourself the source of all the fun in finding things, she needs to learn that when you cast her off to hunt you are the one that knows where interesting things can be found.

 

[Dougy]

We have labs, 2 totally different starts in life, 1 trained to compete in field trials for basically a solid 30 months of his life from 2 months old, the 2nd simple training from 2 months leading to long retrieves and controlled direction using whistle and hand signals on blind, memory retrieves  and hunt for runners after a drive or during. The latter was more use on a shoot that the one trained to compete. (unfortunately can no longer work) As previous comments i think its lack of basic training simply to hunt in a controlled manor. At 2 it may not be too late, spend time with a ball or similar hunting in items like long grass leading to thick cover. 

Its all about play and having fun