Ideas for controlling a pup in the field once on scent

[slingshot82 32]

It might sound daft, but a good way to gain dominance over a dog, is pretend to eat first from its rations at feed time, if the dog comes too close growl at it. Dominant members of the pack eat first , it's a language he'll understand.

Aye, your right there but I wouldnt want anyone to see me doing it, Id end up in a mental hospital! lol

[ratattack 111]

Terriers are not verry different to any other breed when it comes to trianing , the biggest proplem is that folk start them hunting before they are trained to a high enough standard.No dog should see game untill its obedience training has reached the standard you require.

Exactly the problem here i would think! Shooting game over an 8 month old terrier i'm not surprised you are having problems!! It chases....you shoot and hey presto he has a new toy to rag....which no doubt he gets praise for???

 

Why on earth would it come back to you in that situation....it's allowed to free hunt and get rewards of shot game after a chase. That dog needs BASIC training for at least another 4-5 months to allow it to mature and learn to come back when it's told. My russel is 6 years old and he still has the odd chase where the deaf ears come back to him but 99% of the time i can stop him with a simple leave it command because i am the boss not him! At 8 months most terriers are a handful and need to be clamped down on when misbehaving, it will give you a much more rewarding dog in the long run. Mine is rarely on the lead these days due to constant training everytme he is out is a game and training whether it's a day ratting or a walk in the fields.

 

Forget the shooting over it and get back to training.

[romany52 313]

Terriers are not verry different to any other breed when it comes to trianing , the biggest proplem is that folk start them hunting before they are trained to a high enough standard.No dog should see game untill its obedience training has reached the standard you require.

Exactly the problem here i would think! Shooting game over an 8 month old terrier i'm not surprised you are having problems!! It chases....you shoot and hey presto he has a new toy to rag....which no doubt he gets praise for???

 

Why on earth would it come back to you in that situation....it's allowed to free hunt and get rewards of shot game after a chase. That dog needs BASIC training for at least another 4-5 months to allow it to mature and learn to come back when it's told. My russel is 6 years old and he still has the odd chase where the deaf ears come back to him but 99% of the time i can stop him with a simple leave it command because i am the boss not him! At 8 months most terriers are a handful and need to be clamped down on when misbehaving, it will give you a much more rewarding dog in the long run. Mine is rarely on the lead these days due to constant training everytme he is out is a game and training whether it's a day ratting or a walk in the fields.

 

Forget the shooting over it and get back to training.

 

Ofcourse you're right, I was just trying to be tactfull mate.

[ratattack 111]

Sorry, wasn't having a dig at your post.

 

It drives me mad when people start their dogs hunting too early and expect them to magically start doing everything right straight away, it takes years of constant input to have an obedient consistant dog no matter what the breed. most of the time it's basic training thats been ignored in their haste to have a good dog. No dog should free hunt until it has been taught and reponds to recall and basic commands. Even then it should be in a controlled environment to ensure the dog knows whats expected of it. An older dog will help hugely but thats not always possible.

[sounder79 80]

Hi guys. Well my Patterdale, Parson Jack pup is a week short of 8 month. She is a great wee dog, energetic and a great nose. She is fairly good on basic trainingstuff but her weakness is coming to heel at time. If she don't want to, she will hold back for a wee while and then come. I feel I can work on this in a demestic situation.

 

However, what I find hard is when we are in the field. I have used a variation of 15 mtr leash and off leash. She will work reasonably well until see gets a scent of the rabbit, fox, rat she is off like a hare tonguing the whole way. It is usually fine in rushes and I have shot most but like yesterday, me and the kids went for a walk beside a nature reserve. It all went well until Nell; the pup, got hot wind of a bunny, 45 mins latter we caught up with her, she must has chased 50 of them.

 

She is leggy and faster than me. so is there a way to keep her more in control?

 

i cant get my dogs to feck off from me and you want yours by your side off like a hare and tonguing all the way? sounds like a good one to me

[Big Dog222 0]

Some good advice coming through there. Sorry if I make anybody mad, that is normally your choice but I do agree that I may have gone to the field to early. It not like I have really started to hunt with the dog but I wanted to see if she would pick up and work a scent. She did and bolted bunnies and if I had a gun I shot them. I had her fairly well on domestic basic training and also working on a whistle.

 

However, I take the point and I will keep at the basic training and away from the field. I don't want her not to track as I do want her to track a wounded fox, earth work and if she will do it track a deer to the drop point. So I will work on the basics daily for a while. I do have a collar which I just bought but haven't taken it out of the box yet. It has a beeper and I may use the beeper or vibrator as a total last resort.

 

Here is a question on commands, what do you use on basic commands. For example I use:

- Heel to get her to walk beside me and also to come to me. However, there are time I want her to come away from something, get closer to me but I don't need or want her to come right to my heel. The problem is if I do not brind her to heel them I feel I am teaching her a bad habbit; she doesn't alway need to come right to me. So does anyone use 2 commands for these 2 separate things?????????????

 

- Sit = just that

- Down = lay down

- Stay = just that

- No = I don't want her to do that

- Leave it = just that

I do not want to many basic commands but what would you guys advise. I trained a couple of Springer years ago and I have had terriers that have work very well and obedient; but I am rusty and need to freshen up in my skill too so I do know it is not all the dog.

 

PS. I did go out today and kept her on the 15 mtr leash. I worked her on the basic commands and she was great. That said she is on heat and has been kept out in the kitchen for past 10 days due to bleeding, as someone said this may have help with packing order stuff so I will think these home habit through a bit. I have never trained a dog before when I had kids so I see that this has issues for me as the trainer.

 

Thanks guys and please answer my questions.

 

Regards

[ratattack 111]

The dog clearly can work a scent so thats not gonna be an issue. It's 8 months old and still a pup so you can't expect it to just do what it should. I use the same commands listed but i usually control mine with whistles or if i need him to heel i click my fingers, just helps for when you need to be quiet

 

You need to let it be a pup and it will come to know what you want in time with consistant basic training. The main thing is you need to be the boss no matter what the situation. I'm no expert but it works for me.

[Big Dog222 0]

Ya Ratattack I agree. I do work a whistle on some controls and will introduce more latter. Good point on she has a good nose. She really is a good fun pup and is working better on a lead. I am finding that the lond 15mtr lead is a blessing and lets me work on stay and heel well without her running off. So Heres hoping I get this right. Usually my dog have always stayed close and getting them to run out ahead was the issues, so this is a first for me.

 

Thanks to all for you help.

[romany52 313]

Some good advice coming through there. Sorry if I make anybody mad, that is normally your choice but I do agree that I may have gone to the field to early. It not like I have really started to hunt with the dog but I wanted to see if she would pick up and work a scent. She did and bolted bunnies and if I had a gun I shot them. I had her fairly well on domestic basic training and also working on a whistle.

 

However, I take the point and I will keep at the basic training and away from the field. I don't want her not to track as I do want her to track a wounded fox, earth work and if she will do it track a deer to the drop point. So I will work on the basics daily for a while. I do have a collar which I just bought but haven't taken it out of the box yet. It has a beeper and I may use the beeper or vibrator as a total last resort.

 

Here is a question on commands, what do you use on basic commands. For example I use:

- Heel to get her to walk beside me and also to come to me. However, there are time I want her to come away from something, get closer to me but I don't need or want her to come right to my heel. The problem is if I do not brind her to heel them I feel I am teaching her a bad habbit; she doesn't alway need to come right to me. So does anyone use 2 commands for these 2 separate things?????????????

 

- Sit = just that

- Down = lay down

- Stay = just that

- No = I don't want her to do that

- Leave it = just that

I do not want to many basic commands but what would you guys advise. I trained a couple of Springer years ago and I have had terriers that have work very well and obedient; but I am rusty and need to freshen up in my skill too so I do know it is not all the dog.

 

PS. I did go out today and kept her on the 15 mtr leash. I worked her on the basic commands and she was great. That said she is on heat and has been kept out in the kitchen for past 10 days due to bleeding, as someone said this may have help with packing order stuff so I will think these home habit through a bit. I have never trained a dog before when I had kids so I see that this has issues for me as the trainer.

 

Thanks guys and please answer my questions.

 

Regards

 

Hi mate, I would suggest you drop the stay command as sit and down mean stay in that position anyway, and the no command can be used for leave it also, as no means stop doing what ever it is you are doing.

[ratattack 111]

Ya Ratattack I agree. I do work a whistle on some controls and will introduce more latter. Good point on she has a good nose. She really is a good fun pup and is working better on a lead. I am finding that the lond 15mtr lead is a blessing and lets me work on stay and heel well without her running off. So Heres hoping I get this right. Usually my dog have always stayed close and getting them to run out ahead was the issues, so this is a first for me.

 

Thanks to all for you help.

 

Just concentrate on getting it to respect you as the leader and the rest will fall into place. My russell was a bloody nightmare till i got it into line, i can now run it loose in a beating line on pheasants a simple whistle and he's turned and leaving whatver he is chasing, but even now a 6years old he still gets deaf ears on rabbits at times but soon realises he can't catch them in the open. brambles however and it's a gonner

 

Everyone gets a tough dog to crack at some point, most just give up but it's more rewarding to sort em out