Getting a Springer to hunt, long story.

[kermitpwee 5]

Hello folks, thanks for taking time to read.

 

I got a small springer 1 year ago, i bought him with my heart not my head when I saw the conditions he was in and that he had only been out of his pen twice in his 3month old life. Anyway turns out he was older than I thought and that he is a sprocker and currently is 18 months old at a estimate.

I gave up training him at the start as he was very nervous, anyway I started training him 3 months back again and this time the dog took to it well. He will recall, drop to the whistle and retrieve land and water no probs and enter cover no matter how thick on demand. My problem is that he is very sticky, works 3 yards from me and not showing massive hunting. I dont know whether he just doesen't have it or is it that he doesnt know what its about. There is very little game where i live so maybe thats the problem or is it that I have done too much training as the dog often looks back at me looking for commands.

 

Any springer I had before was a hard nut that needed to be reigned in, this lad is sensitive and frightened of new things due to his life as a puppy, as a result I have been very careful in training. He has a great nose and will search the garden for dummies and pulled a pheasant out of the ditch that i had hid after finding it as fresh roadkill. When out with my older springer that is a demon he will work further out from me but i feel at times he is just following the other dog. He is yet to be shot over.

Am I wasting my time? Should I get in a rabbit pen? I just have feeling that he needs a kick start as he has a great nose, is very obedient and will not gibe up when looking for a dummy. Am i been foolish? Should I write him off? Your opinions welcome please.

Regards

Peter

Edited August 17, 2012 by kermitpwee

[hily 379]

if true to form get him on live game and give him a taste of the action soon peps them up .

[kermitpwee 5]

if true to form get him on live game and give him a taste of the action soon peps them up .

 

Thanks mate, just a bit worried.

[barraboy 28]

i think it could be a combination of sticky and need for game or game scent. my mates commando ESS attacks hunting like a demon on a bowling green let alone cover, my cocker is less enthused until i get him on scent, ive heard cockers can be a little like this. he'll hunt off scent but without the passion you see in an ESS. could be your sprocker has taken this cocker quirk plus over steadying. just a few thoughts i had. good luck hope you stick with him, time will sort him.

[kermitpwee 5]

i think it could be a combination of sticky and need for game or game scent. my mates commando ESS attacks hunting like a demon on a bowling green let alone cover, my cocker is less enthused until i get him on scent, ive heard cockers can be a little like this. he'll hunt off scent but without the passion you see in an ESS. could be your sprocker has taken this cocker quirk plus over steadying. just a few thoughts i had. good luck hope you stick with him, time will sort him.

 

Thanks mate, ya I have him very steady, too steady perhaps. The dog has a great brain and has been easy to train since I have taken things gentle with him. He does hunt like a cocker and air scents a ditch and then dives in occassionally like my uncles cocker. I will stick with him as I love him so much and would love to see him make it after the life he had.

[shovel leaner 7,648]

Sounds like you have the basis for a good dog.What i would do is get him to have a few chases on a rabbit .If you know a dog trainer with a rabbit pen Great if not, perhaps you could find some rushes or tuffted grass where you could have some flushes.I know it might go against the grain to lose some of the control you have instilled in the dog,but this will hot him up ,and it wont be too difficult to bring him back in line.

[Smokey 1 56]

Sounds like he is lacking a bit of confidence, so make every training session fun. Build his confidence a little at a time, if you can go out and plant some dummies without him seeing them and then hunt the ground with him. Loads of praise when he gets it right if you can get hold of some pigeons and dizzy them up for him let him chase them and enjoy it. Once he realizes that there could well be something in that bit of cover he should start to hunt a bit further away if he get's too far just stop and wait for him to cover the ground do not try and keep up with him, remember you are controlling him not the other way round. As people have suggested try and get a session with a trainer an hour in the company of someone who knows there stuff and has made all the mistakes previous is worth it's weight in gold, good luck

 

 

 

Smokey

[kermitpwee 5]

Great advice here lads thanks very much. I didnt train him today, i usually train him every day twice a day. Brought him out for a walk with my uncle and his son. I didnt ask him to do anything on the 3 mile walk and he moved out a little, stuck his head in a few ditches, half entered and came out and then entered twice on his own and stayed in. Its not a lot but a little sign of hope. I than got him quartering in a big field for about 200 yards then he got a bit bored. Im going to cut down the training with him and seek out a rabbit pen and a lesson or two with a pro. Thanks again to all posters.

Regards

Peter

[slips 114]

hope it all goes well for ya peter.all i can add is this i do beatin on a shoot were theres some good folk who do the picking up with there cockers/springers .at lunch i go and av a chat to the lads and pick there brains on helpful tips about training and hunting with me cocker as ive not add them before and askin them seem the way forward as there good lads. there first thing they say is baic train stop and come to the whisle then take em out and let hunt and av there head when there hittin cover hard thats the time to pull em in and do there training. ive took this approach and mine was enter cover and markin earths at a very young age and got good recall .there anwers is this why do all the trainin and when out they shy of leavin and hittin cover let em hunt frist then train that what ive been told if its whight or wrong someone will correct me

[Furittus 35]

Sounds to me you could have a wee cracker there, take him to a rabbit pen or somewhere that there is plenty of rabbits about, my last cocker was the same, I had not a lot of game about during his training, took him to a few rabbits and eased of him a bit until he got the idea, you would have thought he had a new turbo fitted, I hope and am sure he will do you well.

[ftm 3,357]

you seem like a very sensible caring man and for what ive just read you will end up with a good little dog just keep up the work your doing and keep asking for peoples help as most real dog lads are only to happy to help another i really hope you stick it out tho as the pup didnt have the greatest of starts to life atb billy

[3175darren 1,093]

Give him time, get him useing his nose,bits of smoked sausage around the garden, make sure he is using his nose,and not stumbling onto them dont worry about him holding close that will change as his confidence grows,get him down a quiet road, quarter him from curb to curb make sure he gets right to the curb before turning,it will become automated after a while,the fact that he is close in means he is controlable,alot of keepers would die to see a spaniel work close and reliable, in some ways its what you want its far easier to get a spaniel going, than to stop one,hes looking to you for commands, thats good hes allso getting his confidence from the fact you can tell him what to do in each situation, you are becoming the centre of his world,main hurdle sounds like its going to be the gun,dont give up on him he sounds very promissing in a lot of ways,forget about the way he was kept in the past,look to his future,good luck mate

darren

[kermitpwee 5]

you seem like a very sensible caring man and for what ive just read you will end up with a good little dog just keep up the work your doing and keep asking for peoples help as most real dog lads are only to happy to help another i really hope you stick it out tho as the pup didnt have the greatest of starts to life atb billy

 

Thanks Billy. I will give Jake the best shot at it I can, he had a very poor life, he really is doing well all things considering. I will never move him on to someone else for fear they would abuse him. I have a gut feeling he will make it, time and the rabbit pen will tell.

Edited August 18, 2012 by kermitpwee

[shovel leaner 7,648]

hope it all goes well for ya peter.all i can add is this i do beatin on a shoot were theres some good folk who do the picking up with there cockers/springers .at lunch i go and av a chat to the lads and pick there brains on helpful tips about training and hunting with me cocker as ive not add them before and askin them seem the way forward as there good lads. there first thing they say is baic train stop and come to the whisle then take em out and let hunt and av there head when there hittin cover hard thats the time to pull em in and do there training. ive took this approach and mine was enter cover and markin earths at a very young age and got good recall .there anwers is this why do all the trainin and when out they shy of leavin and hittin cover let em hunt frist then train that what ive been told if its whight or wrong someone will correct me

Thats good advice but it depends on the dog some are born to hunt and very hot,these need little encouragement and need reining in.

[kermitpwee 5]

A bit of an update lads.

 

I had him out today with my older springer and he hunted very well for 4 hours, he was hunting off his own bat too. He even had the older dog following him into cover. I am shocked tbh and dont know whether today is a one off or he will keep getting better.

I have stopped all retrieving with him and he is starting to open up, seems to love ditches and cover wihich again I am shocked by. Today I introduced him to horses and sheep, one thing is for sure that the stop whistle I trained him on is working 100%. Very happy for know, i think he will be fine. Still have to introduce him to shot so I will be a little worried there.

Thanks to all that were kind enough to help me out.

Regards

Peter