My Lil Cocker Doing Stop Whistle

[danspence2012 5]

[telf 15]

how old is he mate.

[danspence2012 5]

just gone 15 months.

 

and work every saturday over the past season on my rough shoot. and was picking up on a big shoot near me over xmas he did manage to get a few days off over xmas

 

there are other films of him on youtube too, think you click on the fim anove and should be able to see theothers by clicking on uploader i think

[telf 15]

seems a nice dog ATB with him.

[Philluk 181]

very good but a couple points, when you blow the whistle try to get an instant stop its a skid stop you are looking for, those 1 or 2 steps can translate into 3 or 4, especially with cockers. when she brings the retrieve back rather than just take it touch her first that way its not all about the retrieve.

 

apart from that very good, looks good alert and keen to please.

[danspence2012 5]

ATB??

hi philuk, i see what you mean i have noticed him doing that but not sure the way to keep on top of it. if i do to much of it im scard of slowing him down and him expetcing it (stop). its funny tho after and during doing 5 mins of stop whistle on or off the long lead he sharpens up. but then he will suddelnly wack in a few extra steps just to push it. any idea of some excerises i can do?? he knows the stop whistle but just want to stengthen it up. i was thinking using my 30mtr lead and put a dummy, send him and stop him half way if he dose not stop call him back and i get the dummy this seems to work on other things with him but not sure.

[barraboy 28]

ATB??

 

all the best, i assume

[Philluk 181]

ATB??

hi philuk, i see what you mean i have noticed him doing that but not sure the way to keep on top of it. if i do to much of it im scard of slowing him down and him expetcing it (stop). its funny tho after and during doing 5 mins of stop whistle on or off the long lead he sharpens up. but then he will suddelnly wack in a few extra steps just to push it. any idea of some excerises i can do?? he knows the stop whistle but just want to stengthen it up. i was thinking using my 30mtr lead and put a dummy, send him and stop him half way if he dose not stop call him back and i get the dummy this seems to work on other things with him but not sure.

 

 

you dont need a long lead, one of the differences between cockers and springer’s, is cockers use their brains a bit, have you mastered the sit command by your side? as you walk along either on or off lead when you blow the whistle make sure he sits on an instant, springers will, cockers question it, why should i sit, oh ok, I will in a minute, im ready I will sit now. walk along the road or field blow, and say sit do this loads of times and then drop the word, keep at this until you have the perfect stop by your side, the perfect stop will be as you walk your pace blow and stop walking at same time, the dog should be sat to your left leg, if not put back on lead and start again until that is what you get. a good excersise here is to walk along, blow, and you keep walking he should sit, master that one as well, dont forget when you make him sit that is what he is doing and you need to break that by saying heel or walk on, sit means sit and stay and stay until i tell you to move, Once you have done that then it a question of sending him out, have a collar on him for this bit, you don’t need to throw a dummy just have him 10 ft or 20ft in front of you but not where there are loads of nice smells so a boring field really, and blow the stop and he should sit, not when he is ready the second you blow, as you do this raise your hand towards him like a policeman stopping traffic, if he walks any more than one pace walk towards him take him by the collar and take him back to where he was when you blew the whistle, don’t speak to him (and it doesn’t matter how many times you do this remain cool do not shout at him do not tell him good boy just gently grab and sort of drag him back) when you get to the place where he was when you blew the whistle blow it once again make him sit and you walk back to where you were. remember don’t do this too far out 30ft max, if you have mastered the recall 2 short pips you can call him in and make a fuss of him. do this several times every time he does not sit straight away take him back to where he was when you blew as above. If you have not done recall call him by name and blow twice to teach the recall. (thats another session) once you have the sit at distance mastered then use the dummy throw the dummy, send him out, to start with don’t let him get too far away only a few steps, again if you blow and he does not stop take him back, if he keeps going dont stop him dont shout let him do it take the dummy say nothing and start again but dont throw the dummy to far out next time, as he gets good extend the distance you throw and blow, you should have it so he is about to open his mouth to grab and you blow and he will stop. the stop means stop, it could save his life one day when a car is coming, On the video when he looked at you at a distance you sort of waved your hand you need to introduce a back command, so it will work like this: you throw dummy, send him off, blow stop, raise your hand flat facing him, hold him there for a few seconds and when you have his attention use the command "back" and as you say it you use your hand to sort of push him back, if he just sits there keep doing it but take a pace forward towards him, in time at 50 yards he could be looking for a dummy or a retrieve and it fell behind where he is and looks at you and you need to send him further back he cant hear you but will see your hand.

 

He is keen to retrieve I can see that but dont do too long in sessions 10 min max. also dont get into the habit of throw, retrieve, he will think it’s his automatic right to retrieve, out of 10 throws make him sit stay and you get it 5 times so he only goes when you say so. also throw it one way and then walk the opposite way with him and then send him to get it. As you send him off you see in the video he is facing you when you sent him, bring him in to you close make him sit throw it lean over him and point towards where it is, a bit like they do on aircraft carriers to send it off using the command "fetch" or whatever you use, if you get him used to using your point as a direction that is the start of direction training.

 

Hope that helps

 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2013 by Philluk

[danspence2012 5]

thanks philiuk,

will continue as you said, i have done and dose do sit to whistle while at heel , however i can see how doing more and expanding it over time will help.

he dose get it but indeed is starting to take inchs your quite right.. recall is very good and stay, he is very very on hunting and retiving and as you seen on the film he dose stop but is starting to think oh well i will stop in a sec,so do see what you mean, on the film i sent him back, stopped him , recalled, sent him , stopped and sent him for the dummy. but still gives me a way forward and somthing to work on. i am still very chuffed the way he has worked this year, as there are some older dogs on my shoot that dont do half the things that he dose. i feel he just needs bringing back into line a bit now the season finished. on the last shoot day i did send him for a runner and stopped him dead in his tracks (stop whistle) so hopfully its just a case of pulling him back into line.. he has had plenty of practise with runners now, and thankfully sits to flush and shot and waits to see if i will send him.

 

thanks for you advice will get to work..

[Philluk 181]

there is some good points in your last post, and it seems you understand cockers, and he is coming on well, make sure you dont confuse a command send him off yes make him sit at distance but dont get into habit too many times to call him back, you have given a command stopped him to get attention and he is concentrating on this and to call him back too often will confuse.

 

I saw someone once recall the dog 2 pips, and then blow stop whistle. Us humans must understand we have told him to come so come he will now you want me to stop, if he doesnt how do you teach that, because you have called him, so he is coming.. do you see what I mean.

 

to stop on a runner is good now try that with a rabbit in the summer, i used the stop whistle today for good use, I shot a fox as it ran away from me its sort of slowed down I shot as i walked after it cocker next to me, I saw the fox looking at me and the cocker ran at it at it, I did not want him bitten and blew stop and he sat 4 feet from it looking, I was pleased.

[danspence2012 5]

god that was good going with the fox.... must have been very satisfiing..

 

completely see what your saying about stopping once sent and recalling or even stopping on a recall. i only do it every so often to make sure i still have breaks i supose as i cant stand to see him run in on somthing and cant stop him ( much like your fox today) but completly agree with you and i do only do it evry so often, but i will continue with what you said above just to renforce it all abit. also i can see what your saying about cockers thinking about it all a bit more and can get confused if i did start messing round with stop on recall it dose make sense ....recall dont stop i have asked him back to me, i have no need to stop on recall so why.. i completly get it specily when you put it from the dogs view, he dose get stop while hunting or on a rective as i can redirect him,and he can find somthing else for me which he likes..

 

will post a film in a few weeks after some reining in.. let you know how im getting on.. many thanks for the advice i have trained a few dogs over the years and each time i like fact that even the trainer needs reminding on how to dog it lol, the other thing i keep forgeting is that a dog is never fully trained, they always need topping up on sertern things, like this stooping in my case at the mo.

 

again thanks alot for the advice and putting my head back into gear..