Drop at a distance

[jimmy-big_shoes 0]

Hi folks,

 

I have a 7-8 month old cocker, (my first gun dog) who is coming on grand, only problem is, she wont sit at a distance.

 

She clearly understands whistle and hand signals, and has the recall pretty well nailed and when she's in at heel will sit perfectly. She understands the whistle blast means sit, and the hand signal the same, but when she's out at a distance she runs back in to heel before sitting.

 

Theres no problem with creating a distance between us, as I can tell her to sit and stay and walk away from her , return, walk out again, throw balls etc and she will stay where I told her to, the problem is getting her to stop where I want her to in the first place.

 

I suspect its my fault as I praised her so much when she started to sit and stay at heel, but that's difficult to do from thirty yards!!

 

On the positive side, if I do walk away from her, she sometimes sticks her head up and looks like moving, one blast on the whistle and she's down again.

 

Obvious problem is, if she flushes game at a distance, I need to be able to stop her so I can shoot. If she's running back to me, (Or even worse running on) then I cant shoot (Obviously).

 

I also cant start any more training if I cant get this sorted.

 

any ideas as to how to go about solving this?

 

cheers,

 

Jim.

[butcherboy 68]

Hi folks,

 

I have a 7-8 month old cocker, (my first gun dog) who is coming on grand, only problem is, she wont sit at a distance.

 

She clearly understands whistle and hand signals, and has the recall pretty well nailed and when she's in at heel will sit perfectly. She understands the whistle blast means sit, and the hand signal the same, but when she's out at a distance she runs back in to heel before sitting.

 

Theres no problem with creating a distance between us, as I can tell her to sit and stay and walk away from her , return, walk out again, throw balls etc and she will stay where I told her to, the problem is getting her to stop where I want her to in the first place.

 

I suspect its my fault as I praised her so much when she started to sit and stay at heel, but that's difficult to do from thirty yards!!

 

On the positive side, if I do walk away from her, she sometimes sticks her head up and looks like moving, one blast on the whistle and she's down again.

 

Obvious problem is, if she flushes game at a distance, I need to be able to stop her so I can shoot. If she's running back to me, (Or even worse running on) then I cant shoot (Obviously).

 

I also cant start any more training if I cant get this sorted.

 

any ideas as to how to go about solving this?

 

cheers,

 

Jim.

 

Jim

 

You're asking a lot from such a young cocker. I have 3 cockers & wouldn't ever expect that much from any of them at that age

 

How confident a dog is it ? Is is not to sure of it's self ?

[jimmy-big_shoes 0]

Jim

 

You're asking a lot from such a young cocker. I have 3 cockers & wouldn't ever expect that much from any of them at that age

 

How confident a dog is it ? Is is not to sure of it's self ?

 

 

I was wondering if I was pushing things too far too fast.

 

She is pretty confident and will go tearing off into bushes and after rabbits/pheasants if she gets the chance. I have never given her a bollocking for running after them as she is always using her nose to find them and I havent taught her not to chase it yet. She always gets praise when she returns too.

 

Am I to take it that I need to slow down a bit and work on the recall and sit to heel and the rest will come naturally?

 

cheers,

 

Jim

[skycat 6,173]

Whilst I haven't any experience with Spaniels, my shooting friends who do work Spaniels, always work on the obedience long before they get the dog out in the field. Dropping at a distance can be very confusing for any dog, and I don't try and establish that until the dog is at least a year old. Long before that they learn the 'wait' command, as in going through fences etc. Before long they are stopping at a distance when I say 'wait'. Once the dog is stopping at a distance when it is going forwards it is not too long a jump for it to learn the 'lie down' command.

 

However, just to confuse you further, I also teach the stop on the recall: stopping the dog with a hand held up flat towards the dog as it is coming in, and the command 'stay'. Once you have the dog stopping on the recall it is then possible to teach it the 'down' or 'sit' command at that distance. The trick is to start off not too far from you as the dog is accustomed to obeying you at close quarters.

 

So, first 'stay' as the dog is coming in, providing of course you have already taught the dog what 'stay' means!), then the 'down' command. I usually expect my dogs to keep coming in to begin with, but I really reinforce the stay word with repeated hand signals, as if I was physically pushing the dog back with my hand. And I always go to the dog to begin with once it is rooted to the spot and praise like mad and reassure the dog it has done the right thing.

 

Hope this helps: I'm no expert but this works for me. Hasten to add: very submissive dogs find this ever so hard to do as their instinct is to come to you for reasssurance and safety at your feet. If you have trained the dog to 'stay' whilst you walk around it, away from it and back to it again, then this works.

 

PS: 8 months is a dodgy teenage stage for most dogs: keep training fun and don't overdo it until the dog has got over the silly defiant stage.

[bullmastiff 610]

If the dogs happy with the training your giving it, and it still gets lots of praise then I don't see why the age matters? Theres trainers with 8 month old dogs running in FT and doing well? my fathers Springer Spanial matured quickly and was good so he was fully trained to voice, whistle and hand signals at distance. he could stop him, then send him left, right, back or return to heel by a year old.

 

Sit your dog down, walk away a few paces, and call it. as it trots towards you tell it sit using the hand signal at the same time (which it probably won't do), walk towards it and return it to the point it was told to sit. Walk away and repeat. Depending how quick your dog learns but it shouldn't take too many attempts until it at least stops. then encourage it to sit, as soon as it does walk up to it giving it loads of praise. Stop the lesson there on a high note, I usually give the dog an easy retrieve and head for home.

 

Cheers

 

Luke.

[Guest ESS]

If the dogs happy with the training your giving it, and it still gets lots of praise then I don't see why the age matters? Theres trainers with 8 month old dogs running in FT and doing well? my fathers Springer Spanial matured quickly and was good so he was fully trained to voice, whistle and hand signals at distance. he could stop him, then send him left, right, back or return to heel by a year old.

 

Sit your dog down, walk away a few paces, and call it. as it trots towards you tell it sit using the hand signal at the same time (which it probably won't do), walk towards it and return it to the point it was told to sit. Walk away and repeat. Depending how quick your dog learns but it shouldn't take too many attempts until it at least stops. then encourage it to sit, as soon as it does walk up to it giving it loads of praise. Stop the lesson there on a high note, I usually give the dog an easy retrieve and head for home.

 

Cheers

 

Luke.

Puppy tests not Field trials @8 month old ,rush the dog force an issue at a young age and it will become an issue , just leave it for a while carry on with your training find other things do to, reinforce the positives and come back to it at a latter stage..And just to add to the mix some dogs will never sit at a distance they will stop and stay and make eye contact but will only sit when you march up to them and they promptly sit on there arse as you get to them lol..

 

Regards Steve

 

Edited to add the running back to you is purely confidence..

Edited February 20, 2009 by ESS

[hily 379]

i only have had springers and i don't start any serious training until about 9 months but then i don't want the dog for trialing just for me to shoot over .An old trick is to tie along lenght of cord to the dog and to a post sit the dog down walk away and then crouch down and call the dog to you with lots of enthusiasm as the cord is about to stop the dog blow your stop whistle stand up and raise your hand the cord should stop the dog as you give the stop command be aware don't over do it because if the dog has any sense it will twig on to this trick very quickly .This is only to give the dog the idea of what you want it to do take it from me it's a completly different ball game when out in the field Good luck.

[butcherboy 68]

She is pretty confident and will go tearing off into bushes and after rabbits/pheasants if she gets the chance. I have never given her a bollocking for running after them as she is always using her nose to find them and I havent taught her not to chase it yet. She always gets praise when she returns too.

 

 

 

Jim

 

Jim

 

If you are allowing an already confident dog to run about chasing rabbits & pheasants and then praising it for doing so then you are in real danger of creating problems for yourself.

 

As this dog is already hunting well & is so confident I suggest you stop free hunting straight away & get some obedience into it

 

Otherwise you could spend hours chasing after it in the future ( i've been there........it's knackering!!)

[jimmy-big_shoes 0]

She is pretty confident and will go tearing off into bushes and after rabbits/pheasants if she gets the chance. I have never given her a bollocking for running after them as she is always using her nose to find them and I havent taught her not to chase it yet. She always gets praise when she returns too.

 

 

 

Jim

 

Jim

 

If you are allowing an already confident dog to run about chasing rabbits & pheasants and then praising it for doing so then you are in real danger of creating problems for yourself.

 

As this dog is already hunting well & is so confident I suggest you stop free hunting straight away & get some obedience into it

 

Otherwise you could spend hours chasing after it in the future ( i've been there........it's knackering!!)

 

Point taken.

 

It only happens when we're out walking and theres a bird that takes off unexpectedly from somewhere. As much as possible I use arable fields and pasture but sometimes you just miss something sitting in the margins. Typically she doesnt lol.

 

Thanks for the advice folks, since I've stopped worrying about it, training has become far more pleasant again.

 

cheers,

 

Jim