Maximum training age

elius

Hi folks ive just after geting a GSP bitch shes 3 years old and in good health. Shes retreaving and not gun shy im just wondering is she to old to train up from the level shes at, at the moment.. I suspect she's not and with plenty of work you could make a good wee dog out of her. Id like to no what you's think?
Cheers

elius

Hi lads had her out today on the long lead. No problems only she dosent want to leave my side. And shows very little interest in the bird. A crow was about 5 foot away and she completely ignored it:eek:.. Im going to see if i can get her recovering a dumy with cock feathers and plenty of rewards im hoping she will assosiate the smell with rewards etc.. This is my first gun dog and i supose i could be jumping into the deep end trying to train a 3 yr old but im not working so have nothing to loose. I have plenty of time on my hands....

premiercad

Hey elius,

Have you any history on the dog? Parents from hunted stock etc.? Or just a family pet.

I've seen a family pet years of just running around the house turn into a good working dog as the breeding was right but it comes down to genetics and a lot of patience!:) . Keep exposing her to game and not just crows something like a pheasant or something with a game scent and see what happens you might awaken the natural instincts!

premiercad

also forgot to mention that she will take time to settle into her new surroundings and with her new owner. Its a big change in her life so don't expect her to relax and think about hunting etc. until she's comfortable with her new surroundings. good luck

Would it be this dog?
Try contacting the last owner and ask what the sire and dam are like.
If the dog has any instinct at all it should cop on. Free is a good price to pay
for any dog that is retrieving and not gun shy.

elius

Thanks lads yes it was that dog.. Shes been hunting regulary, she just dosent seem to have a nose for game.. Im going to bring her through the fields tomorrow on the long lead. I wont let her off until im conviced shes settled. Not going to try to much to quick.. Just like to see here reactions so i can put some sort of a training plan in place. Shes a good dog loves to retreave and isn't gun shy (yet to test this but previous owner said she was huntung with his other pointer and springer). Id like to give her evey chance she has a lovely temperment .
Her SIRE is Georgia quail
DAM is Errew lady...
Cheers Tris

stevoman

Im not being smart but any hunter who gives away a german pointer with papers and asks for no money for it at the beginning of a shooting season when gundog prices are at an all time high for the year, they are'nt giving it away for a reason.


to me i can only give you two honest answers.

the dog just isnt going to cut the grade or it has never been hunting before.

at 3 a pointer should not only know it business's by now, but it should be at the age where its potential is just starting to fully flourish.

dont forget though that the poor beast has just been given a new master and owner and doesnt know whats going on at the moment. that can be very very nervracking for her. make sure to be very very good to her and praise her for every right thing she does and dont be hard on her. she may build up lots of respect for you and start to hunt just to please you.

BUACHAILL

stevoman wrote: »

Im not being smart but any hunter who gives away a german pointer with papers and asks for no money for it at the beginning of a shooting season when gundog prices are at an all time high for the year, they are'nt giving it away for a reason.


to me i can only give you two honest answers.

the dog just isnt going to cut the grade or it has never been hunting before.

at 3 a pointer should not only know it business's by now, but it should be at the age where its potential is just starting to fully flourish.

dont forget though that the poor beast has just been given a new master and owner and doesnt know whats going on at the moment. that can be very very nervracking for her. make sure to be very very good to her and praise her for every right thing she does and dont be hard on her. she may build up lots of respect for you and start to hunt just to please you.

Thats assuming that the previous owner actually put the time into the dog in the first place !! Maybe the dog has bags of potential but has not been handled correctly, every dog differs in how it should be trained/handled according to its character and make up, a good dog owner/trainer knows how to spot this and approach it correctly. I hope the dogs works out but in order to give it every chance you will need to be very patient but firstly as stevoman has said build up the trust and anything you will attempt with the dog from then on will have every chance of working !!

elius

Thanks lads.. Im being very kind to her rewards when retreiving etc. She still a little nervous round the place.. I wasnt planning on doing anything until i feel she's settled. It would be a waste not to try she retreves to hand. And responds well to the whistle. Im just going to take it nice and slow she turned 3 in september so ill right this season of and go for next season.. As i said im not working so ive plenty of time she walked about 3 miles today as good as gold..

irish setter

retrieving and responding to the whistle are things any dog can do and are not related to hunting. if he has been out with another pointer its possible he was just running with him and nothing more. if he was hunting with the other pointer then the drive to hunt should get him out there on his own no matter how strange things were to him. if he were a pup then maybe strange situations could put him off but just for a short while. if i had a dog that was a dud i'd have tried to get him going before the season and give him away free to a good home if he didn't work out. sorry to say all the signs are bad. if i were you now i'd get him out to where there is game not crows, cause he should ignore them anyway. give him a few days of that and if he shows no interest either move him on or concentrate on him becoming the family pet.

elius

irish setter wrote: »

retrieving and responding to the whistle are things any dog can do and are not related to hunting. if he has been out with another pointer its possible he was just running with him and nothing more. if he was hunting with the other pointer then the drive to hunt should get him out there on his own no matter how strange things were to him. if he were a pup then maybe strange situations could put him off but just for a short while. if i had a dog that was a dud i'd have tried to get him going before the season and give him away free to a good home if he didn't work out. sorry to say all the signs are bad. if i were you now i'd get him out to where there is game not crows, cause he should ignore them anyway. give him a few days of that and if he shows no interest either move him on or concentrate on him becoming the family pet.

Agreed ill give her a little while to settle see how things go. If it works out it will work out if not. Ill keep her as a family pet. And consider breading her in the future. I didnt pay for her so im loosing nothing...

stevoman

elius wrote: »

If it works out it will work out if not. Ill keep her as a family pet. And consider breading her in the future. I didnt pay for her so im loosing nothing...

wow elias thats a crazy statememt to make. fair play if you are going to keep her as a family pet if she doesnt cut the grade as a gun dog, but thats the conditions you took the dog on anyways. a puppys not for christmas.

but to even entertain the idea of breeding from her if she is not a good gun dog or even used as a gun dog is complete insanity and is the mark of somewhon whos looking to make a quick buck tbh.

For starters no right minded dog man would ever do that because they are adding absolutly nothing positive to the breed no matter what papers are behind the dog. (papers which people put too much emphasis on). secondly any dog man who has a pointer dog and will let his dog cover a bitch that isnt working or shows no promise is also out looking for a quick €150 in his pocket or a pup to peddle to somewhon else instead.

if i was buying a pup i would expect to see the dam in action as would anyone buying a working pup. if you do breed from a dog that has been retired due to it not showing any promise you are only walking yourself down a path of trouble for yourself and the pups.

really i hope the dog works well for you and you make a gun dog out of her, because i know nothing can beat the satisfaction of that, but if it doesnt work out please excercise some common sense.

BUACHAILL

Yeah I gotta agree with Stevoman here, If the dog does not work out as a gun dog dont weaken the breed by making a few bob out of breeding it. Just be happy with having a dog with a great temperment as a pet

elius

stevoman wrote: »

wow elias thats a crazy statememt to make. fair play if you are going to keep her as a family pet if she doesnt cut the grade as a gun dog, but thats the conditions you took the dog on anyways. a puppys not for christmas.

but to even entertain the idea of breeding from her if she is not a good gun dog or even used as a gun dog is complete insanity and is the mark of somewhon whos looking to make a quick buck tbh.

For starters no right minded dog man would ever do that because they are adding absolutly nothing positive to the breed no matter what papers are behind the dog. (papers which people put too much emphasis on). secondly any dog man who has a pointer dog and will let his dog cover a bitch that isnt working or shows no promise is also out looking for a quick €150 in his pocket or a pup to peddle to somewhon else instead.

if i was buying a pup i would expect to see the dam in action as would anyone buying a working pup. if you do breed from a dog that has been retired due to it not showing any promise you are only walking yourself down a path of trouble for yourself and the pups.

really i hope the dog works well for you and you make a gun dog out of her, because i know nothing can beat the satisfaction of that, but if it doesnt work out please excercise some common sense.

Hi steve thanks for that comment. Its comments like this that make me driven to get the best out of her. And can only help me and eveyone else in the long run. Ill take any constuctive critism on board.

Im buy no way have her to make a quick buck. At the end of the day she was a free dog so im not expecting much. She has potential any dog retreving to hand. And being shot over isnt a lost cause in my book. The previous owner had said she had shown great potenial and though she would make it towards the end of last season. Unfortunatly she didn't start this season like all had hoped and in the end gave her away.

I had her out today and she was fine, walked her through the fields off the lead and she worked ok. The only thing was she found it hard to leave my side in a 10 yard radius. But id like to find out a few tips to try coax her out of this habbit..

I dont think shes a lost cause i just think she needs the few cracks ironed out.

Im not expecting to much shes just arrived in a new house new people new surroundings and shes also coming into heat. She still a little apprehensive around the place but will settle in time.. Im going to give her a chance. And if it dosent work out it dosent work out. At the end of the day she will be in a good loving home. Plenty of lads would have taken her tried to work her if that failed stuck a bullet in her and let her rot in a ditch. Im not after money just the satisfation that i turned a lost hope into a great working dog...

Cheers

elius

Hi lads,
Had her out today with gun and she worked a lot better than expected, She's not in the least bit gun shy and even went to retrieve a pidgeon i shot. Only my shooting parthers pup got there first:p... She worked the ditches and was happy to range out to about 30 yards which was good. I was very pleased with her and she worked better than expected. Just want her to learn hand signals now and there's room for her to work the ditches slighly better. Only came accross 1 hen pheasant and my shooting partners dog flushed her. All in all i couldnt be happier
Cheers

whitser

i hope your dog works well for you.
but stevos right, you cant get a dog for nowt off done deal and expect it to be decent,no one gives away a good dog any time but especially in the middle of the season. givin the facts of this dogs case i'd say your lucky that he/she is actually doing good work for you. as for breeding it??? i wouldnt even considor it until its had a few seasons work under its belt.
all the best for rest of season.

elius

At the end of the day yes the dog was free yes i took her on a whim but just cause she wasnt working well for the previous owner dosent make her a bad dog.. A Dog is only as good as its handler= fact. The previous owner had 2 other dogs. Maybe she wast geting the time she needed. Im a little dissapointed with some of the remarks to be honest . Just cause she was free some of you are very quick to condone her as being bad. And considering some of you are hunting alot longer than i am you should really no the way a dogs mind works. And if you dont start reading. There's plenty of storys on here and else where about some dog being this at pointing and that at pointing flushing etc but a soon as a shot is fired it goes running tales between its legs. Like wise some of you are are complaining about dogs wondering to far ahead. she's retreaving to hand On the whistle when i blow she comes and working ditches and retriving what i shoot. I dont no about you lot but to me the ability is there just needs some one to get the best of it.. Maybe the previous owner just has a good heart and wasn't a cowboy and wanted to see the dog go to a good home and someone able to put the time into her..

I will probally breed her against all your wishes.
Firstly i had a pure bread before that died of a invection to the wome due to never having a litter of pups and secondly Just cause there a "Hunting Dog" Dosent mean they cant be a family dog plenty of people have labadours that can be considered a working dog as family pets. Who said ill sell them as (Hunting Dogs) and whos said ill sell them at all. Ive after getting a sense that some of you maybe a touch snobby over the situation if the dog dosn't have this breed didnt cost this much its automaticly a doomed a fallure.
Very Dissapointing:( considering all i asked for was advice. Not to be told the dog is hopeless just cause it was free...
Apoligies for the poor spelling.....

darrenon

whitser wrote: »

i hope your dog works well for you.
but stevos right, you cant get a dog for nowt off done deal and expect it to be decent,no one gives away a good dog any time but especially in the middle of the season. givin the facts of this dogs case i'd say your lucky that he/she is actually doing good work for you. as for breeding it??? i wouldnt even considor it until its had a few seasons work under its belt.
all the best for rest of season.

i disagree.i got 2 great dogs free from gumtree:P:P