[pup not interested]

chrisr

I have 2 10 month old Springer bitch's and my problem is that i cant get one of them interested at all. She will take all the commands and is a smart dog, but she will not venture into ditchs. The other one is a pure natural and probably the best springer ive ever seen working. What do i do?
Thanks

darrenon

i had the same problem.
i was training them together all the time and it worked fine for commands but one would just let the other do all the work, when retrieving and had no drive to do anything.
when i separated them she stayed the same at first but with time she came into her own an was the better dog in the end!!

EPointer=Birdss

Get your hands on some ground with rabbits & I'm sure they will get her going.
I'm still struggling so have been working on an "in" command & hiding dummys along random ditches. This gives him something to go in & look for & makes the thorns worth it... I keep the cover light at this stage.
My though process is as he meets a few critters whiles in there the penny may drop that he's better off in around there than in the field.
So far he will fly in when told but not stay in too long & still likes the handy ground or open field 2 much for my liking so I keep him to the ditch side. It's working Ok put is taking longer as is luck of the draw if he bumps into pheasants etc. Rabbits leave great trails & I've yet to see a dog that doesn't go mad for em...

homerhop

Will she run along the ditch and just turn and flush a bird?
I had a pair of springers like that. If there any sign of cover in a ditch one would go through it where as the other would run along the side, stop all of a sudden and burst into it flushing the bird.

greenpeter

Well chrisr,
i don't think you have to much to worry about just yet.
First off she is still only a pup, some dogs just take to it better ,you can never compare any two dogs.
Bring her alone.
As epointer said rabbits, its like cocaine for dogs.
You show her want you want done get into ditch's drain bushes and encourage her and give her time move slowly, don't walk fast, let her have time.
What part of the country are you?

terminator2

the last springer that i had would flitter a ditch ,the springer i have now uses her head she wont go into cover unless there is scent there they were like chalk and cheese but i had great shooting over the last dog but its a lot nicer shooting over the little bitch that i have now

EPointer=Birdss

greenpeter wrote: »

rabbits, its like cocaine for dogs.
quote]

One way of putting it Well said!

elius

Had the same problem with a pointer i picked up for free off done deal she would retrieve wasnt gun shy but would just not hunt for the last owner who had two other dogs(spinger&pointer both older).
Just before christmas she turned a corner and is working the ground as one would expect a pointer to. She's started pointing and if she's shore there's something to flush she will go in.. In the last 2weeks when the weather eas bad she's flushed 5 pheasants 2 snipe and a couple of ducks only i dont have permission to shoot on the land i can walk the dogs on it.Completely differant dog other things ive done is hide pheasant wings in the garden and gut the pheasants in front of her. She mad for them now.. Never right a dog off with time and patiance they 9 times out of 10 will come good..

murphy125

I have a weimaraner thats 13 months.She will retrieve the dummy well with pheasant scent on it.But wont hunt ditches or point
I was walking her and a few snipe got up and she hunted the area that they were but the snipe were well gone.
Just wondering does anyone have any tips for her to hunt ditches or point?

I was thinking place a dummy in a ditch with scent on it and have a drops of the scent leading to it?

cavan shooter

The expression I use when training is "go ditch" and for the year or so I have been training the springer and I have combined this with a click of my fingers and lots of praise as. My lad wasnt too keen untill about a 2 months ago, he used to walk over sniff around then go back hunting the headland.
Now at 12 months he is like a bulldozer when I tell him to go ditch he ploughs on in, when he comes out especially the first while lavish lots of praise.

elius

cavan shooter wrote: »

The expression I use when training is "go ditch" and for the year or so I have been training the springer and I have combined this with a click of my fingers and lots of praise as. My lad wasnt too keen untill about a 2 months ago, he used to walk over sniff around then go back hunting the headland.
Now at 12 months he is like a bulldozer when I tell him to go ditch he ploughs on in, when he comes out especially the first while lavish lots of praise.

Same as that. Say "get on" and she gets to work. Its been hard training the pointer as i mentioned before she wasnt working for the previous owner. The key is to take your time with them. Plenty of praise. Its there natural instinct is to hunt so give them time. Though at times she will hang round my heals and needs some encouragement to hunt. Cheer

chrisr

thanks to all for your help and i will take it on board, She is picking up scent but will still not venture into the ditch. I have taken her out on her own and she is a bit better but not much. But as some of you said she is still only a pup and im hoping it will come to her like it has the other pup.

EPointer=Birdss

chrisr wrote: »

thanks to all for your help and i will take it on board, She is picking up scent but will still not venture into the ditch. I have taken her out on her own and she is a bit better but not much. But as some of you said she is still only a pup and im hoping it will come to her like it has the other pup.

Just keep her on very light ditches. Would you go into a thorny ditch for nothing or if you found out it was laden with 50 quid notes? She doesn't realize that there's anything in there yet. I have a nice hedge around the house that I cut all the branches off the lowest foot or two (for tidyness)
It is great to get him going into it as after working on the game with hiding the dummy he loves going in there & often meets blackbirds etc but the ditch is easy for him to run up & down without getting hurt. Ferns & light ditches are your job now I would say but she has to start meeting things in there for it to click..

terminator2

the problem with a springer and cover is when you put a springer into a ditch sometimes they lose the run of themselves and come out of the ditch at the end of the field ideally you want a dog that keeps ducking in and out of cover and flushing game 25-30 yards away not plouhging the ditch and flushing game 250 - 300 yards away