springer pup

odders

alright lads i am new 2 this site i have a 11week old springer that i am going 2 train myself for rough shooting just wondering if anyone has any good tips 4 me

snipe02

training spanials by joe irving is a great book a good place to start is teaching him to sit throwing a rolled up pair of socks for him to retrieve do this with your back to a wall so he cant run around you when he has it in his mouth and if you can use a gable entrance or a hallway is better still because it will tunnel him into you this will help you avoid future probs with retrieving . http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/gundogs/training here is a link to shooting uk there are some good articles here also try youtube but for a start just work on 3 points retrieving sit and stay oh ye and never walk in a straight line with a young spaniel and easy on em its only a puppy best of luck happy hunting

odders

i have started the sitting and staying coming along grand i have read training the roughshooters dog by p.r.a moxon it is good thanks for the reply

blackstairsboy

Welcome to boards.ie,

I train springers myself and starting with a pup is the best way as you build up a relationship with the dog that is just not achieved when you buy an adult dog. So congrats on getting the very first step correct:D
With a young pup I recommend beginning by teaching him his name and to return to you by name. Forget about the whistle for now. Use his feed bowl to entice him back to you. Lots of fuss on return. Keep these lessons short at about 10 minutes each as a young pup will get bored very quickly. When he responds well to his name after a week or so you can begin to try and get him to bring back a tennis ball or something small. I find young springers love retrieving tennis balls but find something he likes and use it. Again do not overdo it 3 or 4 retrieves is more than enough. Do not worry if he is slow about bringing it back or if he plays with it this is where patience is needed. Another thing to begin doing early in a pups life is getting him used to a bit of noise. Be very careful in doing this just clap your hands when playing with him and tap his feed pot on the concrete before feeding him. He will then associate noise with things nice such as food and playing. Again easy does it. You can begin introducing the pup to the lead. A soft slip lead is ideal. Fit it loosely around his neck and let him drag it about behind him when playing with him. Obviously do not let a dog around by himself with a lead dragging out of him as he could choke. A pup should be doing all of this within a month or so but it might take a bit longer. At this point the pup should return to his name, retrieve a tennis ball (hopefully), walk reasonably well on the lead and be tolerant of noises such as clapping. Now I would begin teaching him to sit and walk to heal. Just go down the road for a 10 minute walk with the dog. Every 10 to 15 steps stop say sit clearly and push the pup gently into the sitting position. Make him sit for a moment then tap your thigh and say heel. Repeat this for about 10 minutes but again do not overdo it. This will take a few weeks but it all depends on the dog. When he walks to heel on the lead and sits to command every time he is ready for the next stage in his training. You will need a quite enclosed area such as a laneway with ditches either side. This will restrict the movements of the pup. What I do now is make the lead into a collar. The dog will think you still have him on the lead. You can begin getting him to walk to heel off of the lead. You can also get him sitting when throwing retrieves for him. He will be encouraged back to you due to the lane restricting his movements. Again do not overdo this. I introduce the pup to the whistle at this point. Let him run up the lane and then pip him back to you. He will catch on quickly enough. All of this should bring the pup up to about 6 months old but every dog is different some will be a bit faster and some slower. I always bring the dog for walks through the fields from a young age. Just short walks that will help him to begin using his nose. I find that dogs that are not introduced to the field at an early age might be brilliant in the yard but will lose the run of themselves when brought out into the field.

This is just how I do it and I find it works for me. There are plenty of other lads on here who will use different ways. You will never be short of advice on boards anyway. Feel free to pm me any time if you need anything.

Best of luck, Blackstairs Boy

odders

thanks for the reply it was a very good and a class read thanks