getting springer into cover

bizidea

Would love to get a springer from old lines I've only seen two that I would say were from old style lines they were bride valley dogs they were both bitches and they were tanks might get my hands on a pup sometime I hope I'm promised a pup if they are bred

bizidea

Allan450 at the moment I think he would just come back out will try it out Sunday

allan450

they dont need to be old lines you just need to know what your looking for.

Dawggone

allan450 wrote: »

they dont need to be old lines you just need to know what your looking for.

Ohh tough one...Twomey's Bride Valley could hunt.
They loved cover and would hammer it. Good kennel. Had a great bitch from him but she made noise...
Bridevalley springers were damn fine dogs. End of.

But not quite the "old fashioned" type as they had style.

Woodcock shot

ronn wrote: »

You said if there's something in there he'll go in no problems, my springer won't go into cover unless there's something in there, she'd bulldoze the ditch till she flushed what's in there and she won't go past a ditch that has something in it, but if I send her in she'll go in under protest of course(women), A Sensible Springer I call her, 😀😀😗

Agree 100%, they are no fools, my bitch is the same, won't pass a ditch with something in it but won't kill herself for nothing, still you're always wondering is she passing something,
I have to agree with op too mine seems to work way better on her own

snipe49

bizidea wrote: »

Would love to get a springer from old lines I've only seen two that I would say were from old style lines they were bride valley dogs they were both bitches and they were tanks might get my hands on a pup sometime I hope I'm promised a pup if they are bred

I have a bitch he along them lines a real tank weight in at four and a half shone will rip cover out of the ground and a lovely girl around the house.

snipe49

bizidea wrote: »

Allan450 at the moment I think he would just come back out will try it out Sunday

Was she going in better at the end of last season or mid season' some dog get to dislike for cover and no amount of incoragment will get them to stay in. Is he from good cover dogs ?

Dawggone

Woodcock shot wrote: »

Agree 100%, they are no fools, my bitch is the same, won't pass a ditch with something in it but won't kill herself for nothing, still you're always wondering is she passing something,
I have to agree with op too mine seems to work way better on her own

Hateful. Couldn't have a springer that didn't hammer cover. If I want a springer out of cover I call them otherwise someone else can be messing with them.

bizidea

Snipe think he was hunting cover a bit better the end of last season.he is not pure bred the bitch has papers but the dog hadn't but the dog is a serious tank for cover and legendary around here for his retrieves off water although I don't do a lot of duck shooting myself it was more the size and style of the dog I was after when I bought the pup

snipe49

bizidea wrote: »

Snipe think he was hunting cover a bit better the end of last season.he is not pure bred the bitch has papers but the dog hadn't but the dog is a serious tank for cover and legendary around here for his retrieves off water although I don't do a lot of duck shooting myself it was more the size and style of the dog I was after when I bought the pup

I'd give him a few more outings and rather then bringing him on rabbit go out and shoot a few then one at a time drag it through just light cover to start with do this with 3 or 4 while he is in the car then bring him in he should track the sent but this time he will have a reward for his hard work in the retrieve. Do this with all the rabbits don't make them hard to track to start with and give him loads of praise . hope this is some help.

sniper83

bizidea wrote: »

I have a springer 18 months old he has a great nose and plenty of drive will go through any cover if there is scent and will hunt open fields like a lunatic but won't hunt covers unless I am with him in it he will just go in and come back out one of the guys I shoot with thinks he is afraid he will lose me and that's why he keeps coming back out any suggestions how to get him hunting cover on his own

Patients lad and lots of it, he's only young yet. It can be very frustrating though when you know its in a dog to hunt cover, we've all been there!.
Rabbits are great if you have access to them in cover, hunting them in green fields isn't much use if hes hunting nicely already but wont hunt cover.

All dogs are different but il give you my 2 cents.
If he is a good retriever and has a good nose, I would plant some dummys or cold game into light cover like a plantation or hazels, remember where you left the cold game/dummys!!! leave some a couple of yards inside and throw some in a bit further but space them out as you got down along the plantation/wood. Id use at least half a dozen.

You need to gradually build up his confidence, you are rewarding him for entering the cover with a retrieve, you might even get a flush this time of the year when he goes in.

Now go back to the car and get the dog, walk along the edge of the wood with the wind blowing to suit the dog.
Id have him on a lead, make sure the first few retrieves are HANDY for him to get to.
For the first one bring him to the edge of the wood and at a gap, wait a few seconds, even a minute or two. If he winds the dummy/bird then great!!!! he'l be eager to go in. Point at the gap and tell him to GET IN. He should go in and retrieve, continue along the edge with him off the lead and click him IN again at the next gap for the next retrieve and so on.

20 minutes of this exercise twice a day if you can, short and simple and praise him when he does it right!
He ent going to turn into a miller of a dog in cover over night, but if he has the key ingredients which it sounds like he does btw and you keep it short and simple the penny will eventually start to drop. Hope this helps best of luck!

snipe49

sniper83 wrote: »

Patients lad and lots of it, he's only young yet. It can be very frustrating though when you know its in a dog to hunt cover, we've all been there!.
Rabbits are great if you have access to them in cover, hunting them in green fields isn't much use if hes hunting nicely already but wont hunt cover.

All dogs are different but il give you my 2 cents.
If he is a good retriever and has a good nose, I would plant some dummys or cold game into light cover like a plantation or hazels, remember where you left the cold game/dummys!!! leave some a couple of yards inside and throw some in a bit further but space them out as you got down along the plantation/wood. Id use at least half a dozen.

You need to gradually build up his confidence, you are rewarding him for entering the cover with a retrieve, you might even get a flush this time of the year when he goes in.

Now go back to the car and get the dog, walk along the edge of the wood with the wind blowing to suit the dog.
Id have him on a lead, make sure the first few retrieves are HANDY for him to get to.
For the first one bring him to the edge of the wood and at a gap, wait a few seconds, even a minute or two. If he winds the dummy/bird then great!!!! he'l be eager to go in. Point at the gap and tell him to GET IN. He should go in and retrieve, continue along the edge with him off the lead and click him IN again at the next gap for the next retrieve and so on.

20 minutes of this exercise twice a day if you can, short and simple and praise him when he does it right!
He ent going to turn into a miller of a dog in cover over night, but if he has the key ingredients which it sounds like he does btw and you keep it short and simple the penny will eventually start to drop. Hope this helps best of luck!

Something along the lines of mine there pal the comment before your

bizidea

How ye lads had him out yesterday he was like a different dog started him off in a couple of lighter coverş which I beat with him he had two flushes on woodcock but I couldn't get a safe shot the guys on the outside had no shot at the first bird and a miss on the second it's always when you need a bird for a dog you don't get them. On to anothter cover and he was straight in hunting flushed another woodcock which one of the lads nailed it fell in fairly heavy cover he was straight in and retrieved straight into my hand it wasn't a long retrieve but I was delighted. After that he hunted away with no problems even hunted fairly heavy coverş on his own which he went in on his own and stayed in my faith has been restored in this dog think he has the makings of a right little dinger of a dog

snipe49

bizidea wrote: »

How ye lads had him out yesterday he was like a different dog started him off in a couple of lighter coverş which I beat with him he had two flushes on woodcock but I couldn't get a safe shot the guys on the outside had no shot at the first bird and a miss on the second it's always when you need a bird for a dog you don't get them. On to anothter cover and he was straight in hunting flushed another woodcock which one of the lads nailed it fell in fairly heavy cover he was straight in and retrieved straight into my hand it wasn't a long retrieve but I was delighted. After that he hunted away with no problems even hunted fairly heavy coverş on his own which he went in on his own and stayed in my faith has been restored in this dog think he has the makings of a right little dinger of a dog

Great stuff but take it handy this season with him and u'll have a great dog next year.

allan450

dogs will test your patients more times you will have bad days then good.but thats the joys of it i guess.

sniper83

snipe49 wrote: »

Something along the lines of mine there pal the comment before your

Didnt mean to steal your thunder mate, your post was a good suggestion.
I was giving the him another option;)
I prefer to use dummys/cold game myself. I sometimes use the drag method for younger dogs to get them going in cover only issue is are they following your scent or the rabbit, it can be a great help depending on the dog, but I wouldnt over do it.
Anyway, seems like he's sorted the dog is associating cover with birds and the penny is beginning to drop with him.