Advice needed re cocker training

[bucknut 1]

This is my first gundog as moved over from terrir work so im a beginner -

 

I have an 9 mth old cocker who is sitting on command, retrieving etc but she when i let her run forward and do her own thing she runs off until she decides she is too far (100 to 200 metres) then runs back. I am constantly on the whistle which is peeing me off. dont get me wrong she is obediant on the whistle but it would be gud if i could shorten the distance she runs off to. I have tried the shouting and have even ragged her around but she still does it?

 

oh and there's more - she constantly pulls on the leader. i have her on a chocker and tried the waving stick infront of her which works a bit but you obviously need a stick all the time.

 

any ideas please

Buck

[rickyspringer 15]

well mate, honestly you are in a huge dilemma, ranging out of distance is a huge problem, its a habit whch is hard to stop especially the distance you are talking about.

 

i have made a similar mistake in my first gundog, allowing the dog to have free reign, i wasn't allowing 100 to 200 metres though, the dog should always be within 20 ft of working,

 

You could try, the have the dog on a long line for a long period of time, the dog could get used to staying in that distance but if i'm honest with you, it may be a problem which you can not defeat-due to the dog knowing that when he is off the long line he has free reign again, another way of trying to get the dog to stay closer would be to let the dog off the lead, as soon as he runs on, run in the oppsoite direction, don't make a sound and don't look back- you will hear the dog running up behind you and as the dog gets near run in the opposite direction again. I HOPE THAT MAKES SENSE. Keep performing this exercise and the dog will always want to be near you within time, theoretically the dog will be thinking your doing something more exciting.

 

And for the pulling, its very normal for a spaniel, annoying I know but normal, find a way which suits you and the dog best as there is so many techniques.

 

Hope I have been of some help to you, I am just going off past experiences where i had similar problems, GOOD LUCK and persist with it, the dog is in the dreaded teenager phase so it may get worse before better but stay with it and you will see some success.

 

Regards RS

[v-max 2]

well mate, honestly you are in a huge dilemma, ranging out of distance is a huge problem, its a habit whch is hard to stop especially the distance you are talking about.

 

i have made a similar mistake in my first gundog, allowing the dog to have free reign, i wasn't allowing 100 to 200 metres though, the dog should always be within 20 ft of working,

 

You could try, the have the dog on a long line for a long period of time, the dog could get used to staying in that distance but if i'm honest with you, it may be a problem which you can not defeat-due to the dog knowing that when he is off the long line he has free reign again, another way of trying to get the dog to stay closer would be to let the dog off the lead, as soon as he runs on, run in the oppsoite direction, don't make a sound and don't look back- you will hear the dog running up behind you and as the dog gets near run in the opposite direction again. I HOPE THAT MAKES SENSE. Keep performing this exercise and the dog will always want to be near you within time, theoretically the dog will be thinking your doing something more exciting.

 

And for the pulling, its very normal for a spaniel, annoying I know but normal, find a way which suits you and the dog best as there is so many techniques.

 

Hope I have been of some help to you, I am just going off past experiences where i had similar problems, GOOD LUCK and persist with it, the dog is in the dreaded teenager phase so it may get worse before better but stay with it and you will see some success.

 

Regards RS

Some very good advice there & as said you have a huge dilema & she is not obediant mate as if so she would stop to your whistle & you wouldent have a dog go 200m away.

The method RS uses with running in opposite direction is good but more done with a pup that keeps its head down or wont listen. so you walk away or hide from the pup to build insucurity but with a 9month dog you will need to run away from her.

I presonally would go right back to basics with the sit/stop whistle in a controled enviroment & get it down to 100%. Once sitting instintally to whistle i would change area & slowly progress to quartering work with plenty stop whistle work & make her sit for 20-30 seconds. As for heal work dont worry i gave up with my cocker after 3weeks trying & gave up he just dont stop working.

You could get help from a trainer or some one with alot of experiance & let them tune her down for you & learn from them too.

[hily 380]

if you have a few dogs that stay close to you (yours or on loan from a friend ) take them all out with the cocker let them all off to run together but keep the other dogs close and make a fuss of them ignore the cocker call other dogs in but ignore the cocker when the coker is sniffing about and doing its own thing then call it in and if it comes make a big thing of it .if the dog wants some attention don,t give any ignore it turn away then call it to you as soon as it gives up trying to command the situation. hope this makes sense to you. I did this with a springer and it worked for me .but as with most lessons little and often.atb

[mushroom 13,486]

I have this problem with my staff she works too far away 40-50 meters am considering using a shock collar to train it out of her but I'm unsure if this would solve the problem, two mates gave me conflicting advice one for and one against so I'm at a loss as what to do..

 

Good luck fixing it mate, Kie

[rickyspringer 15]

leave the shock collar mushroom, you have got a far better chance with the dog being that bit more closer, what i would do if i was you, would be silent and let the dog go, when she is at the distance, call her in....fuss,fuss & more fuss. Back out again, same again, repitition is the key, its much harder when you are 100m and 200m away, the dog is used to being a huge distance. away.

 

GOOD LUCK to the both of you,

[bucknut 1]

Many thanks for the advice, its great to listen to people who care about dogs and hunting.

Cheers

Buck

[Dan Newcombe 58]

Is she hunting or is she just running?

 

You could try making the area that you are in more interesting for her.

 

If she loves retrieving then chuck some dummies around you and send her out for specific ones

 

If she is a hunter then plant some dummies (maybe wrapped in rabbit skins) in an area with no other game, then take her there and let her find the planted stuff.

 

Once she gets a bit bored of either thing call it a day. Hopefully it will slowly dawn on her that the interesting place to be and the place that she will actually find stuff is in the area directly around you.

 

As has already been noted, she isnt obedient on the whistle otherwise you wouldnt have a dog that is getting 200m away so keep working on that and the stop.

 

The only other thing that i would add is that once it becomes clear that she has gone and is going to do her own thing however far away, stop blowing the whistle. Its not working and will only sreve to re enforce the fact she doesnt have to listen to it.

[bucknut 1]

Cheers Dan

 

Will try all the thing people have said.

She is stopping on the whistle but it becomes a pain every minute blowing as soon as her nose is down.

I have also noticed that her pulling on the lead is also when he nose goes down so every timei see her nose go down ive been lifting her head up by the lead which works but yet again a pain every minute.

 

Any further advice would be great

and thanks to everyone who has tried to help

 

Buck

[Dan Newcombe 58]

So if you keep on the whistle then she stays close and stops but it sounds like you are trying to play a tune?

 

I would say one way to approach this is to hunt her along as best as possible and when she isnt looking drop a dummy into some ground she has already covered and then hunt her onto it.

 

This should over time convince her that in actual fact you know better than her where the game is and also that it is always close to you.

 

Dan