Am i expecting to much to soon.

[Tallyho 181]

Right i have a springer bitch that is 11 months old brilliant in every way but when out just

a mooch she is not intrested in getting in any hedges she does go in but goes in turns around and comes straight back out

now my partners dog who is 12 months hits the hedges like they are nothing he cant wait to get in , she will follow him in but then like i said she will come straight back out, could it be me why she keeps coming out as when she does go in i praise her ands dont know if she is coming back out because i have spoke to her ? or am i just expecting to much at her age will it come to her in the end , i am having to ask as i have never had springers before , any advise will be great .

[lowlowshotta 1]

don't worry, it will cum if there is game in there i am sure she will start hitting cover hard, still only young aswell.

[hily 380]

as said before it will come when game is about personely i would hunt the dog on its own first if just follows other dog then she does,nt seem to be competitive and she may be a little submisive to the other dog .try hideing tit bits like jerky into light cover at first and as she get into it then place the titbits into harder cover so it becomes a game with a reward when she enters and finds plus plenty of praise from you.atb .

[j davies 8]

Right i have a springer bitch that is 11 months old brilliant in every way but when out just

a mooch she is not intrested in getting in any hedges she does go in but goes in turns around and comes straight back out

now my partners dog who is 12 months hits the hedges like they are nothing he cant wait to get in , she will follow him in but then like i said she will come straight back out, could it be me why she keeps coming out as when she does go in i praise her ands dont know if she is coming back out because i have spoke to her ? or am i just expecting to much at her age will it come to her in the end , i am having to ask as i have never had springers before , any advise will be great .

does your mate dog get game out of the hedges it goes in or are they empty

[ferreter.al 22]

got a cocker at about 16 months and she started like that but i got her out more and more and as she getting older she is getting better,she still isnt perfcet but what dog is,she would go in a hole in she hedge and then come out the same hole.get her places where theres plenty of stuff to bush out for her to scent,if she dosent know what to smell for then why bother going in.atvb with your pup.i hope she improves

[Steve McHardy 2]

got a cocker at about 16 months and she started like that but i got her out more and more and as she getting older she is getting better,she still isnt perfcet but what dog is,she would go in a hole in she hedge and then come out the same hole.get her places where theres plenty of stuff to bush out for her to scent,if she dosent know what to smell for then why bother going in.atvb with your pup.i hope she improves

 

my wee cocker was a bit like that when she was younger a few days beating soon sorted that out but at the same time if its empty cover she will just go for a quick look as will my old experienced lab. for me this shows that they are not wasting energy on an fruitless search. if the game is there im sure she will batter in and eject it when the time comes remember to increase the thickness of the cover gradually dont face a pup with thick gorse, dog roses, dense brambles etc. make sure there is a reward for her going in like chuck in a dummy or ball whatever you use do this whens its not looking so it finds it and makes the retrieve.

atb with it mate

steve.

[bullmastiff 615]

 

my wee cocker was a bit like that when she was younger a few days beating soon sorted that out but at the same time if its empty cover she will just go for a quick look as will my old experienced lab. for me this shows that they are not wasting energy on an fruitless search. if the game is there im sure she will batter in and eject it when the time comes remember to increase the thickness of the cover gradually dont face a pup with thick gorse, dog roses, dense brambles etc. make sure there is a reward for her going in like chuck in a dummy or ball whatever you use do this whens its not looking so it finds it and makes the retrieve.

atb with it mate

steve.

 

I don't know about that. In my opinion and it's open for debate lol!, a ground scenting dog (like Spanials) that goes in a hole in the hedge then straight out the same hole should be encouraged to go back in the same spot and work the hedge through, not air scent down the side of it as a Lab will often do.

 

I think this is the one of the main differance's in hunting styles between Labs and Spanials and one thing people seem to forget. Spanials will run with the nose to the ground, meticulously following the track of the quarry, whereas a Lab will try to leapfrog the scent by holding it's head higher and then following the general direction of the scent in the air until it zones in on the quarry.

 

This can be seen a lot clearer when either hunts a scent across a field. The Spanial will be zigzaging side to side faithfully following the exact path the quarry took (or where the scent has settled). The lab will be head up and running downwind of the scent in a fairly straight line.

 

Whilst dogging in, I've seen dogs running up and down the outside of a hedge air scenting and not find anything then have a steady spanial working the same hedge behind them and pushing out a couple of Hen birds that have been sat tight.

 

I definately agree with you on the thickness of cover though, the dog needs to learn to work the cover to find the game. Same as teaching a dog to jump start off small and easy then build them up. I would try and find them some scrubby ground, and kale/beets to work through first.

 

As you said Beating often sorts the problem for you, as theirs usually a lot of game cover (kale, maize and wild seed mixes) this is easy for the dog to work through so builds confidence and is almost guarenteed to be full of quarry to find. (then you get the problem of stopping the dog running on lol)

 

I think some dogs are just very keen for the work and have a high drive so will naturally work heavy cover from a young age but showing a thick blackthorn hedge or bramble patch to a younger dog with a lower drive will probably discourage it from pushing in and working through and encourage it to run round?

 

Good luck with the pup, and all the best

 

Luke.

[Clare 33]

it will come I got my cocker interested by taking a fresh pheasant from shooting and putting it in a hedge and working her to it she gets used to the scent and hunting after doing that nothing stopped her, I'm sure yours will soon pick it up

[ferreter.al 22]

couldnt agree more....since i started her beatin this season my bitch has come on leaps and bounds and will go into any cover and work it through.sometimes needs pulling back a bit and sending back into the cover but getting there.hope this helps.get somewere that holds plenty of game.atb