cocker spaniels

[camokev64 36]

Hi Sandabandit,

Sorry for the slow response,been away with the dogs.

What i would advise you to start with is divide your training week into individual disciplines,a training session with a ( trained / spaniel, for me would not last more than an hour ( excluding rabbit pen ).The reason for a separate daily discipline is so the dog can totally focus and absorb the session. ie quartering one day ( woodland/root vegetables/white grass / heather / ),steadiness another,water work (This brings all gundogs breeds alive !!),crossing ditches,retrieving through edges.Stop whistle,hand signals.non live flush training ( tennis balls ). etc etc.What i find is that with this dedication i achieve a real good one to one bond for the handler of the dog with a willing to please in the right area`s.

Please note this is a just touching on area`s while training a dog to be entered in field trials,all you need is common sense !!.Problems come along in training and need to be solved, some times creating another problem to solve one.Just keep it basic !!.If the shooting/dog man trains to a high standard and if it falls a tiny bit short it may be not got good enough to win a trial ! but i would be happy in a shooting field,because "lets be honest" how many people have seen a dog ruin a drive with dogs chasing right through them and sending birds back.Also snatching birds from other dogs...... picking birds up spitting them out to retrieve another making it a nightmare for pickers up bla bla bla.

Greg, i would expect any spaniel of mine ( cocker or springer ) to enter any cover that i quartered him towards whether the ground was bursting at the seams with game or contained non,you have to kid the dog into thinking every inch of ground holds game and have him keep that belief.

 

Keep it simple !

 

K

Edited November 13, 2012 by camokev64

[ftm 3,357]

good reply from kev -billy

[SANDABANDIT 0]

Trying to get some beating on local shoots but finding it difficult to get my foot in the door being new to this sort of thing as i think this would do him the world of good he is very steady. Also finding it difficult to find local land I can go on with game without tresspassing. i live in West Lancashire so if you have any contacts I would be greatful.

[SANDABANDIT 0]

Hi Camokev

 

Will give that a try as it keeps more interesting for me as well not just doing the same stuff every night or late afternoon as it is at this time of year really keen to get him on shoots as well.

[CockerSam 0]

An old keeper once told me "theres alot of average Springers, Cockers are either good or not" ive always found that the case..

[camokev64 36]

Don`t know what to make of that one "Cockersam" .Was the keeper a successful trainer of Spaniels ?.The majority of keepers on the estates that i have the pleasure of running dogs keep theirs in the kennel.

But the rule of thumb i use with anything in life is that "you only get out what you put in" !! albeit the correct input !!!!

 

Regards.

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

My experience of training and working cockers, is that I found them, confident, bold, and hard... as in not soft natured at all. But there are so many strains that this will differ a lot. Mine were primarily beating dogs, but also went ratting, foxing, general vermin control, pigeon shooting, wildfowling the lot! They thought they were terriers! I dug to my black cocker a few times and he was mute, and in grips when he was uncovered! He caught several in cover too, killed without fuss. I was not one to stick to regimented training plans back then and they were out in the fields, riding on quads, and heavily involved from a very young age. I describe them as mad keen workers, that take to anything you throw their way! Craacking dogs, and always HAPPY... those tails are ALWAYS flat out haha, even when getting a bollocking! Good times! Ive had springers too, and though they were decent workers, they were not as good as the cockers I had personally. But I do tend to ask a wee bit more than most from a gundog, as in jobs like foxing and vermin work.

 

DnN

[slips 114]

My experience of training and working cockers, is that I found them, confident, bold, and hard... as in not soft natured at all. But there are so many strains that this will differ a lot. Mine were primarily beating dogs, but also went ratting, foxing, general vermin control, pigeon shooting, wildfowling the lot! They thought they were terriers! I dug to my black cocker a few times and he was mute, and in grips when he was uncovered! He caught several in cover too, killed without fuss. I was not one to stick to regimented training plans back then and they were out in the fields, riding on quads, and heavily involved from a very young age. I describe them as mad keen workers, that take to anything you throw their way! Craacking dogs, and always HAPPY... those tails are ALWAYS flat out haha, even when getting a bollocking! Good times! Ive had springers too, and though they were decent workers, they were not as good as the cockers I had personally. But I do tend to ask a wee bit more than most from a gundog, as in jobs like foxing and vermin work.

 

DnN

thats just how i like my cockers to be want em like terriers if they kill rats all the better

[barraboy 28]

thats just how i like my cockers to be want em like terriers if they kill rats all the better

 

why not just get terriers?

Edited November 25, 2012 by barraboy

[ftm 3,357]

exactly!

[slips 114]

reason being ive add terriers 35 years and dug to em my back is f****d now and the last thing i want is dogs going to ground. but i love bushing and like a dog to get ole of its quarry so thats why me ole fruits the cockers i got are grandauthers of larfords cateran x larford gwen and one from timsgarry kelly lines she was a gift as she is hard mouthed

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

thats just how i like my cockers to be want em like terriers if they kill rats all the better

 

why not just get terriers?

 

Haha, and I do keep a kennel of working terriers, but f**k, the year is long, and I all my dogs work as pest controllers as well as beating on the shoot days. Im not one to leave a whole load of dogs doing f**k all in the kennels, the spaniels were out with me hunting with hounds, shooting pigeons, digging foxes you name it, and they proved handy many many days, even if they just mark a stoat in a wall as your walking etc it all helps to a keeper. And dont know what sort of ratting you do, but for me, its the more dogs the merrier, if they kill rats quick and on to the next your winning, the spaniels are as good as a terrier so why the f**k would I leave em in the kennels, and just take the terriers??

[barraboy 28]

question wasnt aimed at you mate, each to their own. just seemed odd that somebody wanted a cocker to be like a terrier so it seemed an obvious question to ask and so i did. the answer seemed reasonable enough, as i say each to their own.