At The Risk Of Sounding Stupid......

[Nik_B 3,790]

Anyone who thinks Labs are docile lumps can come and meet mine

[RubyTex 1,957]

 

Good choice

 

I've brought my two up differently, the dog had an outdoor kennel for the first 5 years of life the pup has been inside since day 1, both different characters, pup 100mph dog relaxed, pup likes tennis balls dog doesn't, pup was round kids the dog wasn't....both bring something to the table when out in the shooting field...pup excellent beating dog excellent picking up...done his time in the beating line the poor sod lol

 

Different strokes for different folks but IMO either way you can have a decent little dog

 

Read a few of your posts / replies (whatever the terminology is) and see 1 of yours is a non pedigree ? I think you said that...

I have been kinda torn between getting a dog in need of a home and doing my best with it and give it a chance, or

The other way I saw it was, If I'm paying good money for food, should I be putting it into a 'Good' / fancy / pedigree one????

 

I won't say money isn't a problem, cos, it always is.... but I'm of the mind that it could / would be a 'waste' for me (total novice / Dafty) to go and buy a 'fancy' dog.

 

Cheers

 

 

Yeah the pup was my pick of the litter and isn't KC reg, she's full Springer just didn't want or need to get her registered...that side doesn't interest me. You can get a rescue dog as such but i think you might be better off starting at the beginning with a young pup, you can go get a fancy dog but you need to put the time into it just like a 'none fancy' dog lol .......... you get out of it what you put in

 

I bought Tex out of a couple of working parents local, KC registered like but nowt fancy and i was a novice...read lots, watch dvds if you can, ask people and try and get out with good dogs and you won't go far wrong, take the dog to the clays to get it used to shot etc

[echo 24]

Get the kids to call the pup,puppy.They will keep repeating it untill it means nothing.Only you should use it;s proper name

[04fox8 168]

Anyone who thinks Labs are docile lumps can come and meet mine

I know they're not all like that, don't worry

 

But all the Labs I have seen are either like that, or Regimented to death!!

 

I'm up for the challenge of a Springer.

[04fox8 168]

Then you tick all boxes let the fun begin.

 

Re your last post if possible get a pedigree only as you may want to breed at some point

 

I wouldn't say I tick ALL the boxes, but I'm going to give it my best shot.....That's all I can do.

 

Pedigree - Probabally will go down that route if I'm being honest, But NOT guaranteed yet.

 

Looking like Spring Time now before it happens anyway, theory being it can get a good start off in the summer months...Don't know if it would make too much difference, but at least training wise it should tie-in with being ready for around the following years shooting time.

[Peter Tierney 0]

My dogs are in the house as pets Millie's works just as good as any dog on the shoot she's even won a couple of tests so I wouldn't worry about the kids having fun with the pup I even get the kids to help me with training

[hily 379]

My dogs are in the house as pets Millie's works just as good as any dog on the shoot she's even won a couple of tests so I wouldn't worry about the kids having fun with the pup I even get the kids to help me with training

I can vouch for millie she's a canny little dog but I am sure you'v got a few rules for the kids

[04fox8 168]

Cheers for the replies, Pup will be in kennel from day 1. I'm not a total b**tard, so kids can have some fun with it.

Just finished reading another book yesterday, but still not 100% sure about the non - training time.

 

Should they get off the leads and have a 'free for all' when out and about, or should it be kept on the lead at all times when not getting the 'training' ?

 

Read, and re-read, Watched and Re-Watched and each time I'm picking up something more. Maybe attention was taken up by watching what the handler was doing, then watch it again, and concentrate on the dog and then 3rd time and I kinda 'get' what I'm being told.

 

Think if it had been videos I'd been watching over and over, they'd be f**ked by now!

[Nik_B 3,790]

Dog needs to be very well socialized, take it everywhere, let children play with it and pat it. Don't be protective, if the dog becomes desensitized to loud noise, traffic, people even having its fur pulled or being approached it will be much calmer. It will need to experience other dogs but I wouldn't let it play with them, puppy class is what you want. If the dog ignores other dogs by looking at you it is less lively to send negative signals to another dog or attract bad attention.

 

Off lead time can come when it had a perfect recall in my opinion. Otherwise the dog will soon learn it can get away from you. You can leave a long 5 or 10m line and let it run about and then tie it in with recall. If you read Casso's and Skycats posts on here you will see they are both big advocates of positive training and also using the dogs natural prey drive to reward the dog, when the dog comes to you give it something amazing (not food) like a retrieve or play with some rabbit skin or even a bit of tug and play. If the dog sees the sun shining out of your bum it will be less interested in the other stuff.

[04fox8 168]

Cheers for that.

 

Yes, I've been reading back through this whole section (currently at page 60)

Only really been reading the posts which stood out as spaniel related, but once I get to the end, I'll be reading back through some of the others.

 

Some very good posts / answers from people who certainly appear to know what they're speaking about. I say appear, cos I don't know anyone from Adam on here, no disrespect.

 

Like I said originally, I just don't want to f**k it up from the start, I'd rather appear an idiot before / without a dog, than actually be one with a dog!

 

[gonetoearth 5,144]

The journey you are embarking on is frought with succes and failure , I have never trained a gundog in my life but was trained how to command gundogs , Simple Straight forward instructions. You blow that wistle you want a reaction you dont get one get out to the dog and correct it , All drumed in to me in the same way the trainer had drummed it in to genorations of dogs. Go on a training day for handeling is my advise Its the human that makes mistakes How can you teach some thing you have never been taught , not saying you wont achievie it but a day with an old hand is well worth it

Good luck

Edited October 28, 2013 by gonetoearth

[04fox8 168]

The journey you are embarking on is frought with succes and failure , I have never trained a gundog in my life but was trained how to command gundogs , Simple Straight forward instructions. You blow that wistle you want a reation you dont get one get out to the dog and correct it , All drumed in to me in the same way the trainer had drummed it in to genorations of dogs. Go on a training day for handeling is my advise Its the human that makes mistakes How can you teach some thing you have never been taught , not saying you wont achievie it but a day with an old hand is well worth it

Good luck

Fair Point.

As mentioned before, I've got a spaniel trainer close to me, Plan is to try and spend some time with him.

I'll just be watching and learning.

 

[gonetoearth 5,144]

 

The journey you are embarking on is frought with succes and failure , I have never trained a gundog in my life but was trained how to command gundogs , Simple Straight forward instructions. You blow that wistle you want a reation you dont get one get out to the dog and correct it , All drumed in to me in the same way the trainer had drummed it in to genorations of dogs. Go on a training day for handeling is my advise Its the human that makes mistakes How can you teach some thing you have never been taught , not saying you wont achievie it but a day with an old hand is well worth it

Good luck

 

Fair Point.

As mentioned before, I've got a spaniel trainer close to me, Plan is to try and spend some time with him.

I'll just be watching and learning.

 

you wont regret it. Good luck

[GEOFF.223 83]

Hate when people tell me a gun dog can't be a pet aswell.

 

My 2 year old springer (amber) is more like my child than a pet.

 

She lays on the sofa sleeps on the bed continually wants to play in the house THEN out comes the gun or were at our local game shoot helping out and she turns into a different dog eyes wide and alert and paw up sitting eager to please.

 

I've had many of argument with guys telling me I can't treat her as a pet aswell as a working dog then they see her working better than there dogs and then ask would you sell her. This has happened 3 times now with the best offer of £700.

 

When Im training her im very strict and don't let her away with anything.

 

Best advise I can give is be strict not aggressive,

And let it be a pup and enjoy it, it wont last long.

[RubyTex 1,957]

Hate when people tell me a gun dog can't be a pet aswell.

 

My 2 year old springer (amber) is more like my child than a pet.

 

She lays on the sofa sleeps on the bed continually wants to play in the house THEN out comes the gun or were at our local game shoot helping out and she turns into a different dog eyes wide and alert and paw up sitting eager to please.

 

I've had many of argument with guys telling me I can't treat her as a pet aswell as a working dog then they see her working better than there dogs and then ask would you sell her. This has happened 3 times now with the best offer of £700.

 

When Im training her im very strict and don't let her away with anything.

 

Best advise I can give is be strict not aggressive,

And let it be a pup and enjoy it, it wont last long.

 

When we first got Tex i was only 16 and it was my dad who had final say so he was asking the lads on the shoot advice etc...anyway they said if you're getting a dog it MUST go outside otherwise if it's in the house it will soften up and refuse to work in the cold etc :hmm:which is a load of bollocks! Mine both sleep out in the kennel and have the run of the garden but come in the living room when someones in and the pup sleeps on the couch lol no worries about them going soft whatsoever when they swim in the north sea all year round!!