brenner 773 Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Have a young cocker bitch from working lines. Im used to using terriers for bushing so im not too well up on cockers except the research i done on here before getting her. Anyway.. ive noticed that if she picks up on scent leading into tight cover, shes in like flynn ! No bother. Or if i point in to a patch of bramble and tell her to have a look, she will most of the time. But...... If she chases a rabbit from out in the open and it hits the cover, she hits the brakes and sometimes wont follow even if i point her in. Anybody come across this type of behavior before? Could it be that she is watching and learning from my whippet that she hunts with ? Or maybe something more complex like she sees rabbit dissapear so in her gundog mind she has flushed the quarry , so job done ! but in reverse .. if that makes sence. Any opinions from lads or lassies with experience of handling these dogs much apprieciated. Quote Link to post
jessdale 416 Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 A day out on any shoot in the UK will tell you a gundog does not naturally stop to the flush? Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 A day out on any shoot in the UK will tell you a gundog does not naturally stop to the flush like i say, im not well up on these dogs. That puts that theory to bed then. Thanks for reply Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Definitely worth taking it out on its own. Has she found in cover? Once they've had a couple of chases inside the cover should get the hang of it. How old is it and has she had any fur in her mouth? yeh joe. The funny thing is she has had plenty of chases in cover and has had fur in her mouth a couple of times Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Forgot to add, shes about ten months. And yeh i am deffo gonna take her out on her own or with my mates bushing terrier and see does it make a difference Quote Link to post
Andycox81 6 Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 Hi there definitely take it out alone spend some time working flushing areas cockers are brilliant in the the thick of it mine will not stop in any cover until he has pushed it through and knows it's clear your probably find its an age thing and hasn't been rewarded for pushing through rough cover, I mean none of us would want too go through rough brambles etc. Trust me once they have the idea and know what to expect and what needs too be done there isn't a bush that would stop them. Keep working on it alone and it will come. 1 Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Hi there definitely take it out alone spend some time working flushing areas cockers are brilliant in the the thick of it mine will not stop in any cover until he has pushed it through and knows it's clear your probably find its an age thing and hasn't been rewarded for pushing through rough cover, I mean none of us would want too go through rough brambles etc. Trust me once they have the idea and know what to expect and what needs too be done there isn't a bush that would stop them. Keep working on it alone and it will come. thanks andy. Will do Quote Link to post
Casso 1,261 Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Hi there definitely take it out alone spend some time working flushing areas cockers are brilliant in the the thick of it mine will not stop in any cover until he has pushed it through and knows it's clear your probably find its an age thing and hasn't been rewarded for pushing through rough cover, I mean none of us would want too go through rough brambles etc. Trust me once they have the idea and know what to expect and what needs too be done there isn't a bush that would stop them. Keep working on it alone and it will come. 100% good post , For me 10 months equates to just having gone through puberty , I don't believe in this 1 year for them is 7 to us bullshit , It's like equating the desire or mindset of a young teenager to a fully grown man , the maturity isn't there yet , the drive is only blossoming it's not concreted in yet , As the man says keep at it , encourage it , your positive feedback will progress it , best of luck Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks lads. Thats encouraging feedback. I got her at 5 months and she hadnt seen the outside of a pen. Terrified of me and the world around her. Brought her out to socialise her with the pack the next day to a spot with plenty of cover and rabbits and despite her social hangups.. her natural drives just kicked in and she was following her nose through some rough stuff , in highend sight maybe i should have held her back as the cover i work is fairly testing but truth be told i really think the work helped her to come out of herself and forget her " troubles" . Ive been watching her closer since i first started thread and i deffinitly think she is copying her hunting partener( the whippet) at times. Ie. Stopping at cover if she is chasing and sees rabbit hit cover in front of her, yet if she gets a blow from inside cover , has no problem entering.just to add i have to say ive never been as impressed with the trainability , work ethic and intelligence of a dog before. I dont consider myself a good trainer of dogs yet this little bitch was trained to drop, sit and stay to a hand signal, change direction/ come in on whistle and retrieve a thrown freshly killed rabbit to hand all in very short training periods. ( maybe nothing compared to what a gundog would be doing at her age) but i am just using her for a bit of bunny bashing and ferreting. Anyway....Ive taken something helpfull from both of the last two posters / to take her out on her own. And also give her more time to mature and figure out exactly whats expected of her. Thanks again lads for the help Quote Link to post
Miesque 20 Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Do you want her to stop to flush? Or are you happy for her to chase/run in? The latter is the dream world of most cockers! Stop to flush/shot is the most time consuming bit of standard spaniel training as they'd love to chase! Take her out lone and get her confidence up that when you direct her to cover there is something there, even if that means going out yourself first and chucking rabbit skin dummies or balls into the cover for her to find. Lots of praise when she does go in! Quote Link to post
brenner 773 Posted April 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Do you want her to stop to flush? Or are you happy for her to chase/run in? The latter is the dream world of most cockers! Stop to flush/shot is the most time consuming bit of standard spaniel training as they'd love to chase! Take her out lone and get her confidence up that when you direct her to cover there is something there, even if that means going out yourself first and chucking rabbit skin dummies or balls into the cover for her to find. Lots of praise when she does go in! no. Im happy enough for her to chase on, as most rabbits i bolt have a very good chance of making it to the next piece of cover.. its that close. So its a plus when she bolts and carries on the hunt but thats a good idea.. i have a dummy i could use to get her in and give more oppertunities for praise for finding. Thanks for the tip Quote Link to post
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