Allan P Cattapult Fork

[Truther 1,579]

Its no use using a catty on a young pup, they just don't understand, you concentrate on the bonding, basic training, and getting it interested in game. When its an adolescent and knows a bit about what it should and shouldn't do, you correct any unwanted behaviour with a smack on the arse, as the dogs doing it, no need to hurt it, use soft/light ammo (aniseed balls are pretty accurate) you do it when a good chance comes up, and at a short distance, they soon understand you have control over them even off the lead. You don't want to be shooting to hit the dog at a distance, but you don't have to, you just shoot near the dog, rattle one through the trees or a bush or whatever near enough for the dog to hear it, i can stop my lurcher in its tracks even running game with one through a tree.

 

The biggest problem if you're training a dog to work with you and the catty is "running in" you spot some game and want to get close enough for a shot, but the dogs instincts make it want to run the game if its in plain sight, a dog that runs in loses you lots of chances at game, its hopeless. Its hard to get loads of chances at ground game, but its easy to get chances at pheasants when there's plenty about early season, and they're not spooky, so you walk up to pheasants keeping the dog at heel, if it runs in, and it will, you hit it one up the arse, it learns not to run in, i can walk the lurcher up to any game at heel without him running in, even rabbits, thousands of hours, hundreds of times repeating the same thing, but it works.

 

A shock collar is a shock collar, the dog knows it, even a dumb dog must know what its for, and resent it, and you for putting it on it? The catty's a tool, one that my dogs fully understand, it drops game for them to grab, in their mind its brings them pleasure, but if they do something wrong they know it smarts a bit, the point being a shock collar is 100% negative to the dog, the catty isn't, and they don't seem to hold it against you for a clip. I use one word as a warning, "na then" in my Yorkshire brogue, i sometimes dangle the catty while saying it for the dog to see, i think i clipped the lurcher once last year for a run in early season, and a few through trees when he got a bit far away. Its harder with the little bitch, the spaniel in her gets the better of her, and its tricky asking a dog to work cover hard, then want it to stop running in, i don't use the catty on her tbh, but she's picked up the behaviour from the lurcher, and i walk her up to game with him, she's not bad if she's close, no chance at a distance.

[Allan P 1,150]

Good read that Truther I did dismiss the idea at first but can see how it works. The dog does get a bit hyper and can be headstrong at times and needs checked so can see this working just to steady him up. I will give it a go.

[Truther 1,579]

I should have said, don't try to do it around other dogs, dogs bounce off each other, go out with a mate and their dog/dogs will change everything, your dog will be competing with their dogs, a bit of unruly behaviour influenced by another dog/s is to be expected, its not fair or very smart to try and curb your dogs behaviour under those circumstances. I hunt alone, the lurcher was trained before i added the bitch, its a totally different thing to having a day out with other dogs, i don't get uptight about a bit of unruly behaviour when its caused by competition between the dogs when i have the odd walk with a mate. My dogs aren't badly behaved even with other dogs around, but i don't have the same control, the bitch doesn't even work properly round other dogs tbh, specially lurchers, she don't like bigger dogs running about near her?

 

I hope nobody reads this and thinks whacking dogs left right and center with a catty is an easy way to train dogs, it won't work. Go steady with it, get the timing right and it helps a lot though, and some dogs are going to be better than others, i don't want dogs that fight me mentally anyway, been there done that. And my dogs aren't "perfect" by a long chalk, i haven't turned them into robots, just put a lot of work in so they don't do my head in, and do the job i want pretty well, that's enough for me.