I need to host a bunny party! I'll order in the carrots! Haha I think that would probably work... perhaps once I find a good gundog trainer we could look into rabbit pen training, maybe that would help gradually to get her less over threshold. Although I do like the idea of turning my garden into a temporary bunny pen but actually, I don't even know whether it is bunnies that sends her mad - could be deer - my garden's not big enough for a deer party!
Yes you are right - that would help a lot - I guess I am just thinking it's unlikely that she will prefer rabbit ball to real rabbit, but I guess if it is exciting enough it might just reduce the chance that she goes and sniffs long enough to find scent. It's a shame, I don't want our outdoor time to be about trying to stop her sniffing, but currently sniffing time increases the chance that she will find something that sends her over threshold I think I will try bunny ball anyway, anything she vaguely likes that I am in control of has to be a bonus!
Maisie is a serious hunter, I mean super serious with a huge prey drive. For me gundog training has been my saviour. Now every off lead walk I always carry dummies, balls, etc to keep her engaged with me. She knows I have goodies in my bag and stays close in case she gets to do a retrieve or some training. If I allow her to do her own thing on walks she will become more and more interested in smells and will, after a number of walks start to become more and more aroused by all scents and smells and I have no control over her. I have to watch her body language and be ready to interrupt anything more than a casual sniff! I've found that mixing long off lead walks with shorter on lead/off lead walk during the week works well and keeps her hunting desire low. After our first shoot I had to spend two weeks drying her out as she completely lost the plot after being allowed to properly hunt. She was a panting, crazed, deaf mess when I took her out for a walk the next day. I spent the next two weeks going back to basic obedience, lead walks and only off lead for training, walked in new places so she looked at me for guidance. It worked and she soon came back down to earth! Basically I have to carefully manage her environment and keep her engaged so we can both have a relaxed walk!!
I've used rabbit skin dummies with Jess and she definitely finds them exciting. She's not much interested in normal gundog dummies but quivers with anticipation when I use the rabbit fur (I have two - a rabbit dummy and a rabbit tennis ball. She's very keen on them both). It's obviously a very different thing to the scent of a real rabbit but they definitely have an effect for Jess so it might be worth trying for a high value toy/distraction. It sounds like you're doing amazingly well with Indie's recall though, very impressive progress.
Thanks, that is interesting! Yes, I have noticed that if we have one mistake where she runs off after something, we take a big step back in control and it takes a while to put right. In fact all the problems started when she caught a pheasant that she stumbled over in a bush, and it blew her little puppy mind. I had got this idea of 'desensitisation' in my head and thought if I sat at the rabbit holes and let her mooch around sniffing until she got bored, rather that keeping them as this exciting place that she can only get to if she gives me the slip, it would help - but in fact I think it just made her more obsessed. It seems like, as you say, avoiding access to these things altogether is better for hunty dogs when working on control. We had an ok walk today where she had pretty good focus on me - but there were a few times where she definitely would have run off to inspect something if I hadn't got hold of the training line. It looks like we are going to be on this training line for a looong time!
Thanks we'll get there one day! Ok it sounds like I should buy a rabbity ball for her - I do like an excuse for 'necessary' dog purchases
I meant to ask you how you deliver your food rewards? Tossing bits of sausage or cheese is much more appealing and rewarding to my hunt driven cocker than posting them straight into his mouth. Sometimes it is these little things that can have a huge impact.
@Lara ,personally I wouldn't use a rabbit ball/dummy for her at the moment. I think you need to increase her desire for canvas dummies, balls etc as rabbit or feather dummies may take her over her threshold. I've been doing weekly gundog training with Maisie since May last year and I still only use canvas. She loves, loves, loves the rabbit or feather dummies, but to start with she would get too excited by them. I'm now at the point where I can use them in training, but I keep them for sessions with the trainer to keep them special and increase her drive.
Yep I throw treats, for stops, check ins, turns. She is constantly hunting the floor for flying food it did make a difference when I started that. Perhaps one in ten treats I will give her by hand though just to get that closeness occasionally.
Hmmm I have never had an issue with indie going over threshold from a toy or retrieve object - I am constantly working to try to get her to value her dummy more, over environmental things. I guess I can't imagine her being wild with desire for something like that, but you never know! The only problem that might happen is that when she gets hold of it she scurries off and lies down to try to chew the fur off. I found a bunny ball for £3.50 online, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to try once and if it's a disaster hide it away until we might need it again?
Could you take Indie to a football/Rugby ground where it's less scenty to do some training? Just a thought.
yes we can sometimes, we have a series of problems which makes it difficult, namely indie's fear of the car (which we are working on but slow progress) and her fear of the railway line which we have to cross if going by foot. Ooh she's a difficult little beast but hopefully as we work on these problems we might be able to make it more often! It's funny how a dog can be so timid and nervous in some contexts, and then way too independent and confident in others!
When Murffi my rescue cocker came to me he had a whole range of issues and problem areas. He still has to this day but I have learnt to work with him and around his issues. The first thing I did was to join a local dog training group. It was quite removed from my usual gundog training and was simply geared up for pet dog owners with their dogs of a whole variety of breeds. It taught me lots of things and created a strong bond between Murffi and me and ignited his love for clicker training. Is there anything near you that would fit the bill?
Bramble has a phenomenal prey drive, she shakes with excitement when she gets wind of pheasant. If she spots a rabbit or squirrel I am in trouble, I spent ages picking thorns out of her coat one day when she just dived into brambles! I have to be a bit careful around our chickens, OK if they are calm, if the flap she will grab it and bring it to me, where ever I am, including the kitchen. She is a lot better now, what has really helped is one of those lotus balls, it was suggested at one of our gun dog training classes. I stuff it with the very best treats( not the ones she gets on a daily basis), get really excited then throw it for her. I did build the game gradually though, so building her interest and understanding of the ball first, it took her a while to work out the treats were inside. It worked well at gun dog training on Sunday, where she was steady to the dummy launcher, amongst 9 other very excited dogs. Her reward was the lotus ball stuffed with roast chicken and cheese! lotus ball - I think I have the medium http://www.performancedog.co.uk/lotus-ball
Yes! We just joined a pet dog obedience class in January. It's really good actually - we were put in the basic (bronze award) class and indie can do all the exercises already, but it's good just to practice her listening to me with other dogs around, and also practising relaxing on her mat. Also we are enjoying being top of the class, which is something we are not used to the rest of the class is a motley crew indeed - a giant wilful Newfoundland who likes to bark, and knocks over three chairs and a jack russell just by turning round...and my favourite, a chubby bulldog who refuses to walk at all on the lead and has to be in the naughty corner following some cheese stuck on a stick I think most of indie's 'bond' with me during this is mediated by roast chicken but I think we both enjoy it (apart from having to go in the car, poor indie)
More necessary dog shopping! That sounds a great idea, thank you. Oh gosh, being brought a flapping chicken in the kitchen indie brought a wood pigeon in once and let it go before catching it again, I do not want to remember the horror - I hope the chickens fare better!
