I had great difficulty finding a positive gundog trainer and up until now things have been fine. I think he is disappointed in Ripple as he was showing signs of being a good gundog. In some ways it is good as he could of gone on taking my money. But I agree maybe another or different sort of trainer could be a good idea, trouble is I don't know where to look, I have already come across quite a few I wouldn't go back to.
Yes, it’s hard to find a good gundog trainer, that’s for sure. Lots of trial and error, and you often have to be pretty sure of yourself before you even begin. Are you a member of the Positive Gundogs Facebook group? There are people who could help you out with advice on there.
@SteffiS I don’t know if this helps, but have you thought about having Ripple on lead and giving him a dead bird to hold as he walks beside you? The idea is that if he can’t sit or lie down then he can’t eat it. Then lots of praise for the hold. Choose a time when you can wait as long as necessary for him to hand it to you (after walking for a few minutes) and don’t let him sit or lie down while you wait. Eventually he’ll drop it at which point you shower him with good things, pick it up and hand it back to him for a repeat performance. I used this approach with Molly and dead seagulls and it has worked. Now she usually hands stuff over straight away but at the beach in the dark last week she found an 18 inch long fish. She didn’t want to leave it so I clipped on her lead, told her to bring it (along with a lot of chat about what a clever girl she was) and we walked back to the car. As soon as we got there she dropped it. Worth a try maybe.
Yes I am a member on there, at the moment I'm not sure what I want to do next. This is one of the things we tried yesterday and it became pretty obvious that Ripple doesn't actually need to sit or lie down to eat a dead bird, he seems to be able to move it back further in his mouth to try and just swallow it . I don't think I want to be letting him anywhere near a dead bird anytime soon . I can understand how it can work though, it's really good it worked for Molly.
Actually feeling totally depressed today and wondering whether Ripple could have a happier life with a different owner who could cope with him better .
Oh no don't think like that Ripple loves his poo eating, hoolying around, ignoring recall life. We just worry because we think we might not be enough for them. I don't take Stanley to any training, agility or anything like that and sometimes I worry that maybe I'm not doing enough. But I know he's happy in his little life. And you do lots more than me!! Ripple is definitely hard work, but he's a lovely boy and we can all tell you adore him. And know you wouldn't be happier without him.
Can't particularly help with the training @SteffiS (I'm all theory and no practice) but if you want to meet up for a bit of support, give me a shout. I agree with Jen, Ripple sounds very happy. I would worry that someone might "whip him into shape". Literally. This he would be less happy with.
Is all this training really that important? I have three happy, if slightly unruly, dogs and I train at their pace rather than mine. Two of them are never going to be gundogs so I just accept that. The other one has shown some interest but I have taken a break because she seemed to get bored with it after a while. A little more maturity might make all the difference with her. In the meantime, she is just having normal training for any dog and stepping that up as she does better and better at it and at her own pace. Maybe he just needs a break from it all to allow him to mature a bit more.
I think a lot of us have those days...if you take a step back and look objectively at all that Ripple has going for him, you'd see he's got a great life with you It's just his character to be a bit of a free spirit! I think his motto is - live life to the fullest That's not to say don't work on training issues, but we shouldn't beat outselves up if they aren't fitting into how we think they should be, or how others think they should be, at this specific moment in time. I think it's wise to take some time away from gundog training and work on other things that aren't as stressful for you, that will lead up to being able to take up gundog training again when he's in a better mental space for it. But there's really no rush so just take your time and don't beat yourself up
It would be good to meet up with the dogs if you don't think Ripple will corrupt Lilly. I know what you mean about 'whip him into shape', quite frankly I'm not even sure that would work. Sometimes I do wonder how happy he is at home, although he seems to love every minute of training, indoors it's a constant battle to stop him chasing the cats or eating something he shouldn't so he is restricted to the kitchen a lot of the time or to a room that I'm in so I can keep an eye on him. Also he never gets up to greet me when I come home from anywhere (unless I've got a shopping bag). On the other hand he always likes to keep an eye on me when we're out and seems to worry if he loses me - unless he eating something of course . Yes, but one day it's going to get him into trouble - either eating something that poisons him, or jumping enthusiastically at the wrong person .
Would you believe it - the little bu--er came back every time he was called this afternoon! And left (some) poo when he was off the lead. That's what is so frustrating, he knows it all but chooses when he does it.
Of course. Labs every time. I think my Oh wants another dog he keeps hinting and showing me pups he knows this is dangerous. It's a bit strange he would never say I miss Doug or go on get another he knows how happy the dogs make me but despite his not really liking dogs he seems to like ours. He's s bit of a strange one
So it's 10pm and we're in the lounge room. I hear Ella whinging/crying and suddenly realise that it's coming from Nathan's room. I run in and find her looking at Nathan and my heart leaps into my mouth. What's wrong?? I rip off his covers and find him sleeping peacefully so look back at Ella who is still softly whining and looking at Nathan. No, not at Nathan. Next to Nathan. At a teddy bear. That she can't reach.
Today we took Holly into Cardiff on the Park'n'Ride. She was definitely in a sensible mood and was an absolute joy. She didn't jump at anyone at the bus stop, sat (without being asked) while I paid the fare, and walked calmly up the aisle to a seat. During the journeys in and out of Cardiff she sat calmly with her head on my lap while Ruth and I stroked her ears. Going around the city she walked between us on a slack lead, occasionally inspecting the pavement for food scraps, but generally very well behaved. She waited patiently outside shops and did her usual 'bored dog' routine to trap strangers into giving her a pat. Sometimes I'm so proud of my dog
