Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161059#msg161059 date=1430725114] And he's getting much, MUCH better. We did have to do some turns and resets but we got all the way down the hill to the postbox yesterday ;D we were walking in the middle of the road but it's all progress! ;D [/quote] Yay! I know the feeling of getting to the postbox! It's a good one!
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9805.msg161061#msg161061 date=1430725692] [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161059#msg161059 date=1430725114] And he's getting much, MUCH better. We did have to do some turns and resets but we got all the way down the hill to the postbox yesterday ;D we were walking in the middle of the road but it's all progress! ;D [/quote] Yay! I know the feeling of getting to the postbox! It's a good one! [/quote] It's good to have goals The thought of being able to post a letter WITH my dog is a heady feeling indeed!! ;D
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161062#msg161062 date=1430726113] The thought of being able to post a letter WITH my dog is a heady feeling indeed!! ;D [/quote] Small acorns, very important.... Where will you go for the "spaniel experts"? Any nearby?
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9805.msg161064#msg161064 date=1430726607] Where will you go for the "spaniel experts"? Any nearby? [/quote] I wanted to go to Exmoor training yesterday but OH was away and my parents couldn't look after Lizzie all day but I shall see if Debbie or Heidrun have time in the week or even WGT#1. The spaniel trainers nearby are pretty traditional and I'm not about to pick Obi up by his ears, I'd rather travel to the right people and it's actually easier to take a day off and do it. Doesn't also help that Lizzie is a bit poorly and there's a chance she's developing chicken pox as it's going around at the moment so obviously she'll need to be looked after first poor little sausage.
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161065#msg161065 date=1430727103] I'm not about to pick Obi up by his ears [/quote] Eeek! No way.... Hope Lizzie doesn't develop chicken pox, and feels better soon, poor girl.
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=JulieT link=topic=9805.msg161085#msg161085 date=1430735853] [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161065#msg161065 date=1430727103] I'm not about to pick Obi up by his ears [/quote] Eeek! No way.... [/quote] Sadly I've seen it done but at least I know that's what they do with their own dogs. I'm pretty sure they know my stance on that as I've told them but it doesn't make them enthused to help me with my spaniel when I start by telling them I don't agree with their methods. I don't consider that a loss though, I shall just have to get in my car!
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=bbrown link=topic=9805.msg161088#msg161088 date=1430736324] I don't consider that a loss though, I shall just have to get in my car! [/quote] No, no loss at all. Well, at least you have somewhere to go for good quality training. Even if it's a bit of a drive.
Re: Obi spaniels training log OMG what a good time we had this evening! We walked to our training field. Far from perfect but no real train impressions Then I wouldn't say our pattern was perfect but he listened to every whistle and probably turned by watching me with no whistle about a third of the time. Hunted out the planted dummies well. Stopped when asked. Retrieved as reward for stop....almost everything delivered to hand with only a tiny amount of flyby action. I think the place boards have helped Obi but have also taught me to stand up straight and not rush so much which is my natural tendency. Very pleased today ;D
Re: Obi spaniels training log Good little lad Obi , he is doing so well Barbara , hoping Lizzie is ok now x
Re: Obi spaniels training log Woo hoo! Sounds brilliant- proper spanielling ;D ;D Best wishes to Lizzie, hope it's not too bad if it is chicken pox xx
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=Merla link=topic=9805.msg161133#msg161133 date=1430761340] proper spanielling ;D ;D [/quote] Moments I think! Moments ;D Thanks Kath (and Julie and Kate too )
Re: Obi spaniels training log Sounds great. Days like that (or moments like that) make it all worth while.....
Re: Obi spaniels training log [quote author=Stacia link=topic=9805.msg161141#msg161141 date=1430763479] That all sounds very positive as training a spaniel is not easy [/quote] After the fifth spaniel it tends to get a little easier! ;D Well done, Barbara, you are doing brilliantly.
Re: Obi spaniels training log Thanks everyone! It's good to write down when it goes well as a reminder on those darker days (I'm not sure I've got 5 spaniels in me!!!)
Warning: this post discusses shooting and retrieving birds Well it's been a while since I've shared any Obi training with you all I took Riley shooting on Friday and didn't have anyone to look after Obi so he had to come too. I thought he'd pretty much have to stay in the car and just come out at lunchtime. I was also very aware that it would be possible for him to ruin shooting by flushing birds if he legged it any point. We've done a LOT of work on our stop whistle, it's probably our strongest cue......we were going to need it! After Riley had had a good morning I was told to get the spaniel out - eek!!! The woman who owns the kennels where we train competes with Springers and Cockers and she was there to look after all the people with dogs. I only take Riley to class though, Obi only went to a few puppy classes but hasn't been there for many months. The gamekeeper is a spaniel man too and even has a couple of Clumbers. So we started out just on lead while two spaniels worked the cover followed by the guns and a pair of retrievers. Then the trainer said to let Obi "have a bop around" in the next bit of cover. I was nervous and kept him too close, talking to him a lot. I got told to leave him alone as he has to learn his job when it comes to hunting. If it's important for a lab to trust it's nose it's absolutely essential that a spaniel does otherwise they miss game. When a dog flushes birds they should sit automatically but obviously Obi doesn't do this yet as he's never flushed a bird or even been around when birds are being flushed so I needed to blow my stop whistle as each bird is flushed. As we walked up the first bit of cover on lead there was a partridge tucked in trying to keep out of the way so I encouraged Obi in and he bumped it with his nose for his first ever flush. He sat on his whistle beautifully. Once we were bopping around and I had let Obi get more than two feet from me he was doing a really nice job of hunting around, especially as there were other spaniels working alongside. Sometimes he would start following another dog in the way that dogs go and have a sniff together. He didn't interfere with them but I just needed to get him to hunt on his own so I called him back and set him off again. As the other spaniels flushed I would blow my stop and then as the shots went off he did have a jump occasionally as it was loud and he hasn't heard any shot that close. He sat to his stop brilliantly though I couldn't have been more pleased. The trainer would get me to call him back in while birds were retrieved rather than test his steadiness too much. Eventually he had a loose flush and sat to his whistle again. He was several metres from me and he parked his bum and looked at me for instruction The bird was shot and the keeper called out "Clumber! Your bird!" I was petrified!! Obi has never seen any feathers on a retrieve let alone a cold bird and certainly not a freshly shot partridge!!!! He's also a bit possessive occasionally but I was told he'd be fine and just to let him get on with it........ Obi kept trying to go back into the cover to hunt some more but the bird was in the stubble so I walked up to it with him. He started nosing it about and then gently picked it up, I reversed away from him recalling him all the time. I walked backwards several metres and then took his prize from him. He was completely awesome!!!! Everyone was very pleased for us and I was told to put his lead on, we were done for the day. I had the biggest grin! First flushes and first retrieve, big day out for the spanner. Back to dummies now to work on our retrieving. The received wisdom is not to train hunting and retrieving in the same session so I think that's why Obi kept trying to hunt on rather than looking for a bird. I need to get him to take a line now though so lots of training to be done. He needs to retrieve lots of places and start to generalise that behaviour more
