So we went to the Hampshire Gundog training class this evening and Riley was so overwhelmed at the sight of 35 odd dogs he wouldn't take a treat or show any interest in a dummy let alone blind retrieves in knee high grass. All in all enormously disappointing I think we were in the wrong class but a long, hard think required on what to do next......
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Oh, what a shame. That must have been disappointing indeed. I guess now you know what you both need to work on - getting him used to and able to relax/focus on you in the context of large groups of dogs and people doing interesting/strange/fun things. Is there a less expensive opportunity to do that in your area?
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve A blind retrieve from long grass on the first night of training sounds quite advanced to me.
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve We were in the next group up from puppy/beginner mostly because the beginner group was massive so the spaniels got put in the general spaniel group and i went up a group. To be completely fair, the blind retrieve was the hardest thing and we started off with some heelwork and marked retrieves. Also the instructor was very kind and helpful, i just felt a bit stupid. Especially when riley had been retrieving out of water only this morning! Apart from the obvious other dog overload i think we were in the wrong group because riley and i haven't done much hunting and i haven't put any commands - voice or whistle - around what little hunting we have done. A bit of a must for the knee high grass. The lessons are a bargain so im not worried about that
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve How old is Riley? I've noticed that Pops is far more likely to run in on a retrieve when other dogs are around - bit embarrassing at classes at times, but we persevere because I know that she is learning, through being with other dogs and their owners, that not every retrieve is for her. But 35 dogs sounds an awful lot! I'm guessing he will get more used to the situation with time, but hopefully a few people will drop out and things will become a bit easier for him.
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Sounds like an overwhelming situation got to Riley. Might be worth another try when he'll know what to expect. I find with Lady she's no good training retrieves when other dogs are around mainly because she's firstly very timid and submissive with other dogs and secondly she's too easily distracted. With real birds she knows the difference and focus is her middle name and you could have a pack of hounds runnign through and they wouldn't distract her! I'd give it another whirl and if that's no goodmaybe some one to one would be better. Regards, Clueless Lingfield
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Rileys two now and other dogs have always been our biggest distraction. There weren't 35 dogs in our class, they were split between classes but were all milling around in the farmyard before we started. One of the main reasons for going was to put us in a situation with other dogs around but I made two mistakes (at least!!!) I underestimated the impact of all the dogs on Riley and I forgot the golden rule - when you make one thing harder keep everything else simple.
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Oh Barbara , I feel your pain , really do . I remember when I took Sam for his first 1-1 gundog training before his first birthday, having told the trainer that his recall was good , the first thing he did was to run off up to other dogs on the moor and ignore me . I realise with him that his senses become heightened in new situations , even now at almost two, he tends to bristle with excitement and has to be reminded . Sounds like it was maybe just a little too much too soon for Riley , dont despair please , Sympathetic from Cornwall x
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Hiya, did you guys always plan to gun dog train or is it something you have had to do to keep your dogs busy? Some days I feel like we failing at the basic training. (Me, not poor Amy!). And will never archive anything other than the basic.
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve jade, we have the same, i am just putting it down to hes only a baby, only this morning i said to my son, we need to do more training,,we have only got the basics yet, but will keep trying, some times i think its me verses my son, , when he takes him out he says hes brilliant, sure hes telling lies
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve I certainly didn't plan to do gun dog training with Pops - having always had show bred labs before I just really wanted a nice easy companionable house dog. It was the other half who insisted on a working strain lab! But once she was with us I started to realize how much she lived for retrieving, and how clever she is, and that it was quite central to her personality to work. And now I love doing the training too, and we are a team, so all is good! She will probably never actually be used for shooting though (although you never know...)
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Us clueless first time dog trainers together! Did you see my post about what other tricks I can train her? I have been naming her toys and will now touch them when I ask and when lined up in front of her. (only two but will name more soon. )
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve I had always thought in would at least start gun dog training if only to have a framework to train in as I didn't know anything about having a dog. I've posted before on how amazing I find Riley's natural instincts to retrieve and it made sense to work with that. Most of all though we wanted a good natured, biddable pet Having a baby when Riley was a year old definitely dented our progress and I do get some funny looks when people find out he's two as I think they would have an immaculately trained dog by then but I try to remind myself that I'm a beginner and I have to juggle looking after a baby and soon work with Riley's training. Compared to a lot of dogs we meet walking he's pretty good and we even get occasional compliments on how well trained he is. By gun dog standards we're a complete disaster He's pretty good in the half a dozen locations we usually train in and we've started some directional work and some stop whistle training. I think the key thing I got from the embarrassment of last night was how picky I need to be. The trainers attitude was.....he doesn't need a pee so stop him, don't let him sit askew make him sit alongside you properly etc etc and his advice was the dummy needs to be his whole world, all his free time should be training oriented. He's allowed to play but only on your terms and not so much that that's all he wants to do, make him work for his playtime. I could have been having a conversation with Heidrun And he's right, if I want Riley to retrieve dummies well. I just need to think about what we really want.....
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Your situation sounds very similar to mine Barbara . I soon realised that Sam had an amazing ( well I would say that !) aptitude for retrieiving, its his world . I knew that we would never actually use him for the gun, those days are long gone but , like you, I wanted a biddable dog, well balanced and sociable with it and so decided to use the natural instinct as a training tool . As far as the execution of retrieving goes, Sam falls short but it doesnt matter too much to me , he responds well to a dummy or ball and always returns , so am happy with this level , for now . Dont let one poor performance upset you Barbara , Riley is lovely
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve Thank you all for your support You'll be pleased to know lizzie is napping so to make sure I'm not completely barking we popped into the garden and yes he does retrieve!! Enthusiastically! So I have dug out my traditional green dummy and rolled it in mud so it looks like my grandfather gave it to me. I've found some dark green/brown clothes, some boots and a slightly strange hat(green of course). We might just about fit in now I've made a little check lead for Riley's collar and most importantly thought hard about what we need to practice in the next two weeks. Bring it on! ;D
Re: So overwhelmed Riley won't eat or retrieve I like your attitude, Barbara! ;D As a matter of interest has Riley been retrieving other people's dummies before or do you only ever use your own dummies? You didn't have a problem at Steve's training weekend with regards to retrieving, did you? Steve always uses his own dummies if I remember rightly. I have seen dogs who refused to pick up anything other than their own dummy.
