Gun dog trainers - advice and help please

[Biddy]

Hi,

I am considering getting some help from a gundog trainer for me and Jake as I think we need some spaniel specific help with training.
We go to Kennel club training weekly and to 'Dog Intuition' training once a week it is held in a field which is great for distraction, but I think I need help that is specific to cockers.
Jake is 15 months old and whilst his recall to a whistle can be good I don't think I have proofed it very well and he seems to have a desires to go hunting! only natural I know but I am struggling to deal properly with this and feel like I am failing him.
I am trying to get him to stop to a stop whistle and we are making progress - I'm using Totally Gundogs web training for this and I am working on trying to get a reliable retrieve too. But these are all work in progress and I'm not sure if I am doing it right.
I don't plan on him being a gundog in fact we have our name down for Agility but there is a long waiting list!!
He is our first dog and is a delightful friendly little fellow and I don't want to have to keep him on a longline for ever and don't want to let him down by not training him properly, I am very cautious about letting him off the lead due to his strong hunting instinct and just hope I have not left it too late to get more help. Up until 7 months we had no problems at all and I rather naively thought we were doing well.
When I get his attention his recall is great and found Top Barks training great but proofing for situations where I am not as interesting as game is proving sooo difficult at times. We seem to have been stuck at the same level for so long.

We live in Wiltshire and i was considering contacting one of these trainers from the Gundog Club and was wondering if anyone had trained with them or knew if they were good ie will use reward based training.

http://www.thegundogclub.co.uk/?page_id=650

http://www.thegundogclub.co.uk/?page_id=881

Any help and advice would be so gratefully received.
Sorry this is a rambling post but I feel quite desperate at times and should have probably got help sooner. I don't really feel I can ask the trainer I go to as it is a group lesson and all the dogs have different issues.
We are working towards them being off lead for heel work etc and we are getting there.
I read about so many of your well trained dogs and just hope that I have not failed Jake too much.
I long for the day we can go for a walk in the woods or go on the moors or up Snowdon and he will walk or run around near us and have fun, but not on or dragging a long line.

Thanks in anticipation

Liz and Jake

[Helen]

I did go to Nick Coates for a 1 to 1 lesson with Jarvis was young - he is good (better with labs) but entirely focused on the dog working. The first thing he said I should put into place was to keep him on a slip lead until he was 18 months old and that he was either a pet or a working dog.  Fair enough if that's your thing but I do believe a working dog can be a pet as well as working dog.

Why don't you try here?   http://www.funfordogs.co.uk/  They do gundog training as well 

[spaniel07]

Depending on where abouts in Wiltshire you are then I can highly recommend Samantha Thorneycroft-Taylor at Languedoc gundogs.  She is based Nr Shaftsbury only uses kind methods and is very good with cockers as she has trained 2 of her own, I have one of their dogs Sprite ...

www.languedockennels.co.uk

[Biddy]

Thank you Helen and Spaniel07,

I'll look at the sites you recommend.

[spaniel07]

oops this is the website

http://www.languedocgundogs.co.uk/

sorry!!

[lindseyp]

Not sure where you are Liz but Tracy Corbin is based between Wareham & Bere Regis and is a first rate trainer  Worth a try if distance is do-able for you 

http://corbinsberegundogs.co.uk/

As far as failing Jake goes, I doubt very much that that is the case - 1). you have the most challenging breed in the gun-dog group on your hands and 2). he's 15 months old and at a very 'vibrant' stage - where everything is super fab and has to be tackled at 200miles per hour.
The training you have put in already is 'in there' and will all come together in time but you do have to  stick with it & persevere and the help of a good gun-dog trainer could be the right move for both of you, to help you through this tricky phase 

Good luck and hope to hear you've done that walk up Snowdon, lead free one day - all the hard work will be so worth it 

[Hannahc7]

Hi Liz,
I was going to go with Geoff Shore, based in Bristol as he is apparently amazing and does not worry about whether or not you will be working your dog, I spoke to him on the phone briefly and he sounds very knowledgable. In the end it turned out Maggie's breeder is a gundog trainer so am going to go to him instead when she is old enough.
Check out his website http://www.geoffshoregundogs.com/index.html
Good luck 

[Hannahc7]

Just realised Geoff was one of your links sorry 
Give him a call, it says a lot on his website about what he does, you could also do a couple of sessions and see what you think. Or ask him if you can go and watch a group session.

[Biddy]

Thank you lindseyp,

The link looks great, only problem is that it would probably take me the best part of two hours to get there.
I'm going to have to sort something but need to find someone a little nearer home I think.

Thank you for your kind words and for saying that he will come through, this is all new to me.
He is such a lovely boy, I will stick with it and get some help, and one day I'll will post that photo with no long line.

Thank you Helen and Spaniel07 your recommendations are just over an hour from me so more doable.
Geoff Shore is in Bath Bristol area so potentially nearer, his website has spaniels on it. I need to speak to them and see whether  any of them can offer us some training.
Thanks

[Biddy]

Thanks Hannahc7,
I will give him a ring.
Nice to hear a good recommendation and that he doesn't mind if he is not going to work.

Thanks for the help