It seems to have gone in a blink but after 2.5 years, at long last I see the improvement in Coral, so much so that I trust her
She no longer runs off and would rather stay with me - she's completely focused when out working and takes hand signals as well as whistle. Retrieving dummies is no issue, marks, straight out and straight back to hand. She will stop at distance and stays there until released - however long that is.
Saturday on the walk she was really good. Stayed close when asked, hunted well when asked and played/didn't hunt when released. The only misdemeanour was due to me not paying attention and Coral scenting a pheasant, which she duly flushed then chased - but - came back quickly. Still a work in progress on steadiness.....when faced with game!
Sunday she worked well in a local wood, had 3 retrieves (all difficult, including a go-back which 2 months ago she couldn't have done without hunting every inch of woodland on the way...)
Yesterday. We headed up to North Wales for help with steadiness and stock training. She was sat up by a gate while a flock of sheep were herded past her at some speed - and didn't move a paw. The sheep were moved around the field, around her and she sat fast
the trainer then moved us onto pigeons which she flushed two, sat on shot but wouldn't retrieve
(flushed a third and chased it
) so work in progress......after which she went in to the pen. Flushed a rabbit, was moving so fast she ran through the stop whistle but.....checked herself and corrected back to where the whistle was blown! To say we were both pleased was an understatement
I now need to work on her retrieve of game - she didn't want to pick up a warm rabbit the previous training session and this time the warm pigeons. I currently have a partridge defrosting to do some training tomorrow and suspect she will pick it up ok - any hints on getting her to retrieve warm game?
We still have a long way to go but I wanted to share - not least for anyone else out there with a wayward, self rewarding, self hunting spaniel......it can be done, it just takes time and allowance for a lot of growing up/maturing. She has far better impulse control now, noticeably better in the last month - Coral is now 31 months old!
It's unlikely she will be out working this side of Christmas but I have hope that January will see her out for a few drives over a few days