Dyllan and recall

[Mich]

 It's all about the bond you have with your dog. He must be focused on you and look to you for the next command

It is but it is also about the phase the dog is going through.

In my opinion the teenage phase is not the time to be teaching new skills or altering commands.

Get a long line to keep him safe ( in my experience dogs don't always transfer behaviour they exibit when using the line anyway ) and let him off when you can so he can still have a good run.

Sometimes I think the teenage phase is something us dog owners have to "get through" and then commence traning afterwards.

 

[Jan/Billy]

Have you tried a stop whistle to stop the dog?

Out of interest how does this work? I imagine training a dog to "stop" is quite difficult?

I don't know about stop them but a whistle does help recall them --- I've used an acme gundog whistle in the past

Yeah I used to recall Billy with he whistle, had never heard of it being used to "stop"

Cheers 

[Millomite]

 It's all about the bond you have with your dog. He must be focused on you and look to you for the next command

It is but it is also about the phase the dog is going through.

In my opinion the teenage phase is not the time to be teaching new skills or altering commands.

Get a long line to keep him safe ( in my experience dogs don't always transfer behaviour they exibit when using the line anyway ) and let him off when you can so he can still have a good run.

Sometimes I think the teenage phase is something us dog owners have to "get through" and then commence traning afterwards.

 

He's still only 5 months, and I agree, I wouldn't be training mine yet. 6 months minimum for anything other than basic such as sit, stay and recall to his name. Persevere with the basics and it will come good

[Helen]

 It's all about the bond you have with your dog. He must be focused on you and look to you for the next command

It is but it is also about the phase the dog is going through.

In my opinion the teenage phase is not the time to be teaching new skills or altering commands.

Get a long line to keep him safe ( in my experience dogs don't always transfer behaviour they exibit when using the line anyway ) and let him off when you can so he can still have a good run.

Sometimes I think the teenage phase is something us dog owners have to "get through" and then commence traning afterwards.

 

He's still only 5 months, and I agree, I wouldn't be training mine yet. 6 months minimum for anything other than basic such as sit, stay and recall to his name. Persevere with the basics and it will come good

6 months is a little early imho to expect training to sink in with a cocker!
 
i think from very recent experience mich and i have a shared view that between 5 months to 1 year it is a difficult time to get any effective, reliable and consistent results from training. this time frame varies of course from dog to dog.  when my dog hit 11 months his 'hearing' came back and it is far far easier to train him with good results.   Training sessions in the adolescent peak are frustrating and no matter how 'attractive' you make yourself you sometimes lose out to another dog, a bird or a pile of horse poo.

The gamekeeper that bred jarv doesn't begin training his spaniels until a year old for beating or picking up, and i can see why.

perservere with dyllan, be consistent - some days will be good, some bad    most important thing is to have methods that will keep him 'safe' which will range from a long line to smelling like a german sausage factory with pockets packed full of sossij & livercake 

[Millomite]

6 months is a little early imho to expect training to sink in with a cocker!
 
i think from very recent experience mich and i have a shared view that between 5 months to 1 year it is a difficult time to get any effective, reliable and consistent results from training. this time frame varies of course from dog to dog.  when my dog hit 11 months his 'hearing' came back and it is far far easier to train him with good results.   Training sessions in the adolescent peak are frustrating and no matter how 'attractive' you make yourself you sometimes lose out to another dog, a bird or a pile of horse poo.

The gamekeeper that bred jarv doesn't begin training his spaniels until a year old for beating or picking up, and i can see why.

perservere with dyllan, be consistent - some days will be good, some bad    most important thing is to have methods that will keep him 'safe' which will range from a long line to smelling like a german sausage factory with pockets packed full of sossij & livercake 

Conversely, Ian Openshaw, the many time Field Trial Champion winner begins training around six months. I was watching him at the game fair in September and he had 8 week old cocker pups sitting and retrieving. Its all down to individual dogs.

All of the training DVDs I have watched say 6 months is when they start

[Helen]

6 months is a little early imho to expect training to sink in with a cocker!
 
i think from very recent experience mich and i have a shared view that between 5 months to 1 year it is a difficult time to get any effective, reliable and consistent results from training. this time frame varies of course from dog to dog.  when my dog hit 11 months his 'hearing' came back and it is far far easier to train him with good results.   Training sessions in the adolescent peak are frustrating and no matter how 'attractive' you make yourself you sometimes lose out to another dog, a bird or a pile of horse poo.

The gamekeeper that bred jarv doesn't begin training his spaniels until a year old for beating or picking up, and i can see why.

perservere with dyllan, be consistent - some days will be good, some bad    most important thing is to have methods that will keep him 'safe' which will range from a long line to smelling like a german sausage factory with pockets packed full of sossij & livercake 

Conversely, Ian Openshaw, the many time Field Trial Champion winner begins training around six months. I was watching him at the game fair in September and he had 8 week old cocker pups sitting and retrieving. Its all down to individual dogs.

All of the training DVDs I have watched say 6 months is when they start

just mine (and mich's) recent experience scott,  depends on your choice of training methods too (mine don't include ear pulling or shaking your gundog to 'encourage' learning, or other 'physical' methods).   Just out of interest, have you had cockers before or will your forthcoming pup be your first one?

[Jan/Billy]

  depends on your choice of training methods too (mine don't include ear pulling or shaking your gundog to 'encourage' learning, or other 'physical' methods).   

  Sorry bit naive here when it comes to workers but I didn't think people still used physical methods these days? 

[Millomite]

just mine (and mich's) recent experience scott,  depends on your choice of training methods too (mine don't include ear pulling or shaking your gundog to 'encourage' learning, or other 'physical' methods).   Just out of interest, have you had cockers before or will your forthcoming pup be your first one?

It will be my first cocker but second gundog. A lot of the same principles apply, just need to control the spaniels huting a bit more. I realise everything will not go 100% to plan. I've been reading and watching working cocker books and dvds for the past 3 years just trying to cover every base lol

[Millomite]

  depends on your choice of training methods too (mine don't include ear pulling or shaking your gundog to 'encourage' learning, or other 'physical' methods).   

  Sorry bit naive here when it comes to workers but I didn't think people still used physical methods these days? 

It's likely to go on with some trainers I suppose but I'm not an advocate of it. The only physical contact I have had with my dog through training is picking it up by the scruff of the neck and putting it back where it was told or where I blew the whistle. 99% of the time my dog responds to a change in voice tone

[Mich]

I spoke to lots of gundog trainers when Bails went through his difficult phase and i thought i had the dog from hell ( i don't he is amazing now ) They all said without exception, wait till he is 16 months! You are expecting too much too soon.

In the end I didn't have to wait that long, he started turning back at about 11 months old!

[Millomite]

I spoke to lots of gundog trainers when Bails went through his difficult phase and i thought i had the dog from hell ( i don't he is amazing now ) They all said without exception, wait till he is 16 months! You are expecting too much too soon.

In the end I didn't have to wait that long, he started turning back at about 11 months old!

Wait until 16 months for what?

[Mich]

To see the results I wanted. Which at the time was good recall.

Just think it is important to stress that the behaviour the dog exibits during the teenage phase is not always a good indicator of the type of gundog he or she may make.

Of course some dogs may not have this problem, fine great train them earlier, but with some you will need to wait till you see the results you want.

[supaspaniel]

just mine (and mich's) recent experience scott,  depends on your choice of training methods too (mine don't include ear pulling or shaking your gundog to 'encourage' learning, or other 'physical' methods).   Just out of interest, have you had cockers before or will your forthcoming pup be your first one?

It will be my first cocker but second gundog. A lot of the same principles apply, just need to control the spaniels huting a bit more. I realise everything will not go 100% to plan. I've been reading and watching working cocker books and dvds for the past 3 years just trying to cover every base lol

So long as you realise its not going to be easy. Training a working cocker is completely different to any other gundog. They are a challenge, but worth it. My OH(gamekeeper) actually cheated with Dash and Steve Wanstall from Kent had him for a month He did an amazing job. However my OH began all the basic obedience with Dash right from day one when we brought him home at 8 weeks.He took him everywhere with him,even I took him to syay with my parents with my show types so that re-enforced his want to be with a please us hooman beans. That was something he hadnt done with his other cocker, taking wrong advice.
I guess my point is that each dog whatever the breed is different, So just be prepared for it to not be quite as easy as you seem to think 

[Cob-Web]

The only physical contact I have had with my dog through training is picking it up by the scruff of the neck and putting it back where it was told or where I blew the whistle.

[Millomite]

So long as you realise its not going to be easy. Training a working cocker is completely different to any other gundog. They are a challenge, but worth it. My OH(gamekeeper) actually cheated with Dash and Steve Wanstall from Kent had him for a month He did an amazing job. However my OH began all the basic obedience with Dash right from day one when we brought him home at 8 weeks.He took him everywhere with him,even I took him to syay with my parents with my show types so that re-enforced his want to be with a please us hooman beans. That was something he hadnt done with his other cocker, taking wrong advice.
I guess my point is that each dog whatever the breed is different, So just be prepared for it to not be quite as easy as you seem to think 

Oh I know it won't be easy, I got one for the challenge