I'm really sorry to Stuffster because I was completly cr@p and due to all the stuff that's going on never managed to get her over, though I suspect she may have been in a similar situation
Wherry still goes out shooting with OH maybe once a week during season and we go beating too. Gizzy even came out on a few drives this year though some would forwn on that as she is too young.
Wherry has so much hunt/retreive instinct it's unreal so we've not done a lot of formal gun dog training with her but while she does ok she could be loads better. Gizzy has less retreive in her which we are working on but she'll make a good beating dog once she stops her independant ways.
The dog must be 100% on recall, sit/stay, stop, for the basics. Training is as much as you would put into hard training any dog but obviously there is more at stake and it has to be 100% no ifs and buts. Many people think when training a gun dog it should be kenneled, you can't play tug or chase etc. but it depends on to what extent you want it to be trained. If you do 1/2 hr a day targeted training for a year you'ld have a much better trained dog than Wherry
For me I think it's unfair to treat Giz and Wherry purely as 'gundogs' for just a couple of dozen days a year so they are pets who dabble. I've seen some amazing cocker gun dogs but they have been residentally trained, full on.
They always say with any training 15 mins 3 x a day os better than 1 hour all in one go. We kind of try to bring training into everyday so like it's sit/stay before getting dinner or a treat.
I think you can work a show dog, you'ld have to keep the coat very short though. I'd say if you get the chance to work and are very active in your lifestyle then a worker is better but if you just do it maybe once or twice a year and have a more sedate lifestyle a show would be fine.
