Boarding school

[crazyspaniels]

but if you put all the work in then surely you want the satisfaction of knowing if someone comments that you have a well trained dog, that you did it yourself. If I was on a shoot and someone said I had a well trained dog I woudld be so chuffed, but if I had sent my dog away then I would have to say that someone else had trained my dog to have the control it had, again just me, and no matter how nice someone was I would not send my dogs away. If needs be I would rather spend 2 weeks staying in a tent nearby to the trainer who had access to the live game, go and train with them everyday and not have a holiday - then I could enjoy my dog - not having access to game is different from someone training your dog to have the control you lack - and thats not me saying I have great control at all, I have alot to work on, but I would want to do it. Most gundog owners do not have access to game, only game keepers or those with large kennels and rabbit pens have game to work on and alot of them manage just fine.

[Jan/Billy]

If needs be I would rather spend 2 weeks staying in a tent nearby to the trainer who had access to the live game, go and train with them everyday and not have a holiday - then I could enjoy my dog -

I'd be the same

[Nicola]

I'm happy enough knowing that I've done the majority of it myself and knew when to step back and let someone more experienced take over some of it.

How about this then - I get a lot of pride and satisfaction from working Tilly and having people comment on how good she is yet I didn't do any of her training at all as I didn't get her until she was 2 - so am I wrong to feel proud of her because I didn't train her myself??! Should I feel guilty that I do feel satisfied and happy when someone comments on her (although I do always say that she is a rescue, it doesn't bother me and I don't really need the validation of people admiring my training skills, I don't work the dogs to make me look good. I'm just happy if someone likes my dogs and is nice enough to comment on it)

[Cazzie]

but if you put all the work in then surely you want the satisfaction of knowing if someone comments that you have a well trained dog, that you did it yourself. If I was on a shoot and someone said I had a well trained dog I woudld be so chuffed, but if I had sent my dog away then I would have to say that someone else had trained my dog to have the control it had, again just me, and no matter how nice someone was I would not send my dogs away. If needs be I would rather spend 2 weeks staying in a tent nearby to the trainer who had access to the live game, go and train with them everyday and not have a holiday - then I could enjoy my dog - not having access to game is different from someone training your dog to have the control you lack - and thats not me saying I have great control at all, I have alot to work on, but I would want to do it. Most gundog owners do not have access to game, only game keepers or those with large kennels and rabbit pens have game to work on and alot of them manage just fine.

I agree with you Freya but its not always suitable in every case. I dont hink charlie would have space for 60 tents in his place for 6 months at a time, but totally see where you are coming from. We all have different ideas and standards and if sending a dog away for a couple of weeks to aid its training then I certainly would. This is the reason due to the lack of my experience in training gun dogs at the moment to a high standard I will rely on Pro trainers to help me in training my dogs. Until I reach the level where I dont need their help and can train a dog efficinetly enough to present at a shoot I will continue to extract their help. I want the very very best for my dogs and I want them to to fullfill their potential as thats why I have them. If they prove to be failures so what but at least I have tried my very very best to advance them into dogs that can work superbly.  

[Alpha]

I'm happy enough knowing that I've done the majority of it myself and knew when to step back and let someone more experienced take over some of it.

How about his then - I get a lot of pride and satisfaction from working Tilly and having people comment on how good she is yet I didn't do any of her training at all as I didn't get her until she was 2 - so am I wrong to feel proud of her because I didn't train her myself??!

No not at all because if she is staying at a good standard then you are doing something (most things/everything) right, as we all know how quickly a good worker can get into bad hhabits. My point was the owners who are back after a few months or even weeks complaining that the dog doesn't work now and never accept that it is them doing it wrong...

[Cazzie]

Here is another one for you  I bought Belle my working Lab, she was part trained and a year old. I bought her knowing very little about working a dog, now to advance her from part trained I needed the help of a good trainer on my behalf as if it had been left to me my Belle would have been waisted or not advanced to her full potential. I learned very quckly with the correct trainer but if I had come across a major problem with both her and I, I would have taken a step back and put her into residential training working along with me so that she could advance correctly and so not ruining a fabby dog. 

[cazza]

I've just had a fantastic offer 

Another gamekeeper has a pen and has said I can use it to train Fern and also he has said he'll watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong but he won't train her or me

would you say that this is a good idea - or would I be better off putting her to a boarding place

[Alpha]

I've just had a fantastic offer 

Another gamekeeper has a pen and has said I can use it to train Fern and also he has said he'll watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong but he won't train her or me

would you say that this is a good idea - or would I be better off putting her to a boarding place

Brilliant idea...thats what Mike has said he will do with me and Lils. He will demonstrate and then show me, correct me and send me off to work on it. And if its not right its because i need more training rather than Lils. 

[Nicola]

I've just had a fantastic offer 

Another gamekeeper has a pen and has said I can use it to train Fern and also he has said he'll watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong but he won't train her or me

would you say that this is a good idea - or would I be better off putting her to a boarding place

As long as he demonstrates to you what you should be doing and you've done your homework beforehand then that would be great. Can I come too with the wee man?! 

[Cazzie]

I've just had a fantastic offer 

Another gamekeeper has a pen and has said I can use it to train Fern and also he has said he'll watch me and tell me what I'm doing wrong but he won't train her or me

would you say that this is a good idea - or would I be better off putting her to a boarding place

Cazza my dear friend   What kind of pen does he have? No I wouldnt put her into residential training for this. Give Chaz a call and go and see him  

[crazyspaniels]

but all this talk of full potential is a human thing, not a dog thing, they are your pets, their aim in life is to make you happy and vice versa - so its a gundog breed, doesnt mean it needs to be a field trial champion. If you purchased your dog as a working tool thats a different kettle of fish, all I am saying it that none of mine are tools, they are my buddies and they will reach their potential to my limits.
Why do we insist gundogs have to reach their potentials to be happy, loads of folks have St Bernards that have never seen snow, or saved someone from an avalanche. We train them to work because we want to work them. I train my dogs to do agility, would sending one of them away for training make them reach a higher grade, probably because my errors limit the way I run my dogs, would they reach their potential and qualify for Olympia with me, who knows, will it matter, not a jot, I would happily stay grade 2 forever as long as me and my dogs have fun. I have a 4 year old who would make the best worker of all my dogs, but he chases, I have tried everything and he has improved so much since I first got him, but I would rather not work him than send him away, but again, its a totally personal choice, I am simply saying what I would do.

Cazza, reckon you are on to a winner there, good luck and I hope all your hard work pays off.

[cazza]

Cazza my dear friend   What kind of pen does he have? No I wouldnt put her into residential training for this. Give Chaz a call and go and see him  

An empty one  - but he will put some sheep in for me, so that I can teach her not to chase them under a controlled enviroment, her being on lead to start and progressing to long line and you never no if I get it right we might even get the long line off but think that is way to over optimistic for a while at least    (as she has difficulty not wanting to chase cows, sheep well anything that moves really  )

As long as he demonstrates to you what you should be doing and you've done your homework beforehand then that would be great. Can I come too with the wee man?! 

No he won't demonstrate etc - hence that's where a one to one with CT comes in first, - this is more for me to practice daily as it's a lot nearer 
As to can you come with the wee man - of course you can    on the condition you correct me if you think I'm doing something wrong 

but all this talk of full potential is a human thing, not a dog thing, they are your pets, their aim in life is to make you happy and vice versa - so its a gundog breed, doesnt mean it needs to be a field trial champion. If you purchased your dog as a working tool thats a different kettle of fish, all I am saying it that none of mine are tools, they are my buddies and they will reach their potential to my limits.

Yeah I can totally see where you are coming from  As Fern is unlikely to go out on many shoots due to my working hours (every blinking Saturday, and can't always make week days cos of kids etc ) then I think I will train her myself but with the help of CT training classes and one 2 one  (to train me how to train her correctly)

Cazza, reckon you are on to a winner there, good luck and I hope all your hard work pays off.

Thanks I hope so too    I have been far to soft with the little  and have let her get away with far too much, but have gone back to basics since back from the camping trip and I am seeing a difference  (As in only asking her to sit or come once instead of letting her do her own thing - just to clarify what I mean by me being too soft on her  )

[Helen]

but all this talk of full potential is a human thing, not a dog thing, they are your pets, their aim in life is to make you happy and vice versa - so its a gundog breed, doesnt mean it needs to be a field trial champion. If you purchased your dog as a working tool thats a different kettle of fish, all I am saying it that none of mine are tools, they are my buddies and they will reach their potential to my limits.
Why do we insist gundogs have to reach their potentials to be happy, loads of folks have St Bernards that have never seen snow, or saved someone from an avalanche. We train them to work because we want to work them. I train my dogs to do agility, would sending one of them away for training make them reach a higher grade, probably because my errors limit the way I run my dogs, would they reach their potential and qualify for Olympia with me, who knows, will it matter, not a jot, I would happily stay grade 2 forever as long as me and my dogs have fun. I have a 4 year old who would make the best worker of all my dogs, but he chases, I have tried everything and he has improved so much since I first got him, but I would rather not work him than send him away, but again, its a totally personal choice, I am simply saying what I would do.

Cazza, reckon you are on to a winner there, good luck and I hope all your hard work pays off.

really well put freya, couldn't agree with you more