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Cocker Activities => Working => Topic started by: ips on November 14, 2018, 10:55:04 AM

Title: Hi
Post by: ips on November 14, 2018, 10:55:04 AM
Hi
Not been that active on the forum recently for various reasons. Anyway we have been busy dogging in, have had a few formal driven days, done some beating and the syndicate shoot is under way. Oh also done the odd pigeon from a hide type day.
So what have you working dog folk been up too ?
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: bizzylizzy on November 14, 2018, 12:37:04 PM
Hi Ian! nice to have you back!! :clapping:
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Pearly on November 14, 2018, 01:30:56 PM
Hi Ian,

Good to see you back on here  :D  I shall watch your videos later though I suspect I may have seen them already!

Us: we have been mostly feeding pheasants, dogging in, training days (cold and warm) novice dog day on a local commercial shoot and field trials - the latter to help and watch.

Pearl now definitely retired although her basic obedience is getting better!
Purdey is much better for remedial training over  the summer and actually takes direction.... previously a good sweeper but as she decided not where we needed!  :lol2:
Sally starting to do well picking up and beating
Coral - when she works for me is just fabulous - she picks up pheasants at last and the penny seems to be dropping regarding chasing (less often, for less time and less distance....)

So far so good this season!

Jayne
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on November 14, 2018, 03:37:39 PM
Hi Ian,
We've been dogging in and beating/ picking up - with my older, reliable dog, Pip.  Been on some live training days with the younger one, Kesby, and working on a Sunday training 'programme' to get him reliably steady.  He's a wild one lol.  Keeper is putting on a walked up/ boundary day for myself and a friend and our dogs next weekend, so am hoping to take the wild one...  we shall see how he goes!  He's very exciting to watch, but it's also a bit hair-raising!!  Goal is to have him steady and at least picking up a bit on the shoot by the end of the season.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: bmthmark on November 14, 2018, 05:55:17 PM
Hi Ian, welcome back  :dance04:
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ejp on November 14, 2018, 06:45:34 PM
Lovely to see you, you have been missed.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on November 14, 2018, 10:33:18 PM
Thanks everyone, good to hear how your all doing 👍
I will try to be more active, i got a bit side tracked with other thing's but i still consider this to be the best and most friendly forum i have ever been involved with 😁
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on November 15, 2018, 09:03:51 AM
Boundary day should be great fun, make sure we get full report 👍
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on November 15, 2018, 09:52:58 AM
Boundary day should be great fun, make sure we get full report 👍
Am hoping it’ll be a good fun, relaxed day out with friends and dogs (without the pressure of it being a formal training day).  I expect, however, that it’s more likely to be a manic, roller-coaster exercise involving a lot of frantic whistling and a bit (lot!) of swearing  :lol2:!  I’ll be taking both of my dogs, so when I need a break from the manic one, I’ll bring out Pip, who is a joy to work.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: bmthmark on November 15, 2018, 06:08:54 PM
Thanks everyone, good to hear how your all doing 👍
I will try to be more active, i got a bit side tracked with other thing's but i still consider this to be the best and most friendly forum i have ever been involved with 😁

I agree this is definitely the best and most friendly forum. The people on this forum never judge and are always willing to try and help
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on November 15, 2018, 06:48:19 PM
Ha, it sounds great. I have done a couple of boundary days and shooting over your dog (or having it shot over) is imo the very essence of what we all train for. Everything else such as beating is very much an alien man made environment , great fun of course. 😃 The problem i see with beating is that dog never gets an immediate reward for all its hard work, as in a retrieve having marked the shot bird that it flushed, its a sort of working day without a pay packet 😁
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on November 16, 2018, 01:40:44 PM
Yes, I feel the same.  All the training is geared towards rough shooting, yet most of us beat or pick up so there's no complete sequence for the dogs.

On the shoot where mine work, I pick up during a drive or two so he gets at least a few retrieves.  And we sweep up after drives too.  Luckily it's a small farm syndicate and I'm able to do whatever i choose.  Personally i prefer beating to picking up as it's more social and I find it more fun than my dog and I standing around in a field on our own waiting for birds to land...  Other bonus is that the shoot has some great beaters'/ keepers' and invitation days that are combined walked up in woodland with a bit of driven. But while i worry about the shoot not replicating the training, I don't actually think my dogs mind what they do - it's all great fun for them.  Pip absolutely loves dogging in  :D
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on November 16, 2018, 02:48:00 PM
Interesting that you mention dogging in. I dog in daily from aug to nov and i love it. I think it replicates a walked up day or rough shoot but without the gun. I take a ball and sometimes a dummy and reward good steadiness with a run in to the ball or a blind or marked retrieve of the dummy. I consider it excellent training if its done right and used to your advantage. I probably prefer dogging in to anything else but i am quite anti social and enjoy my own company 😁
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on November 16, 2018, 03:23:04 PM
Sounds like me  :lol2:.  Love rambling around the farm herding birds - just me and Pip.  Pip knows all the boundaries so pretty much does it with little interference from me.  He's developed a 'sheepdog' style when the birds are out in the open.  Stops to let them move on.  Never rushes in to chase.  Stops, waits for them to move, then moves really slowly - sort of stalking them.  He's brilliant and it's beautiful scenery too.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Helen on November 27, 2018, 04:01:07 PM
 Good to hear things are going well!

We're out at a local shoot with Jago most weeks.  He's doing brilliantly and works his heart out.   I have to say he needs to learn patience between drives and his heel walking is a nightmare when he's excited but once he's properly working he's a joy to watch.

Last week on the second drive through cover crop (you can't see them at all so you just cross your fingers and whistle them close) he just appeared at my feet with a pricked hen from the first drive and delivered it beautifully for me.

On the 3rd drive the keepers springer and cocker couldn't get hold of a cock runner so we sent Jago in and he returned being pecked and clawed by a massive pheasant (who was mortally injured but needed some help).  No fear and it's just getting the job done for him  :luv:

4th drive was masses of contact flushes but he didn't lose his head as others did, still responded to a stop whistle and had to sit while a dozen birds went up around him.

On the last drive he flushed a hare and sat to stop after taking 2 paces. 

So proud of this little one <3 
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/37747247225_8b40f43963_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/ZvAvvk)IMG_6714 (https://flic.kr/p/ZvAvvk) by helen_noakes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/35482754@N00/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on January 18, 2019, 04:14:51 PM
So how is everyone's season been going . In the last few weeks now 😢
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on January 18, 2019, 07:57:35 PM
Misery alert... mine’s been horrible. My no 1 dog pip has been out of action nearly all season due to injury 😢. Specialist appointment next week...  I’ve missed him. Young bratty dog is finally steady-ish 😂 so that’s a positive. But the shoot I’ve been on for 5 seasons now has changed so much for lots of reasons and I no longer enjoy going there. Lots unruly dogs now and a different atmosphere completely. We have a boundary/clear up day at end of month with just a couple of dogs and the keeper and 2 other friends so I’m looking forward to that. But otherwise I’ll be pleased when the season is over. Never thought I’d say that 😢.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on January 18, 2019, 08:18:18 PM
Oh dear. Clear up day should be good 👍
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on February 13, 2019, 09:53:18 AM
Misery alert... mine’s been horrible. My no 1 dog pip has been out of action nearly all season due to injury 😢. Specialist appointment next week...  I’ve missed him. Young bratty dog is finally steady-ish 😂 so that’s a positive. But the shoot I’ve been on for 5 seasons now has changed so much for lots of reasons and I no longer enjoy going there. Lots unruly dogs now and a different atmosphere completely. We have a boundary/clear up day at end of month with just a couple of dogs and the keeper and 2 other friends so I’m looking forward to that. But otherwise I’ll be pleased when the season is over. Never thought I’d say that 😢.

Hi Emily
How did clear up day go ?

PS
I missed three days shooting and two days beating at the last week of the season due to flu virus...bad timing or what
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on February 13, 2019, 11:17:09 AM

Hi Emily
How did clear up day go ?

PS
I missed three days shooting and two days beating at the last week of the season due to flu virus...bad timing or what
Ok thanks.  The birds were hiding as not much of a bag, but Kes had a great flush and retrieve on a cock bird.  And then cut his foot.  So we missed out on the afternoon pigeons.  But ended well enough.  Hope to join a couple of different shoots next season and see how we go.

Poor you!  But you'll be out on the pigeons now?  So all is not lost.  Season will be round quicker than we expect and back to dogging in and trying to cram the last bits of emergency revision training in lol.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on February 13, 2019, 11:32:25 AM
Glad it went ok but shame about the injury.
Yep, been on a few roost shoots and a day over oil seed rape on monday. Not as many birds about as anticipated but we had 33 between two of us and eze had some good retrieves. Nothing decoyed well so most taken flighting, with my new winchester pump action which is taking a while to get used to but is great fun.
I have a few issues to sort out before next season, trouble is that she does so much, in a hide, on a roost shoot, dogging in, peg dog, beating at small days, beating on big days...then a pet in between , all a bit confusing i think.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on February 13, 2019, 12:04:23 PM
Glad it went ok but shame about the injury.
Yep, been on a few roost shoots and a day over oil seed rape on monday. Not as many birds about as anticipated but we had 33 between two of us and eze had some good retrieves. Nothing decoyed well so most taken flighting, with my new winchester pump action which is taking a while to get used to but is great fun.
I have a few issues to sort out before next season, trouble is that she does so much, in a hide, on a roost shoot, dogging in, peg dog, beating at small days, beating on big days...then a pet in between , all a bit confusing i think.
We went out on pigeons on sunday and nearly froze to death!  Gave up at about 11am.  Pip who was out of action nearly all season had the best time haring about being a bit naughty  :005:, but he did get the birds so all forgiven.

I would think you just need to concentrate on a couple of things.  Being sat steady until sent - that will cover the hide, peg and roost shooting.  And compliance with stop whistle/ turn whistle - that will cover the rest.  Pip dogs in, picks up and beats.  And he knows the difference.  Any 'naughtiness' is down to what I've allowed him to get away with  :lol2:.  But to be fair, he knows his job better than i do so is given lots of leeway  :005:
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on February 13, 2019, 12:09:57 PM
Aye, it can get mighty cold stood in a wood or sat in a hide 😜
Pretty much covers it i reckon 👍
By the end of january our recall, stop and turns seem to have got sloppy and takes all year to get sorted ...then i take her beating and ruin her again 😁
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on February 16, 2019, 10:06:56 AM
Had a day on oil seed rape on monday, beautiful spring like day  but birds were not in the numbers we expected. Me and a mate shot 33 between us, eze had some good retrieves i gad some good shots and some poor misses on flighting birds as they just would not decoy. Eze was steady to all apart from one which nearly fell into the hide so temptation got the better of her.
Out roost shooting this afternoon, anyone else out working the dog ?

Title: Re: Hi
Post by: Emilyoliver on February 17, 2019, 07:03:12 AM
No pigeons this weekend but off to the farm today to do some training. Hopefully get some flushes.
Title: Re: Hi
Post by: ips on September 01, 2020, 08:05:12 PM
Great pic, 👍