Wish us luck for Saturday - UPDATED

[milly]

Aaww, poor you, don't give up though. The problem is the ethos of the Gundog Training Grade 1 is 'It's not a Race', unfortunately it is. The programme puts you into a 8 week time frame and not all dogs achieve in that time. I entered for Grade 1 and luckilly for me the week before they changed the date as not enough had entered. I thought my pup was ready because on his own he was doing everything asked for Grade 1.
I couldn't join the new dates as I couldn't get time off work and it turned out to be for the best. My gundog trainer started doing group trianing and I quickly found out that what my pup did perfectly on his own was different in a group situation with distractions.
Yes you do need to keep up the training, but for you and Darcy without any pressure.
You can take the test again but make sure Darcy can successfully achieve what they want in a group enviroment.
Good luck, you will get there, it's just that not every dog is ready in the time frame they allow

[Nicola]

Ah I'm sorry to hear that Nicky, I agree with everything Milly has said about keeping up the training and not pressuring yourselves. I would have a few days off and then do some work with her and see what you think you need to work on and find another good trainer to have a look at you both to get some fresh eyes on it. It sounds maybe like she's getting a bit bored of what she's been doing, have you been working on the same things a lot in the run up to the test? I try to mix things up for my lot as much as possible with their training because they do get bored doing the same things over again and then things start to slip. You can book and take the GC tests any time, I've done two levels with Rodaidh and we didn't do any training classes, I just booked the tests through the website.

[moola]

Just wanted to add that we know a few gundog trainers and owners that do not go down the GD testing route.  A very experienced trainer objected to the sit & lenthy stay bits (he thought it was pretty pointless and thought that steadiness was best learned and tested with diversions in place), another disagreed with what was taught and at what stage and someone else (a cocker lady who runs her own gundog training club) thought that much of the training was too lab based. This is aside from the occassional rip-off comments.
Personally, I have found their training manuals to be quite useful although having seen the Hawcroft video I can see how a cocker might be trained slightly differently.

 

[Nicola]

I can see where they're coming from but I think the GC tests are good practice if you don't take them as the be all and end all of training a dog to work; the content of the tests definitely doesn't cover everything you need to teach a working dog, or at least not in the first few grades which is all they have just now, and there are a few extraneous bits. Personally I don't follow the GC training 'style' and have never been to any classes but I've done the tests as bits of fun practice for the dogs, that's how I look at it, it's always good to teach them new things and vary their training a bit.

[moola]

I think that's a really good approach.  Mr M has taken the lab for any tests - although in some respects I wish he would to boost his confidence (he's easily above 3+), but he says it is not necessary.  Instead he takes the lab out for training days on shoots - (he got a snipe as his first retrieve!!!!) which he very much enjoys.  Horses for course I guess.  I might take a closer look at the spaniel tests - it's something to aim for I guess, out of season.  Then maybe, take my cocker on the odd drive on lead 2010/11 season...