Gundog Training Nell my Springer Spaniel and her Journey so far.

Nell the Springer Spaniel Gundog Training

For those of you who have been following the story of Nell, she has been in residence for 13 weeks and will now be residing with me on a permanent basis.   When Nell arrived she was a nervous little dog with no confidence, she had been cruelly treated, had a fractured cheek bone and would soil herself in her sleep.  I have spent a lot of time over the past 13 weeks bonding with Nell, providing her with structure and doing everything possible to build on her confidence.  Today was the first time that Nell has travelled in a vehicle to the fields as she previously used to find traveling a distressing experience.  The best way to combat travel sickness is to build up the bond with your dog whilst developing the dogs confidence.  By doing this the dog understands that anything that is asked of them does not entail a punishment.

Today Nell worked confidently through some thick cover, she quartered well and will retrieve anything asked of her.  Whilst she is showing great improvement with the stop command, Nell has a problem with stopping at a distance as she needs constant reassurance and therefore feels the need to be close at all times.  Also when instructed to stop, most of the time she will lie down instead of sit or alternatively stop and stand.  Albeit that the stop command is not 100% she is still working well and is showing eye contact and great potential with the stop whistle.

Whilst out training today with some experienced Springer Spaniels I set a challenge to find a rabbit skin dummy lost in thick cover while training.  I chose to use Nell who is a novice dog and to challenge the client to see which dog would be successful in finding the dummy.  Whilst quartering Nell indicated that she had found the dummy, retrieved it and returned with the dummy.  It was at this point that I new that I had the connection that was required for a good working relationship.  I am looking forward to working Nell and introducing her to the shooting field this season.  It is important not to rush our dogs even if they prove to have the determination and drive to work.  The bond that you have with your dog is crucial when out working, as a good bond will create a happy dog and the perfect working relationship.

Posted: September 3, 2013