Update on Islay at 9 Months
A quick update on Islay, my 9 month old Springer Spaniel. If you’ve been following her training through my blogs you will know I am very pleased with her progress. She is a happy, enthusiastic and responsive dog due to her strong bond with me. At just nine months old she can:
- respond to the whistle for direction and commands
- deliver to hand
- follow directional retrieves
- be directed to multiple retrieves
- quarter up and hunt
- be out with me at a lesson and not engage with the client or their dogs
- not run in when I’m throwing out dummies
I’ve training Islay as I do all my dogs, the Tessleymoor Way. I work on a philosophy of bond, basics and advance. Build a bond, don’t bribe or buy it. Ensure you have basic commands in place then move to advanced training, which can be anything you wish to do with your dog.
A lot of clients come to me with older puppies and young dogs who have received no training at all. They are amazed at what my nine month old Springer Spaniel can do. They think or have been told that training shouldn’t start until 12 months because they should ‘let them be puppies’. All this creates is disobedient children. Imagine if you didn’t give your child any instruction until they were nine or ten?
Every morning as I hoover out the kennels, Islay follows me and sits by my side each time I stop to do some chores. I haven’t taught her that. She does it because she wants to be with me. She is a happy and well balanced dog as a result of her training, not despite it. If you want a happy dog, start young and you will soon see the results and have a wonderful companion to share your life with.
Posted: September 24, 2018