Feeling Despondent with your Gundog Training

It’s so easy for us to have those moments when you feel everything you’ve achieved with your training is slipping back to bad habits. In reality it’s only a blip, one that was evident today with Phil and Bert the Springer Spaniel.

I train many clients with their dogs and I’ll start by saying Phil is one of the many who are totally dedicated to achieving results, not just for him but for Bert. When I first met Bert with Phil and Janet they’d experienced very negative training methods. Since then together we’ve trained through 1-2-1 lessons and a residential gundog course, obviously for the dog. I’m not sure I’d cope with Janet..lol. Over the period of training we’ve achieved great results with Bert, unfortunately through outside influences Bert has developed some problems with the stop whistle and retrieving to hand.

So what do I do, firstly I choose a freezing cold day to keep Phil moving. Then I walk Bert with Nell my Springer Spaniel whilst she works, helping to build his focus on us. Then we work in a corner of a field and start to build his delivery to hand. After their lesson Phil and Bert were reconnected, deliver was great but more important was they were enjoying working together.

All Bert’s buttons to work him are there, what’s happened is Phil had lost is mojo and started to feel negative which Bert was feeling. This then led to frustration and to much correction with his voice.

I know that with Phil’s dedication and my support they will succeed in what they set out to achieve.

Posted: January 22, 2017