Coming this weekend
Hi All, hope the training is going well for most of you. Not all, I rely on questions to keep the interest up!
I have received two emails in three days, both relating to GSPs and heel work. Having spent more time mulling over the answers (or rather suggestions – there are no answers until they work) than I do on most articles, I thought I would tidy them up and use them in the next newsletter, which I hope to send this weekend. It would have been sooner, but I got involved in selling old magazines on ebay and made some money and it proved a bit distracting.
So for those of you who have downloaded the ebook, keep an eye open for the newsletter which should arrive before next week. For those of you who have not downloaded the ebook, I will publish the article to this site in a couple of weeks time.
The book I am going to review is one of my favourites, Training Spaniels by Joe Irving. It gave me much sound advice when I had my first Springer, truly a bitch in both senses of the word. I have never been fitter than when teaching that dog the recall. The slightest temptation and she was off – swallows over grassland were her favourite, and I think she was under the impression that she had ears like dumbo, flap them enough and she could catch the blighters.
In the previous issue I also promised to talk about finding a litter and choosing a puppy. I may have to drop those in favour of the heel-with-gsp problem which experience tells me also applies to spaniels, labs, jack russell terriers…
Happy training!
Ken
March 20th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Hi Ken
Thanks for reply on heel work.
Over the last three days I purchased a check collar which you advised just to try , and also a handle lead (basically a a short peice of web lead about a foot long which attaches to the collar) This was suggested by the local pet shop owner-dog breeder who has been training for 30 years.I did this against better judgement as I was determined to stick with the slip lead but I have to say it has worked a treat.
The dog is much closer to me and seems to understand more, I am still following all the advise on turning and stopping and and yes it is very boring for us all, but definately better over the past few walks.
Hopefully once mastered heeling or improved will reintroduce slip.
I have dropped the treats quite a bit as well and only giving occassionally. Thanks for advise on keeping calm and speaking in quieter tones, (I think I had begun to shout instructions and we were all getting frustrated) !!
Regarding litters and puppies we purchased our GSP from riverside Stud in Lincolnshire, fantastic web site
“Riversidestud” and can only recommend as first class, we were given great advise, looked around for two-three hours, no rush, in fact the breeders interrogated us as much as the other way round, and the stock are all from Field Champions and also German Imports, lots of fresh bloodstock. Hope this maybe helpful information if anyone interested in a GSP, they also had Working Cocker spaniels. It is a great website.
Mark
March 21st, 2010 at 8:34 am
Thanks for the feedback Mark.
I will get in touch with the breeders and see if they want to be added to a ‘breeders’ page here. It does make sense for the breeder to be sure that the personality of the buyer matches the breed.
One comment I heard years ago is that the personalities should be opposite – a hyper-handler for a fat lab and a very relaxed person for a fast dog!
Speak to you later,
Ken