The article emphasizes that calmness in gundogs, particularly spaniels and retrievers, is a trainable skill rather than a mere temperament trait. It outlines the importance of teaching calm behavior through strategies like capturing calm moments and reinforcing stillness, providing practical steps for training in various environments. Building this skill enhances steadiness and performance in diverse situations.
Tag: puppy
The “Premack recall”: using what they want (sniffing/running) as the reward its for both pet and working
If your dog has a “selective” recall—brilliant in the kitchen, mysteriously deaf in the park—this is for you. It’s also for the keen spaniel or retriever who’s all in on scent, cover, birds, or movement and finds a standard “come = biscuit” deal a bit underwhelming. The good news: you don’t need to out-shout the…
Why Your 5-Month-Old Gundog Stops Coming Back — And How to Fix It
It’s incredibly common for young gundogs to become a little less reliable with recall around the five-month mark. One day they’re glued to your side… and the next they’ve discovered how exciting the world really is! If your pup has suddenly stopped coming back on the first command when off-lead, don’t worry. This is normal,…
Picking-up Training Day
So, this weekend we attended a picking up specific training day. This was a day catered around getting young dogs used to the atmosphere and excitement of a real shoot day. The day was really for our springer who we have only managed to get out on some pigeons this year and not out picking…
New puppy joins the team
Last month a lovely new fox red lab puppy joined our little team of dogs. This is exciting for us as it’s the first lab in the current team of spaniels. Her name is Ember and she comes from some good working parents who have a good spread of field trial champions in the 5…
GreenChapel 