FAO GinaB - Proper Dogs.....

[kirstyhen]

As you requested some pictures of proper working dogs

Here you are!

Dubh - This is the 12 year old (alot younger in this pic, but still ooks exactly the same!)

My Mum's first cocker, and too clever for words! She was offered alot of money for him once, and she turned it down!

He would have been amazing if he wasn't her first ever cocker!

Pye - Dubh's son, he has two broken elbows, but has been my Mum's most reliable dog this season!!

Ruriach - He is the best little dog in the world!

He is hopefully going to be a daddy in the next couple of years, I have already reserved a pup!

Jek - My Dad's eldest cocker, and his absolute pride and joy! Although he is a complete weirdo (the dog, not my dad!

) and definately a one man dog!

Taghan - Jek's apprentice, his name means Pine Martin in Gaelic, and his nickname is "the flying ferret!" my Dad says he is made of pipe cleaners and belly button fluff!

Ghillie - The one and only Irish Water Spaniel! Has had his first ever retrieve this season, but my Mum is chuffed to bits with how he has matured (eventually, at nearly 3!!!)

So now you know what to look for when getting a PROPER dog

(If you ignore the IWS anyway!)

 

[GinaB]

You cheeky mare! I was going to say how lovely they all were until you made the cheeky comment about them being proper dogs

And what's wrong with a nice lab? Humpfh.

Ok, I'll try and be nice about them.

Ruriach is lovely, I can defintely see why you want one of his pups! I think Taghan is my next favourite

 

[kirstyhen]

Ruriach is just such an amazing dog, he was born trained, and is as soft as butter! Taghan is a little weirdo like his Uncle Jek (must have something to do with my Dad!

), right soft get, but my Dad is really pleased with how he is coming along working!

And look what I just found....

My Old Lab, Mac!

Actually he was supposed to be a Springer X Lab, but then we found out he was actually a Lab X Collie!

On his Lab days he was lovely, but on his Collie Days

 

[RunToEarth]

Ah, got to love a good spaniel, nothing better to work with

 

[GinaB]

Besides, how could you fail to love a face like this?

 

[kirstyhen]

I love that picture!!

She looks insane!

 

[kirstyhen]

Like a cross between this

and this

 

[kirstyhen]

[ QUOTE ]
Ah, got to love a good spaniel, nothing better to work with

[/ QUOTE ]

Someone else with good taste!

 

[GinaB]

It's my fav picture of her

I want to get it blown up in size and framed

That's her excited working face

She also gets 'windmill tail' when excited and her tail goes in circles, Windsors used to do the same

 

[kirstyhen]

Otto's tail has a mind of it's own! It's so bloody long it just goes crazy when he is excited!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I love the last pic - the person's hair matches the dogs

I walked passed the shoot today and watched as one of the young dogs decided to go and join a pack of hikers instead

Bless him, he tried offering them a dead pheasant and couldn't understand why they tried to shoo him away. Somehow I think he's going back to school

 

[kirstyhen]

That's my Mum!

She has always had curly hair that colour, people always ask her if she dyed it to match the dog, or if they went for perms together! She laughed the first time, but now.... We forced her to enter a dog that looks most like it's owner show last year, funnily enough they won!!

The shoot my parents went on today gets hounds from the local hunt joining them regularly!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

They are all lovely - *checks cocker is still asleep on sofa, not reading over shoulder and getting huffy!* and I just love the IWS i think they are totally mad looking!!

 

[kirstyhen]

They are very odd looking dogs! Very odd dogs in general actually! One of the breed characterisitics is "aloofness" and they really are, if they don't know you, they won't make the effort! He is also stubborn and has been slow to mature, but he is actually a lovely dog.
He off to Crufts again this year, but not to show this time, he is going on the Discover Dogs stand.

 

[k9h]

Fantastic pics!

Have had a few friendly debates over spaniel v's lab with your Mum on the 'other' site!!

They are crackers though. If any pics could convert me it would be them!

 

[kirstyhen]

We are definatley a family of Spaniel lovers!

I was saying to GinaB, that the pictures of hers and your two could possibly persuade me into having a lab, but a spaniel pup gets me everytime!

It is definately what you are used to and your experiances. Our spaniels have always been fabulous dogs, whereas the Labs I meet, tend to be "pets" and are usually fat, thick, ill-mannered brutes! The working ones are lovely though!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Apologies but I'm going to hijack this post a bit. Have been looking after neighbours new pup today ,springer cross labrador, they have had her a week, she is 8 months old and they took her on from a family who couldn't cope with her. She is very sweet and looks all labrador but when her nose gets to the ground the springer comes out, and they cannot get her to come back

She has already escaped from the garden and gone off hunting. Any of you gundog people got any ideas on the best way of training her? I suggested they use a whistle but not really any experience of either breed. Any suggestions would I am sure be gratefully received.

 

[kirstyhen]

Not much help, as I don't have much experiance with training! But Otto is very similar to this, and a similar age, so I will say what I did!

The problem with Otto is that until 5 months old he had no training, his walks consisted of him runnning around a farm paying no attention to anyone, so he established a huge comfort zone and learnt to reward himself by chasing things!

At the moment he works on the long line constantly.

He doesn't run away, if you chased him he wouldn't speed up, but he just blanks out completely if he is working on ground that is heavy with scent, especially rabbits, it doesn't even make a difference when walking him with my Parent's dogs that are very good at recall, he is just completely tuned into the scent!

I have found that using the long line to encourage him to stay close is really working, it is also helping him to focus on me to the point that we are now introducing a whistle for recall. He has also learnt "NO!" and "This Way" whilst on the long line. The NO! comes in very handy!

I taught recall by stopping once he got to the end of the line and stopping, Otto then had to work out by himself that coming back to me was the only way to go forwards again, I just kept quiet. It has taken awhile but my Dad (who is giving me loads of help!) is of the opinion that if they learn by themselves it's stays with them for longer, also by not calling him, I haven't taught him to ignore me!

When he is off the lead it is only on ground with little scent, and doing the same thing, stopping until he comes back, with no call/whistle, just a huge fuss when he comes back.

I have tried treats and squeaky balls, running away from him, making ridiculous noises but nothing got his attention. I did use a pill tub for a while as the rattling really caught his attention, but it didn't last long!
It has just been a matter of making him realise that I control where he goes, that he has to come to me before he gets to investigate further, and we are getting there, slowly!

I have done lots in the house with him, as he is completely focused on me (and food!!) and he learnt really quickly, so the base is there for the stuff we do outside.

Sorry if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs

Just thought I would put exactly what I'm doing!

Just to add, he doesn't go anywhere outside off the long line, as we live on a farm, with many temptations, poor bounderies and a busy main road running alongside!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Thanks thats helpful. Although I have had a few problems with evie (my GSD pup) coming back she doesn't have the spaniel like nose to the ground deafness this pup seems to exhibit. They are taking her out on a lunge rein at the moment . I suggested using a whistle , and loads of food rewards when she comes back (appealing to the lab part of her). I like the idea of not calling so they can't ignore you, I have tried that a bit with my horror, other wise they tend to come in their own time don't they.

 

[kirstyhen]

It has really helped with Otto, he now gets to the end of the line, feels it tug and turns to come back, without me doing anything.

My Dad has also suggested when the time comes for him to work off the line, to actually leave him on the line (and if necessary attach another one!) but just let go of it altogether, then I have something to grab if he does bugger off, and also it will catch and tug things on the ground, so he will think I am still attached!

The food rewards is what I thought would work with Otto, as he is food obsessed normally, but outside he will spit treats out as he just wants to run around! He has been a bit of a nightmare actually, but as my Dad keeps saying, if I can crack him, the next one will be easy!