Spot_the_Risk
Well-Known Member
Posting on behalf of OH.
His home bred springer bitch Calli is 20 months old, and is obsessed with sticks. OH has shot, beat and picked up for years, as well as training at home she's had 'classroom' training (well, field) with a Gundog Club member which kept OH on the straight and narrow with her training. She has been correctly educated, and throwing sticks for her hasn't been part of this, but her hunting instinct is to search for a stick and retrieve it to him (her mother is always looking to have something in her mouth too, so this could be an inherited trait). Calli's been out for a few days beating this season, and will generally hunt for pheasants, find a few, then find a stick and retrieve it. She then won't return to work whilst she has the stick in her mouth, she won't respond to the 'dead' or 'leave' command for the stick either, so you have to take it from her - which of course she thinks as reward. Back to flushing pheasants, oooh, stick! You see the problem - any ideas? There isn't a problem with willingness, it's identification of quarry which appears to confuse her!
His home bred springer bitch Calli is 20 months old, and is obsessed with sticks. OH has shot, beat and picked up for years, as well as training at home she's had 'classroom' training (well, field) with a Gundog Club member which kept OH on the straight and narrow with her training. She has been correctly educated, and throwing sticks for her hasn't been part of this, but her hunting instinct is to search for a stick and retrieve it to him (her mother is always looking to have something in her mouth too, so this could be an inherited trait). Calli's been out for a few days beating this season, and will generally hunt for pheasants, find a few, then find a stick and retrieve it. She then won't return to work whilst she has the stick in her mouth, she won't respond to the 'dead' or 'leave' command for the stick either, so you have to take it from her - which of course she thinks as reward. Back to flushing pheasants, oooh, stick! You see the problem - any ideas? There isn't a problem with willingness, it's identification of quarry which appears to confuse her!
