Gundog people

[druid]

I use Gamekeeper's Goods or Muntjac just because shipping is cheaper

 

[gunnergundog]

We were promoted to the next group up at our class last week . Now get to start working with dummies - so on that note, does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy them from? Don’t want to spend a fortune and apparently I need two of the same

You’ll be very lucky if you get away with just two dummies in your dog training career! . They come in a vast array of different weights; nowadays they come in an equal number of different colours and shapes …. And that is just the canvas dummies! Then you have the same with rabbit fur covering and those with pheasant/ partridge/ grouse pelts attached!!

Sporting Saint is as good as anywhere.

 

[druid]

At last count there was 60 dummies here I get a lot of prototypes/trade seconds via a friend so we have a weird and wonderful collection!

 

[Clodagh]

I wonder what the half life of a dummy is? There’s one hung firmly in a tree dangling over the Torridge which shows no sign of falling. My throwing is appalling.

 

[Clodagh]

Well I went and bravely spoke to a load of strangers and everybody was nice and no one was rude and it was all fine.
I’ve been given a list of dates and I need to fill in what I can do, but my other shoot I am precommitted to (and happy to be) won’t release its dates for ages. Why does it have to be so difficult!
I’ve got Mr Spotherisk, who knows people who know things, doing some sleuthing for me.

 

[maisie06]

Super pleased with the young one, he's really come on in the last few weeks, sitting steady to thrown dummy now, working on lefts rights and backs too. Had a lovely stop on the way out to a dummy then sent him back which he did beautifully! He still looks like he's on crack cocaine though!!

His older sibling however has got a bit sloppy so will need to tidy him up again.The cocker we don't talk about LOL

 

[Clodagh]

Super pleased with the young one, he's really come on in the last few weeks, sitting steady to thrown dummy now, working on lefts rights and backs too. Had a lovely stop on the way out to a dummy then sent him back which he did beautifully! He still looks like he's on crack cocaine though!!

His older sibling however has got a bit sloppy so will need to tidy him up again.The cocker we don't talk about LOL

Druid describes trialling spanner’s as ‘ferrets on cocaine’. Shame I can’t share videos on here as in my fb memories yesterday a video came up of my little rescue hunting, it’s tiring to watch!

 

[druid]

Druid describes trialling spanner’s as ‘ferrets on cocaine’. Shame I can’t share videos on here as in my fb memories yesterday a video came up of my little rescue hunting, it’s tiring to watch!

If they can't hunt like a crack weasel I don't keep them, but they should be fully with you while hunting like that!

A friend is planning to name her cocker litter ferret, weasel, stoat, pine martin etc for exactly this reason

 

[druid]

All done by 10am as it's getting warm

Mimi and Sassy hunted up some rushy ground, did a "blind" on a lane they've done many memories on and with a line out dummy to lift them once they took the line and locked on. Then some long memories of about 80-90y through light cover. Mimi then did her first true blind/stop/hunt there and nailed it so ended on a high note.

Sassy is still working on the hunt there whistle as a standalone command and needs more confidence in it. We're working on it by sitting her up in front of a cover patch, tossing 7 or 8 dummies in, picking 7 myself. Leave her sat and walk back 20 yards. Stop whistle, hunt whistle. Just getting her confidence up in hunting a tight area and getting a find.

Their mother did a 150y memory on the lane followed by a short hunt up with a sit to find. Reward for find was a shot with left hand cast for a preplanted blind. Then a long memory over a turf cut up and bank into Heather. She got a little lost on the way out and ended up bog snorkeling so bath required.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

All done by 10am as it's getting warm

Mimi and Sassy hunted up some rushy ground, did a "blind" on a lane they've done many memories on and with a line out dummy to lift them once they took the line and locked on. Then some long memories of about 80-90y through light cover. Mimi then did her first true blind/stop/hunt there and nailed it so ended on a high note.

Sassy is still working on the hunt there whistle as a standalone command and needs more confidence in it. We're working on it by sitting her up in front of a cover patch, tossing 7 or 8 dummies in, picking 7 myself. Leave her sat and walk back 20 yards. Stop whistle, hunt whistle. Just getting her confidence up in hunting a tight area and getting a find.

Their mother did a 150y memory on the lane followed by a short hunt up with a sit to find. Reward for find was a shot with left hand cast for a preplanted blind. Then a long memory over a turf cut up and bank into Heather. She got a little lost on the way out and ended up bog snorkeling so bath required.
View attachment 139658

Might try the hunt exercise with my young dog!

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

Club training tonight with zazu, he was such a good boy no poping at all!! It was bloody wet tho only the hardcore came out

Did a mark then memory in same place, then a mark, stop, send left for a blind which he did perfect! We then did a walk up exercise, we had a minor issue with him running in during these scenarios. If he heard someone who sounded a bit like me stood next to me say ‘go back’ to their dog he would run in. So I now say ‘Zazu go back’ so he has to wait for his name. I know some people say keep it simple but this seems to be working for us up to now

 

[druid]

I use names to send, too many at heel not to!

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I use names to send, too many at heel not to!

Do you just say their name or a go back after?

 

[Clodagh]

Do you just say their name or a go back after?

For a seen or heard I say name only. For a blind its name and command.

 

[druid]

Do you just say their name or a go back after?

If they're stood marking down it's "Name, get out". I don't want them to go solely on name because sometimes what you need is "name, heel" to line them up for a bird or blind they've not necessarily seen

If they're hunting, have a flush that is shot and being sent for their bird then it's just their name.

For me back is a handling command like out and away. That's more common in spaniels than labs I think k

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

Thanks makes sense

 

[Thistle]

I use 3 'send' commands for my labs.

Mark is just name no hand signal
Memory mark is name back and arm pointing
Blind is gooooo back is a very upbeat voice with a very focussed arm point, always remembering 'spine in line' to make sure that the dog is straight and pointing in the same direction as my arm.

On memories and blinds I am very conscious not to wear 'concrete boots' and to take a step to turn myself to the correct direction too. If your dog is correctly 'glued' to your left heel then they turn with you, making 'spine in line' easy' lots of practice doing that in the kitchen, standing on a tile and starting with half turns, then quarters, rewarding each step, great 5 min exercise whilst the kettle boils.

 

[druid]

I use 3 'send' commands for my labs.

Mark is just name no hand signal
Memory mark is name back and arm pointing
Blind is gooooo back is a very upbeat voice with a very focussed arm point, always remembering 'spine in line' to make sure that the dog is straight and pointing in the same direction as my arm.

On memories and blinds I am very conscious not to wear 'concrete boots' and to take a step to turn myself to the correct direction too. If your dog is correctly 'glued' to your left heel then they turn with you, making 'spine in line' easy' lots of practice doing that in the kitchen, standing on a tile and starting with half turns, then quarters, rewarding each step, great 5 min exercise whilst the kettle boils.

I do my heel work on placeboards.

If you have say 5 at heel picking up, birds coming down, you see one down to right run. I need dog 3rd in the line to get it. They may have marked a different bird out front. So then "name, heel" comes in, I take a step ahead of the others and line the dog up to the fall of the runner.

If they went on solely their name for marks how would you go about bring one from the group out for a blind when it has its eye on a mark?
 
I think before I handled multiple dogs I was probably more lax!

 

[Thistle]

Good point, maybe I'll move to using name out for a mark, they should adapt quite quickly.

 

[druid]

Quick training session before work this morning. Today Sassy did some memory backs, stretching the distance from her to the dummy and me to her. We also did more work on the hunt whistle, really burying the snipe dummy in cover to make her work for the find. All this with our 10 ewes crossing the path and following us around the paddock.

Skaer did 5 blinds, and a surprise blind where she picked a dummy I either set out and forgot or dropped

Mimi went to ringcraft this evening, much to her disgust although she is fond of her Great Dane play buddy at class

 

[Clodagh]

If they went on solely their name for marks how would you go about bring one from the group out for a blind when it has its eye on a mark?
 
I think before I handled multiple dogs I was probably more lax!

I work maybe 3 at a time. If there are multiple birds falling (and in the main I don’t pick dead birds during the drive) if a runner lands I see who’s clocked it and say their name. If no one has clocked it I use a chaotic mishmash of stuff which we are all used to, so body language and hand signals and lastly verbal would say you others stay there and Pen come here. Once Pen is with me I can then direct her with hand signals/ verbal and the other two know it’s none of their worry.
Bearing in mind with me it doesn’t matter if it all goes wrong.

 

[druid]

I work maybe 3 at a time. If there are multiple birds falling (and in the main I don’t pick dead birds during the drive) if a runner lands I see who’s clocked it and say their name. If no one has clocked it I use a chaotic mishmash of stuff which we are all used to, so body language and hand signals and lastly verbal would say you others stay there and Pen come here. Once Pen is with me I can then direct her with hand signals/ verbal and the other two know it’s none of their worry.
Bearing in mind with me it doesn’t matter if it all goes wrong.

Now tell me if you think that would work with 5 or 6 spaniels........!

 

[Clodagh]

Now tell me if you think that would work with 5 or 6 spaniels........!

I confess that if I’m in the gun line (rare) all but one will be on the lead. And spaniels… I doff my cap to you

 

[Love]

Headed to Burghley game fair yesterday and entered Purdey in the bales at the gundog scurry - her first ever go and she was so good bless her! Bit sticky on the way out but once she grasped the concept she absolutely flew and retrieved both dummies perfectly. Most importantly she thought it was the most fun in all the world and would have done it 10 times over if she could There were so many distractions too including shot going off right next to us and very noisy dogs waiting in the queue. Couldn’t be prouder.

As well as the scurry, the whole day was such a good learning experience for her. Her go to is to be a bit timid of things so we were wary that the constant shot coming from all directions might worry her but there was so much going on and sniffs and friends to meet that she wasn’t fazed in the slightest and it just blended into background noise - exactly what we hoped for!

 

[Clodagh]

Headed to Burghley game fair yesterday and entered Purdey in the bales at the gundog scurry - her first ever go and she was so good bless her! Bit sticky on the way out but once she grasped the concept she absolutely flew and retrieved both dummies perfectly. Most importantly she thought it was the most fun in all the world and would have done it 10 times over if she could There were so many distractions too including shot going off right next to us and very noisy dogs waiting in the queue. Couldn’t be prouder.

As well as the scurry, the whole day was such a good learning experience for her. Her go to is to be a bit timid of things so we were wary that the constant shot coming from all directions might worry her but there was so much going on and sniffs and friends to meet that she wasn’t fazed in the slightest and it just blended into background noise - exactly what we hoped for!

View attachment 140271

I used to love doing those, such fun. Well done Purdey.

 

[Clodagh]

I’ve just had such a good training session with Steve Kimberley. Took the most experienced three and trained them together, seen, blind and sweeping.
I wanted them to train on hunting over and beyond an obstacle (river/ditch/hedge) as they can be a bit sticky and tend to hunt along it. It’s fine if they are in sight as I can say ‘over’ but when they are out of sight they need to use their initiative. All three were just great, consistently going out until they winded the dummy, or got a hunt whistle if it was a blind. I’m too rubbish to remember too many different commands so I need setting up to succeed. They were great. And now worn out, a plus!

 

[maisie06]

If they can't hunt like a crack weasel I don't keep them, but they should be fully with you while hunting like that!

A friend is planning to name her cocker litter ferret, weasel, stoat, pine martin etc for exactly this reason

Little one will hunt a concrete car park! I think he'd make a superb drug dog!
He had a super flush in the rabbit pen yesterday, bumped a bunny off his nose then flushed phil the pheasant who has taken up residence in rabbit pen!

This morning we did a long memory where Exocet mode was fully engaged for straight out straight back, no parading - massive improvement, shame I'm too chicken to trial him!

 

[maisie06]

I’ve just had such a good training session with Steve Kimberley. Took the most experienced three and trained them together, seen, blind and sweeping.

If I took my 3 spanners together that would read "seen, blind and SWEARING"!!!!

 

[druid]

3 interesting exercises today for some of my training buddies who are on Irish teams.


Dogs lined out with 2 fences ahead, 40 yards apart.

Double marks at the second fence with first landing behind and second landing in front of it. 2 different dogs pick, exchange places in line and repeat picking the opposite retrieve to their first one. You need good marking and a smart stop whistle. Plus teaches them to push through scent of an old fall over the fence when doing the longer retrieve.

Next was a long memory (build up to a blind) crossing a pond and up a hill to pick from a pen. Broken down into 3 steps. Started out what would be the far bank (pen side). Walked the line from the pond up to the pen, memory into pen. Walk back to bank and send for memory.

Walk out with dog and replace the memory, Walk to same spot on the bank and sit up the dog. You now walk around to the start/casting position on the opposite bank leaving the dog sat up. Recall the dog to swim across to you. Then immediately line up for the memory and dog should swim out and back with no issues.

 

[Clodagh]

If I took my 3 spanners together that would read "seen, blind and SWEARING"!!!!

Did you read the bit where I said I need setting up to succeed… I meant it! I only have Labradors