Training a GSP pup

[Mark Williams]

Hi everyone,
My male GSP is wanting to hunt all the time but he`s only just turned 6 months old and i am walking the fields with a check chord on him.He will stop to the whistle if there are no distractions and the same with recall - he comes running.
If i am simply taking him for a walk off lead he instantly wants to hunt and if say a wood pigeon explodes out of a tree he chases after it for 400 yards and will take no notice of a stop call on the whistle ( very annoying) i dont whistle more than the once as i dont want to teach him to ignore it.
His retrieve can be poor some days in the yard and he likes to keep the dummy other days he does good.

Any advise would be most welcome - "thank you"

[ezzy333]

Get rid of the CC when you go for those walks in the field and do not try to recall him. The birds are trying to do the job for you so let him find out he can't catch them and then he will quit chasing with a little assistance if needed.

Ezzy

[marysburg]

Sounds like you have a nice pup and that you are on the right track with his training. Distractions usually trump obedience at the age of 6 months with any pup I have ever had, especially if there are birds around. You could get the Perfect Start, Perfect Finish DVDs, and they would be very helpful in setting out a plan for training your pup over the next months. There may be a Pointing Dog Club or NAVHDA chapter nearby which you could join to meet people who could help with training ideas and opportunities. Enjoy your pup and those walks in the field.

[Tooling]

FWIW - what I like to do when a pup is where yours is at is to get a strong association & trust foundation going.

It can be difficult as these dogs have a nose & I like to do this at a very young age - say 3 mos..

If you can get pup out and ahead of you while you plant a bird in some relatively heavy cover without pup knowing...go about your business as usual and get him to come around to you. Try to be upwind so pup doesn't pick up the scent of the bird - once you have pup reeled in give him a hand signal into the cover that you have planted the bird. If he doesn't understand walk that direction continuing to motion into the spot. Once pup goes in just lay back & keep your mouth shut - let pup find the bird and handle it however you see fit but make sure it is a strong flyer planted in such a fashion so the bird is able to escape taking flight easily, you don't want pup to catch the bird. A success would be the first step toward pup associating you w/birds and the first building block toward a combined effort in the field..pup will also begin learning to trust you and will be more inclined to coming in once you call - not b/c he loves you but b/c you just pointed him toward the end of the rainbow..this would be a good start. Pretty much the only thing that could go wrong would be pup catching a bird so have a well thought out plan. A partner would be of great help in this situation.

Since he's 6 mos..letting pup drag a long check cord could also add some insurance once he discovers the bird - just to assure he doesn't catch - once bird is in flight you can let him chase just by dropping the cc if you choose. Make sure there are no knots or loops at the end of the cc so he does not snag if you let him chase.

[Mark Williams]

Thank you for the replies up to now (any more most welcome).
The pup is just 6 months, over here in England the hedgerows are full of different birds and he gets to see and wants to chase them.
On the Hunting Life forum(English) people say we are way behind the American lads with the GSP`s and that is why i am asking a question or two on this forum.
For instance it is greatly frowned upon if a GSP is allowed to run on game before approx` 18 months of age as we are told it would "ruin" the dog and it would start hunting three fields away from you.
A check chord was advised to me and don`t take him out with my shotgun until he is around 18 months hence the check chord being used.
I took him out this afternoon with no check chord and no gun and his ranging was from 200 yards to a steady 30-40 yards and he had no desire to recall unless there was no scent and the recall was from close.
In my garden his obedience is good away from scent and distractions.


Thank You

[Sharon]

That's the kind of GSP I'd want and have had.
Let the birds teach that pup that he can't catch them. Say nothing. When pup starts to creep or point , no more chasing and use the cc- in the meantime you've taught whoa in the house and back yard in prep for that pointing time.

PS He's 6 months . Takes maybe 2 years to have a truly staunch dog who also retrieves consistently when asked. Take it slowly. Enjoy those young months.