Need springr pup training advice

[sean english]

Got a 3 months old springer last week. Everything is going well. We are still working on potty training. I have started retrieving trainings with her. She loves to retrieve: in the living room and out in the yard. I also started using treats which made her even more enthusiastic about the whole thing. She is doing fine. Do you recommend using treats? Someone said "in basic obediance very much but in the field not at all. " Makes sense to me. Thats what I am doing now. Obedience.
A friend went to the hunt test today and brought me some chukar wings. I have read how to use them on a string with pointers but dont know how to use them with a flusher. I gave her one (fresh, a few hours old and still has some meat on it) and she just loved it. Started to chew/eat it. I didnt really know what to do. I took it away from her.
What should I be doing with them? I dont want her to eat them. How am I supposed to use them?
I might be doing live bird next week (quail). Any suggestions. ?
Also pointers would point a live bird. Fusher would go to catch it. With the pen raised chukar/quail they just sit there to be caught. What purpose would that serve?

[Ghosted3]

Pitch the wing.
If your dog is retrieving already dont worry about the treats for that, but treat training (and when I say treats I used pieces of the dogs feed), to help with sit, come ect ect. really help out imo. Example for come, place the food between some fingers and call the pup to come, when its nose bumps your palm, release the food and instant praise. Then repeat...and repeat and repeat some more lol.

Corry

[Doc E]

Operant Conditioning (treat training) is fine for the beginning steps of OB, but totally not needed for "field work".
What training program are you going to follow ?


.

[sean english]

Training program? I got he Gun Dog book but am reading things here and there, watching youtube and also Gundog magazine videos.

[Ghosted3]

Operant Conditioning (treat training) is fine for the beginning steps of OB, but totally not needed for "field work".
What training program are you going to follow ?.

Exactly, once the pup is doing really well, try the command without the treat and praise a lot, then wean off of the treats and use lots of praise. The treat process (mixed with clickers, some people like clickers some dont) can really speed up the training. You really dont want to be giving the dog a treat at 6mo old for sitting or coming.
I started on basic OB at about 9 weeks, did 1 command the first week, treat every time it was done correct. Following week I started the next command and I would do it about 3 times (treat every completion) and then I would do the command from the previous week and alternate treat with praise, then no treat with a little more praise and rubbing chest or behind ears. 3rd week, first command was getting no treats, just praise, and the 3rd and 2nd were just like the the previous week. That worked out very well for my springer. I know I worked on my basice OB than a lot of people do, a lot say 2 - 3 days, but I really wanted to make sure that he had it all down.

Corry

[TheRiley]

Buy the book called "Hup!: Training Flushing Spaniels the American Way". You follow that and the Kenneth Roebuck book and you should end up with an excellent hunter. If you are looking to compete then you may want to spend some money on a program. In my opinion strict program is not as necessary with a good field bred springer as they are some of the most biddable dogs I have been around. The springer I have now is one of the easiest dogs I have trained. She has picked up some things in one or two sessions where some other dogs required weeks of work.

You may want to look around and see if there is a springer club in your area...they can be extremely helpful.

Keep in mind that springers respond better to soft commands. No need to be harsh and no need to raise your voice if they don't listen the first time. The minute they get scared the training session is over. They like when you look them in the eyes when you praise them. You don't even have to speak every time you give them praise. If you look them in the eyes and give them a quick pet with both hands from ears down to their shoulders...they love it.

[buckeyebowman]

Buy the book called "Hup!: Training Flushing Spaniels the American Way". You follow that and the Kenneth Roebuck book and you should end up with an excellent hunter. If you are looking to compete then you may want to spend some money on a program. In my opinion strict program is not as necessary with a good field bred springer as they are some of the most biddable dogs I have been around. The springer I have now is one of the easiest dogs I have trained. She has picked up some things in one or two sessions where some other dogs required weeks of work.

You may want to look around and see if there is a springer club in your area...they can be extremely helpful.

Keep in mind that springers respond better to soft commands. No need to be harsh and no need to raise your voice if they don't listen the first time. The minute they get scared the training session is over. They like when you look them in the eyes when you praise them. You don't even have to speak every time you give them praise. If you look them in the eyes and give them a quick pet with both hands from ears down to their shoulders...they love it.

Very well said! Many years ago my first bird dog was a Springer. I knew absolutely NOTHING about bird dog training, so I just worked on basic obedience training in the yard and the house like I would with any dog, and once that was set started taking him out to the field to let him see something new. I had a kind of unique situation with a local vocational school. It was surrounded by fields and woods, but between the parking lot and the field was a strip of mowed grass about 50 yards wide and 250 yards long. So I started out walking him in that short grass. He would cast so naturally, just built in to his DNA. Don't forget to look for the "built ins" that your dog possesses. We'd walk the length of this strip, and at the end I'd call him to me and just love him up big time! Then we'd walk back. When I first got him (3 mos.) he was perfectly happy to do this all evening. Then he wanted to do more.

So, that's when I started taking him into the heavier weeds. He worked exactly the same way as he did in the mowed grass. When we were in the field, I managed to flip a pheasant wing where he wasn't looking, just to check to see if he had a nose. Well, when he swung downwind of that wing his hind end started wiggling so hard I thought he was going to shrug right out of his skin!

In short, that dog taught me more than I ever taught him. TheRiley is exactly right in that Springers respond more to affection than a hard hand! They have hearts of gold and are extremely eager to please. I think the best thing I did with mine was just play with him. That's it! Just rough house with him like you would any other dog. Nothing gets a pup to imprint on you more than that.

[Trekmoor]

Bird wings are of use when spaniel training not for "wing on a string" stuff but for tying firmly onto training dummies (bumpers) of a size and weight proportionally correct for the puppy. They are used primarily for getting a pup used to picking up feathers (birds.) Sometimes if a pup is a bit reluctant to pick up a dummy or to retain it's hold on it then either wings or rabbit skins can be used attached to the dummy to encourage the retrieve. Most spaniel pups prefer the rabbit skin.

When training a spaniel I do not get deep into obedience training until the pup is ripping up the ground as it hunts and is belting out at full speed for a thrown dummy having done a hard and instant run -in. I do this just in case I inhibit the pup as a hunter or a retriever with too much obedience training. I find it pays off in the end not to allow a pup to range out to the distances I will want it to do when actually out shooting. I keep pups "in about my feet" when hunt training them. That means probably no more than 10 yards out to either side of me as the pup quarters the ground.

Doing this has several advantages, the pup is less likely to become a self-employed hunter and when I do want to add bits of obedience into the hunt like sit to whistle and turn to whistle, I can insist the pup obeys by being close enough to make it obey ! Spaniels become self - employed hunters very easily !
When you want the trained dog to range out a bit further all you have to do is leave it alone and the game itself will "pull" it out further. The earlier "in about my feet" training done will still be there as a control back-up however.
I know the spaniels in the U.S. are often hunted at about double the distances we want in Britain but any of my spaniels would be only too pleased to be allowed to range out further. I seldom allow them to but when I do I still have some control.

Bill T.

[sean english]

Thanks to all for sharing.
She is doing just fine. I am working on the basic commands:She retrieves ( I do use treats and praise), comes when she hears the whistle, sits and I just started on Stay yesterday. We are just having fun with her. Daily walks with family where she sees grass (short and tall) river, other dogs at times. Very sociable.
I took her to the field a couple of times and hid the wing and have her look for it. She found it and loved to chew on it. I let her be. As far as quartering, I dont know what to do with that yet. I think its early. She does not range too far, always in gun range. When she does get a little to far, I blow to whistle and "Here" and she comes back.
I have no intention of taking her to field trials. I have been to a couple in the past and just dont fathom them. I like to hunt wild bird and just want a bird to be my buddy in flushing and retrieving chukar for me. Thats all.
One might ask why springers then if I hunt chukar and my answer would be:
-I like their small size
-I like the fact that I cant take them out to a local park and have them run around off-leash and dont have to worry about the dog going to the neighboring county.
-Have hunted over several pointers. I find that if they are not very well trained, they are hard headed and are "self-employed" hunters. Seen the "Come here Jack. Jack. Here boy. Whisle, call, whistle, call " the whole day. On the other hand my buddy's semi trained springer, put a smile on my face everytime we were out. They are just funnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.