rescue dog.

remy17

Member
i have just aquired a 2yr old black lab bitch from a rescue centre to keep my other lab company and to hopefully use as a companion when out shooting.
the problem is.... she has been a town dog and has very little in the way of basic commands, and LOVES to jump up on people :oops: oh, and run around daft with a 6ft branch in her gob!!! :doh:.

is there anybody out there who could recommend a good dog/gundog (and handler) trainer in or around the glasgow area, i really feel she would make an excellent gundog given time as she has always got her nose to the ground when in the local park chasing scent (on the lead mind you) and as far as i can gather she is not bothered by loud bangs ie guy fawkes night with her was a breeze while my other lab lay petrified in a dark corner in fear.

basically i am not looking for a ftc winner but i would just like a trustworthy and steady companion to take out shooting with me.

thanks, remy17
 
i have just aquired a 2yr old black lab bitch from a rescue centre to keep my other lab company and to hopefully use as a companion when out shooting.
the problem is.... she has been a town dog and has very little in the way of basic commands, and LOVES to jump up on people :oops: oh, and run around daft with a 6ft branch in her gob!!! :doh:.

is there anybody out there who could recommend a good dog/gundog (and handler) trainer in or around the glasgow area, i really feel she would make an excellent gundog given time as she has always got her nose to the ground when in the local park chasing scent (on the lead mind you) and as far as i can gather she is not bothered by loud bangs ie guy fawkes night with her was a breeze while my other lab lay petrified in a dark corner in fear.

basically i am not looking for a ftc winner but i would just like a trustworthy and steady companion to take out shooting with me.

thanks, remy17

Why not do it yourself and have fun too.


DavieH
 
It sounds like it really is basic obedience training it needs possibly a local dog/puppy training class would probably be a good start to get basics in place, sit, heel, recall. The only difference for a gundog is i would also train it to a whistle as well as voice and hand signals for sit/stop and recall whereas most training classes wouldn't.

U could probably try to look for a local gundog club but be a bad time off year for that

Depending on your experience but i would defo reccomend going to see a decent trainer either as a group or for 1-1 training, and esp so if inexperienced. Can solve problems in minutes that u have tried to solve for months

Unfortunately the nearest trainer i know to glas is probably davie at buccleuch gundogs (thornhill D&G, prob 60ish mile) or andy platt, (nithvalley gundogs, near eaglesfield prob about 80mile but only 5 min off m74) both are execellent trainers and decent blokes. Davie is usually flat out this time off year with trialling but he does put group training days on throu the season althou i think they are probably more advanced days, if u check his website might say.
If Andy is not too far away u could probably get in there, the local gundog club had a group session with him this summer and everyone came away very happy and learned a few things (even the exp boys).

I shoot wi a couple of boys from nearer to glas and 1 is involved in a gundog club up there, i'll ask him the craic next sat.
Good luck with it
 
thank you guys for all your useful information, countryboy, thank you especially. i actually have a couple of gundog training dvds (james douglas and others) so have been watching them.

tried some of thier "examples" this morning ie, putting my lab back on the spot she had moved from originally and holding her head as they do on the dvds ie grasping both sides of her head firmly but gently and making eye contact with her while telling her to "sit" to try and reinforce the command, but not enforce it....................only to be told by a smart alec park warden in our local park that "IF HE SAW ME DOING THAT AGAIN AND MISTREATING THE DOG, HE WOULD HAVE THE POLICE AND THE RSPCA ONTO ME"
didnt want to correct him and tell him in scotland that its the sspca but hey. just packed up the training lead and headed for the car feeling like a criminal and freak because i was trying to train my dog to do what it was told, and not run around like a manic mutt, suppose thats one of the bad things about staying in the east end of glasgow. too many doo gooders, know alls and numptys with big dogs with massive chains and smoking "recreanational" substances walking around the park at all the wrong times of the day.
 
It is apparent that you're quite committed to working with this dog and helping her realize her potential. Good for you! It's often said that the really good working dogs make poor house dogs when they're not provided the chance to use the working drive they possess. The running around "daft" with a stick is a familiar sight to some of us!

One thing I've found useful for building the bond between handler and dog (and teaching the dog to follow commands generally) is to train the dog to lie quietly on a down stay for thirty minutes, while you're doing something else in the room. You build this up in increments, initially just a minute or two. At the beginning, you may need to be on the floor next to her to enforce the command. Your approach at the park indicates that you understand how to go about doing this. It takes time, but it can be quite useful, both in building your relationship and later in the field.

I agree completely with the idea of getting some expert help. I think you understand the importance already of training the handler, from seeing your parenthetical reference. I would look for a trainer who emphasizes positive training to the extent possible, but I'm also one of those people who believes "it's a dog, not a dolphin!" :) In other words, I do believe that there comes a time in the training of virtually every dog when even the clicker method must be supplanted by firm, non-abusive enforcement of a command. (For me, that occasion often has to do with the dog's natural urge to chase game or cats.)
 
Congratulations on your bravery in getting a rescue as you have no idea about what you have or will end up with.The next thing is to relax, all dogs are a wolf in a suit the instinct is to track and hunt.Basic obedience for deer work is to heel and to follow a scent. Always walk with the dog on a lead or at heel,with free exercise stand still let the dog run about but stay in one place then she gets used to walking at heel and then coming back to a stationary "boss".as for the running around with a 6ft tree in her mouth do not panic, my best picking up dog does that when we are messing about in the fields although a tennis ball or a stroppy Park attendant may be a better idea.Forget gundog stuff basic sitting and coming is what you want.
 
A suggestion based on a few things. What do you know of this dog? Any idea of it's pedigree? Is it from work or show stock? Any knowledge as to how it ended up in a rescue centre? Does not make any difference now to you owning the dog but it just might make a difference to how you would go about turning her around to a dog more suited to what you would like. Labs are a gundog breed but not all labs are capable of becoming a gundog. This is not negative just realistic.
Re training this dog yourself would be fantastic but it just may require more knowledge and understanding than you currently have. I don't know what you paid for this rescue dog but a reasonable shooting/companion dog is worth a good deal. I would therefore consider placing the dog with a good gundog trainer for say a couple of weeks/month for him/her to assess the dog and to begin retraining. You then become involved in this process and under guidance continue on. A good trainer will very quickly be able to assess the dog and give you the right information.
 
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