Spaniels

gecko · 12-02-2005, 08:52 AM

I have a Cocker Spaniel, and a English Springer Spaniel. Both are wonderful dogs. I would like to hear from owners who have experiance in training or taking these dgs bird hunting. I know they were originally bred for bird hunting, and would love to train them to flush and retreive pheasant and partridge.

So if anybody has any insight on this. please get back to me

tessa_s212 · 12-02-2005, 04:09 PM

Well, my family owns seven cocker spaniels and one ESS. We don't hunt.

Mellie · 12-02-2005, 07:24 PM

I have shared my entire life with Springers. I adore this breed. But I do not hunt.
I have noticed there are several forums devoted to those who hunt/flush/retrieve/etc with their sporting dogs. In the past, I googled for ESS specific forums to find those. I have no specific link, but I'm sure you could find something by googling.

Shalva · 12-04-2005, 06:56 PM

I can't be of any help here as we have retrievers but we do train them in hunt and field work despite the fact that we don't hunt ourselves they are trained and can do the job they were intended to do.....
but spaniels and flushing.... i havent a clue... I would try and contact the cocker spaniel club of America and see if they have any resources for you..... they may be able to direct you to a local person that you can learn from .
S

Estie · 12-04-2005, 07:41 PM

Our little girl, Cassy, runs like the wind - chases ducks when they are flying way up in the air. Having no knowledge of what she is capable of, we are going to have her tested to see how "birdy" she is!! We walked her out by the lake yesterday, through tall grass & weeds. It was a sight to see her leaping up and over with her tail going a mile-a-minute!! Then she stops to look and point! They are such great dogs!!
Estie

TierneyRose · 12-12-2005, 08:22 AM

We have a Springer mix and he is a ball of energy. He is only 7 months old so he is a bit frustrating at times but it is hard to stay mad at that face. I have had some trouble and I have heard from other people who have the same problem. They seem to love to tear things apart. He has destroyed every dog bed and tennis ball he has ever gotten a hold of and he has done damage to a few of our things as well, including a quilt my mother made for me. Grandma hasn't spoken to him since.

linnie · 12-18-2005, 01:29 AM

I have a tibetan spaniel

She runs like the wind and hunts lizards thats about all. Scared of rabbits so I dont suppose she will ever become a great hunter lol

RIo&Nickysmommy · 12-27-2005, 04:47 PM

I have two Spaniels but I dont think we are much help for hunting. My Nicholas came from my brothers house and he has large african greys that have run of the house and they would sleep together and everything. He was even good friends with the desert turtle they have. Guess they are all not hunters. My two are lovers no hunting..

But I believe most will huntf taught.
Rio&Nickysmommy

APBTlover · 12-27-2005, 05:43 PM

sorry I also can not be of help. I have one cocker spaniel, he is 8 years old and from a pet store (ya bad, I know, but I was 8 at the time lol). So no hunting for him. But good luck!

*~!Ashelee!~*
@ Brayden Kennels

Mirg · 02-02-2007, 11:17 PM

I hunt with my ESS, A.j. If you havent started to train them with birds, yet, this is what i did:
First of all, I trained A.j. to retrieve and drop a ball. Then, i got him used to going out in the sagebrush and praised him whenever he flushed some birds (even if it was an accident, but thats only at first).
Then, what happened next was pretty much luck, my dad and i found some dead birds (someone had shot them and left them), they were 2 pheasants and 1 quail, so i took as many feathers as i could from the dead birds.
Every day for the next couple of weeks, i have been taking a couple of feathers and dragging them on the ground in a path (as if a bird was dropping it's scent) to a clump of sagebrush or weeds. Try not to follow a deer-made path or a walking trail.
Then, i let A.j. out where we first started to drag the feathers and tell him to get the birdies. Dont walk directly towards the feathers or your dog will learn to just go where you go, not where his nose tells him to.
If A.j. gets off track, we whistle and change directions, still not walking directly at the feathers.
When he gets it, i allow him to hold the feathers for a while and play with them, but after a while i call him over, make him sit in front of me, and tell him to drop it.
Farther into his training i lessened the play time with the feathers enough so that now he only tosses it up in the air a couple of times and then brings it to me.
If you didnt happen to run across some dead birds like we did, you can buy pheasants (dead or alive) at some places.
To get A.j. familiar with the gunshot, we would take a ball (or any toy, but A.j. really likes tennis balls) and every time my dad shot his gun, i would throw the ball. I suggest starting off with a quieter gun, or even just slapping 2 pieces of wood together.
Also, i've been training A.j. to come to a certian tone of whistle and slow down to an other certain tone of whistle. The dog HAS to learn to just slow down, not come back, because you dont want him to loose the scent he was following.

This info isnt professional or anything, it is just the training program ive made up for A.j. (with the help of my dad). So im not saying this will work with your dogs. There is one thing that i know for SURE though. Do NOT use electric collars or harsh techniques while training for birds. I know someone that used and electric collor while training in hunting and now the dog is afriad of birds. Not very good for a bird dog. Lol. There are also a lot of sites and books that could help you with training bird dogs.

Anyway, if you want to follow this, go ahead, im just trying to help. Ive owned my ESS for about a year and i think he is the best dog my family's owned ever since Amber (a golden retriever that my dad owned as a kid, but thats a different story). Good luck with your dogs!

Mirg · 02-02-2007, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TierneyRose

We have a Springer mix and he is a ball of energy. He is only 7 months old so he is a bit frustrating at times but it is hard to stay mad at that face. I have had some trouble and I have heard from other people who have the same problem. They seem to love to tear things apart. He has destroyed every dog bed and tennis ball he has ever gotten a hold of and he has done damage to a few of our things as well, including a quilt my mother made for me. Grandma hasn't spoken to him since.

Oh, good, its not just mine, then. My ESS, A.j., has torn up everything that i like him take into his kennel. He tears up all the tennis balls, food dishes, ect. that i give him. Ive had to get a giant tennis ball that he can barely fit into his mouth and metal dishes so that he couldnt chew them up.

Lol

12-02-2005, 08:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
gecko Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Spaniels I have a Cocker Spaniel, and a English Springer Spaniel. Both are wonderful dogs. I would like to hear from owners who have experiance in training or taking these dgs bird hunting. I know they were originally bred for bird hunting, and would love to train them to flush and retreive pheasant and partridge. So if anybody has any insight on this. please get back to me
gecko Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0

12-02-2005, 04:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
tessa_s212 animal rescue advocate Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Stryker, Ohio Posts: 646 Rep Power: 82	Well, my family owns seven cocker spaniels and one ESS. We don't hunt.
	__________________ I dream of the day that no animal must lose its life due to human irresponsibility and negligence. Stop animal overpopulation! Spay & Neuter your Pets!

12-02-2005, 07:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mellie Springer/Saint Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Vermont Posts: 449 Rep Power: 98	I have shared my entire life with Springers. I adore this breed. But I do not hunt. I have noticed there are several forums devoted to those who hunt/flush/retrieve/etc with their sporting dogs. In the past, I googled for ESS specific forums to find those. I have no specific link, but I'm sure you could find something by googling.
	__________________ "One dog barks at something, the rest bark at him." -- Chinese Proverb

12-12-2005, 08:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
TierneyRose Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Lincoln NE Posts: 22 Rep Power: 0	Springer Mix We have a Springer mix and he is a ball of energy. He is only 7 months old so he is a bit frustrating at times but it is hard to stay mad at that face. I have had some trouble and I have heard from other people who have the same problem. They seem to love to tear things apart. He has destroyed every dog bed and tennis ball he has ever gotten a hold of and he has done damage to a few of our things as well, including a quilt my mother made for me. Grandma hasn't spoken to him since.

12-18-2005, 01:29 AM	#7 (permalink)
linnie tibbie girl Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 3,051 Rep Power: 172	I have a tibetan spaniel She runs like the wind and hunts lizards thats about all. Scared of rabbits so I dont suppose she will ever become a great hunter lol
	__________________ Caution...Dogs can leave footprints on your heart

12-04-2005, 06:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
Shalva Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: here...pointing to palm of right hand Posts: 442 Rep Power: 0	I can't be of any help here as we have retrievers but we do train them in hunt and field work despite the fact that we don't hunt ourselves they are trained and can do the job they were intended to do..... but spaniels and flushing.... i havent a clue... I would try and contact the cocker spaniel club of America and see if they have any resources for you..... they may be able to direct you to a local person that you can learn from . S

12-04-2005, 07:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
Estie estie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 223 Rep Power: 65	Our little girl, Cassy, runs like the wind - chases ducks when they are flying way up in the air. Having no knowledge of what she is capable of, we are going to have her tested to see how "birdy" she is!! We walked her out by the lake yesterday, through tall grass & weeds. It was a sight to see her leaping up and over with her tail going a mile-a-minute!! Then she stops to look and point! They are such great dogs!! Estie

12-27-2005, 04:47 PM	#8 (permalink)
RIo&Nickysmommy Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NY Long Island Posts: 256 Rep Power: 65	I have two Spaniels but I dont think we are much help for hunting. My Nicholas came from my brothers house and he has large african greys that have run of the house and they would sleep together and everything. He was even good friends with the desert turtle they have. Guess they are all not hunters. My two are lovers no hunting.. But I believe most will huntf taught. Rio&Nickysmommy

12-27-2005, 05:43 PM	#9 (permalink)
APBTlover Brayden APBTs Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: C-Ville, PA Posts: 58 Rep Power: 0	sorry I also can not be of help. I have one cocker spaniel, he is 8 years old and from a pet store (ya bad, I know, but I was 8 at the time lol). So no hunting for him. But good luck! ~!Ashelee!~ @ Brayden Kennels
	__________________ Featuring: UKC GR. CH. 'PR' Marrero's Bam Margera WDX, CGC, TDI, Ring I, DNA-VIP "Bam"

02-02-2007, 11:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mirg My Lucky #7 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Eastern WA Posts: 1,048 Rep Power: 60	I hunt with my ESS, A.j. If you havent started to train them with birds, yet, this is what i did: First of all, I trained A.j. to retrieve and drop a ball. Then, i got him used to going out in the sagebrush and praised him whenever he flushed some birds (even if it was an accident, but thats only at first). Then, what happened next was pretty much luck, my dad and i found some dead birds (someone had shot them and left them), they were 2 pheasants and 1 quail, so i took as many feathers as i could from the dead birds. Every day for the next couple of weeks, i have been taking a couple of feathers and dragging them on the ground in a path (as if a bird was dropping it's scent) to a clump of sagebrush or weeds. Try not to follow a deer-made path or a walking trail. Then, i let A.j. out where we first started to drag the feathers and tell him to get the birdies. Dont walk directly towards the feathers or your dog will learn to just go where you go, not where his nose tells him to. If A.j. gets off track, we whistle and change directions, still not walking directly at the feathers. When he gets it, i allow him to hold the feathers for a while and play with them, but after a while i call him over, make him sit in front of me, and tell him to drop it. Farther into his training i lessened the play time with the feathers enough so that now he only tosses it up in the air a couple of times and then brings it to me. If you didnt happen to run across some dead birds like we did, you can buy pheasants (dead or alive) at some places. To get A.j. familiar with the gunshot, we would take a ball (or any toy, but A.j. really likes tennis balls) and every time my dad shot his gun, i would throw the ball. I suggest starting off with a quieter gun, or even just slapping 2 pieces of wood together. Also, i've been training A.j. to come to a certian tone of whistle and slow down to an other certain tone of whistle. The dog HAS to learn to just slow down, not come back, because you dont want him to loose the scent he was following. This info isnt professional or anything, it is just the training program ive made up for A.j. (with the help of my dad). So im not saying this will work with your dogs. There is one thing that i know for SURE though. Do NOT use electric collars or harsh techniques while training for birds. I know someone that used and electric collor while training in hunting and now the dog is afriad of birds. Not very good for a bird dog. Lol. There are also a lot of sites and books that could help you with training bird dogs. Anyway, if you want to follow this, go ahead, im just trying to help. Ive owned my ESS for about a year and i think he is the best dog my family's owned ever since Amber (a golden retriever that my dad owned as a kid, but thats a different story). Good luck with your dogs!

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Whats your breed?	minpinsrock	The Global Paw	50	08-01-2005 08:43 PM
my peekapoo is sick	ajroxit	Dog Health Concerns	12	07-08-2005 02:47 PM