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TRAINING AT WEST LANCS GUNDOGS  For puppies out of quarantine, or the initial 10 day period after vaccines, we offer a socialisation. This involves the most important period of your young gundog’s life, learning to run and play with other similar aged dogs.The age to which to start your pup's training must be carefully considered. It may be that he is timid or even bold, once this is decided the schedule of training may commence. All Gundog puppies can start basic training from the day you get them home. The secret of course is to be patient, don't rush his training, consider his character.
In most cases it is down to the individual dog, I start training my dog's from the minute they are able to mix with others. Hence why socialising is very important, the sooner they mix the sooner they mature. A lot depends on the dogs breeding, if he is from strong Trialling lines then expect the pup to be head strong and question what you are asking, but if he is from strong working lines then its half the battle but, even this is not for definate. Just because he has lots of Field Trial Champions (FTCh) listed in his Pedigree does'nt prevent the dog from being useless for gundog work. Good early training techniques are without doubt the foundation to your training and the eventual finished article. You should never be hard on the youngster, but at the same time dont be afraid to instill a little discipline now for future results. I have found using food as a reward early on, encourages the dog to respond, rather than a distracted puppy.  Training (Early Stages)Depending on what you require the dog for, as a pet, shooting companion or even to compete, the only way forward is to forget about the finished product, concentrate on the basics, such as Recall and Lead work. Always train when you are of sound mind, by this I mean, if you are not thinking straight about the task ahead, then dont bother trying to do any training. Three more hours in the kennel will not do any harm if you are not ready, mentally. Especially these days when everyone seems to have a mobile phone, always switch it off or silent when training. Once you are ready to train, think about what you are going to do and where you are going to do it before you take him out. For instance my pups start off on tarmac (it's a car park during the day) and I take them individually. This way they are not distracted with scent on the ground, they progress very quickly here. By using a straight fence line I can train for the "back" command and signal, encourage straight recalls and of course introduce retrieving, all done on tarmac and not a rabbit or pigeon around to distract the youngster. Once the basics of this training have been accomplished, eg, Lead work, learning to sit on command and the occasional retrieve plus recall, we can then move onto the Whistle and the next stage. Although the training is stepped up it is still done in such a way that he never gets bored. The basis now is successful training and to reduce negative thoughts in both handler and dog. Each session should only be for 10 or 15 minutes and as often as you can but every morning and the same in the evening is sufficient for a young dog. My Spaniels naturally enter cover and water because I introduce this gradually but consistently when they are young, remember when doing this type of introduction, the pup needs to feel safe and confident. Ensure the cover is not heavy and the water is shallow, so he can run about in it unaided, without having to swim. At this stage he will know what a tennis ball is and will do anything to get to it once thrown. Eventuall you can tempt him deeper by throwing the ball that bit further each time.  Training (Introduction to Game)Steadiness is a massive achievement in a gundog. Initially you have to allow your dog to hunt or chase so you can teach him not to do it. The controlled use of a rabbit pen is an ideal instrument for this type of training as it allows the handler and dog to get really involved. But remember there is a very thin line with training in this environment, once your dog has experienced a little chasing it can become difficult to convince him otherwise, but by using the correct methods will be achieved. West Lancs Gundogs has its own Woodland 2.5 acre rabbit pen for training and hire, all year round. These sessions are supervised throughout. Below is a useful guidance document from BASC (British Association for Shooting and Conservation) regarding blank fire pistols and dummy launchers, simply double click to open, read and print.
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