Electronic Dog collars

[Farmer]

I have a springer pup that needs a little help in training. Once she goes I cannot call her back. I was wondering what others experiences with training collars have been? Where to obtain one? What price range?
Thanks in advance.
Gord

[stonesheep]

Hi Farmer, I had a few springers and trained the last one to perfection before i lost him to an accident this summer, we replaced him with a very testing german short hair pointer....but any way. How old is you dog firstly, most high energy gun dogs like the springer and german short hairs will have a tendancy to do this at one point, and it is something you should nip in the but fast. My springer started doing just that at around 6 months old, the best cure for them no matter what age is to run them on a check cord (20 to 50 feet of rope) when you are running him. If you call come or here, what ever your command is, and he edoes not listen then you reel him in with your check cord. Never say come twice to him, once you have told him to come, make sure you can inforce it, thats what the check cord is for, dont let him off the C/C untill he reesponds 100% of the time it wont take all that long. Save your money and forget the e collar if this is your only problem with the dog. I have lots of good tricks for springer training, sometimes the conventional stuff just doesnt work with them.

Jody

[Rod]

I have 3 springers 2 are family pets and the last is my hunting companion, she is fantastic in a duck blind and has put more experienced lab's to shame on a few occasions.

when it comes to upland hunting she does range to far and often becomes "deaf".

I woukd be very interested in any tips you or anyone else might have to offer.

Cheers
Rod

[stonesheep]

Yes Rod your right any good springer can put a lab to shame any day:o , but im sure you and i are partial. Rod, I have found that the check cord method for getting a new pup or an old seasoned pro to come back when called is the ticket. It may only take a week or it may take two months but when your done you will be very pleased. I did it will all my dogs, and they all come when called of course minus the rare ocassion when the have a bird on the tip of their nose or there is a kitty cat in front of them. I seriously think that if getting your dog to come is the only trouble you have, get yourself a check cord or long length of solid core rope and put a brass snap on the end of it. It wont take your dog long to learn that HERE means HEAR. My new short hair pointer is 10 months old and i still run him on a check cord, but when he is off he come 100% of the time. It works try it.

Hey Rod i see your from Courtany, Im up here in Port Hardy

[stonesheep]

Rod the check cord will also help your dogs ranging, use a extra long lenght to let the dog get out a bit, then keep calling back in and praising the dog, add whistle to the here command while on the check cord as well. This way when your done here training him he will also be whistle trained as well. The trick is when you call him back with the wistle but you only mean to get him back closer to hunt nearer you use a hand signal to cast your dog out to the left or to the right of you, this way the dog sees what you want of him because he is already on the way back to you. if he sees no signals then he knows he is to come straight back to you. Do all this slowly and in steps, dont add whistle for a week or two then, once you have added that work on it for a while till the dogs figures it out..... doesnt take a springer long to learn. After this you can teach him hand signals to cast him if he doesnt already do this, getting him to cast where you want him is very easy as well, if you want let me know its silly easy. but he may already do it fine.

[Farmer]

Thanks for all the good advice. This pup is 8 months old and we foolishly thought that she would stay with her mother when we took her out. The mother was trained with a check cord and as stated here it does work. I know this pup is not going to like being this but she has got to learn.