[jackle23]

does any one know anyhting about training a pointer hunting dog. my sister asked for a puppy and chose a hunting breed,she has left home now and left the dog to me.I am keeping rabbits and she has started pointing at them as in raising her paw and looking directely towards them,then she barks.I would like to take her hunting but im not sure if she is obedient enough,any tips on training please pas them along to me

thanks!

Jack

[doganjo]

Jack, you need to get a whistle - a 210 or a 211 - go to your local country store or gun shop.  Your dog should learn to stop on a single blast and turn on two pips, then a few pips on the whistle to come back (recall) once you have that 100% in your garden, then you can try it in en enclosed field.  Next thing is to check if the dog is Ok with gunshot so you need the help of someone with a shotgun - they should be at least 100 yards from you and shoot away from you and the dog.  If the dog pays attention, or ignores it that's fine.  But if it is scared you won't be able to go out shooting with it.
It shoudl also learn to walk at heel both on and off elad.  When you have got all that covered tyhen you can take it hunting unless you also want it to tretrieve - but that is much more complex than I can tell you here.  You could do worse than find a good gundog trainer near you - or go on one of the Gundog Club courses - www.thegundogclub.co.uk
Hope that helps
Annie
Aberdon.org.uk

[jackle23]

thanks for the info but i cant enrole in one of these classes as i live in france but i do know someone with a shotgun>do you have any tips on training to walk to heel an come and turn?i would be very greatfull as she is a menace (the dog) and is only 10 months old

Jack

[doganjo]

There will be dog training classes in France too. 

Always keep training sessions short (10 to 15 mins is ample), have a few sessions a day, and always stop on a correctly done piece of work.

To walk to heel have her on a lead at your left, give the command(heel or close) and step forward with your left leg(one nearest the dog).  If she steps ahead of you give her lead a short jerk and release again immediately, giving the heel command again. and pat your left leg.  Praise her when she returns to your side.  Just keep doing that till she learns she must keep beside you.  Use the word Heel or Close whenever you move off and be consistent - don't let her get off with moving ahead of you.  Vary the speeds you walk at and even break into a jog if you like, change direction, turn, walk backwards (watch you don't trip on anything - I usually do )

Start the recall on the lead.  Put her on a sit, step away to the end of the lead, turn and face her saying STAY.  Then call her to you and PRAISE LAVISHLY, give a high value treat - piece of chicken, meat, ham!  Do this at least half a dozen times at each training session.  Gradually extend the distance by using a longer lead/line or dropping the lead but be ready to pick it up quickly if she moves before you tell her.  That trains for both the sit stay, and also the recall, so don't call her back every time.  Some of her sit stays you should go back to her and praise her.

The turn is easy - put her on a long line and let her run ahead of you - give a command such as 'get on' or 'go hunt'; run to the left, the dog will run to the left.  Beep twice on the whistle, as the dog is running to the left, then immediately turn and run to the right.  When the dog passes you on its way right, immediately beep twice again and run to the left.  Continue zig zagging like this right down the field.  You need a big open space for this exercise.  Some dogs do this naturally using the wind - they run across the face of an oncoming wind, but if it is a cheek wind they will run away from you, then back to you, then away again etc etc.  If there is a back wind(coming from behind you)  they may run about 100 yards away from you then quarter back towards you.  If you train for the turn it means you can control exactly where you want your dog to hunt rather than letting it decide.
Good luck!
Annie

[kanisha]

Jackie no reason why you can't enrole in some of these classes in france hunting is very popular here go to the marie and ask who is the local gardee de chasse they will be able to point you in the right direction.

[jackle23]

ask for the local garde de chasse ?
Who is that ?what do they do?

Thanks


Jak

[kanisha]

head huntsman for the local hunt; he keeps an eye on everyone ensures its legal, permits and licences are  up to date organises a lot of the social activity and meetings that go on with regard to the hunt calendar. just ask.
remembering of course that most hunting in france goes on on foot  and not mounted. the training and events around using dogs in the field will be very well known to him and he may well know an excellent trainer in your area;

[doganjo]

Remember a Pointer is not strictly speaking a 'hunting' dog - Hounds are hunting dogs, pointers are gundogs.  I dont know France well enough to tell you whether the Garde de Chasse governs shooting dogs as well.

[kanisha]

yep frances hunting culture is huge and very different to the UK;  I see regularly round here ( every two or three days) the whole gamut of field sports; a beautful grande bleu de gasgoigne a small pack of PBGV the fauve de bretagne is also very popular basset and normal plus of course  i am within a stones throw of the brittany spaniel capital of the world ( we often export them for breeders world wide. ) pointers ( braque français) english pointer are popular as are  most of the setter breeds The gardee du chasse will know who  to go to for your breed in your region.

[jackle23]

thanks guys this is all really useful btw my dog is a brettany spaniel i think i know the local garde de chasse when i went hare hunting i saw himbut im not sure if hes the garde de chassse or not.




Jack

[pegusus pig]

Hi Jack,
     I've read a few of your post on the forum, you seem very intrested in hunting. My sister and i were the same at your age, we got jobs in a local kennels on a Saturday. This was a wealth of knowledge, yes it was a dirty, hard job but the information we picked up was invaluable. it was throw this job that i got given my first springer spaniel, and in return for kennel work i was given training with her, and eventually allowed out on a shoot with her. It was a great experience and i picked up so much that i would never have learnt through reading books. I don't know much about where you are but i would suggest you approach your local kennels and see if they need any help you'll learn so much. As my mum said to me at the time nothing ventured nothing gained.  Emma:D

[doganjo]

Hi Kanisha - you said -

i am within a stones throw of the brittany spaniel capital of the world

You must be near Callac then?   Our breed originated in Callac, there are still two of the founder kennels located there - Keranlouan and Kerveillant. I have a Keranloun bitch, and my other dogs have a fair spattering of both lines in their pedigrees as well as St Tugen, another originator.  I visited France in 2007 for the Anniversary National d'Elevage and TAN, and we toured the Musee de  l'Epagneul Breton in Callac.  The village Mayor spoke at a champagne reception held for us.  I think there were about 60 visitors from all over the world.

Incidentally they are not Brittany Spaniels - they are proper HPRs (hunter. pointer, retriever) and the 'spaniel' part has been dropped - except in America!  They are known as Breton's in many parts of eh world. 

I am national treasurer of the UK Brittany Club, and our President, and some committee members are joining me in another trip to the NE in July - this time it's being held near Bordeaux(Gujan-Mestras near Archachon).  Some of our members will be showing their own dogs there too   Unfortunately there is not a working day this year as they have their AGM instead on the Saturday.

[kanisha]

Yep quite close have exported quite a number for Patrick Morin just had a request for the other kennel the other day. As for brittany spaniel  here they are known as  l'Epagneul Breton, Bretons are people sometimes I forget which language i'm in 

[doganjo]

Yes, but Epagneul does not just mean Spaniel - I'm told it's other meaning is 'with hair'?  They do not do the same work as Spaniels.

We visited Patrick's kennels when we were there, I was amazed at the number of dogs there!

My friends, Barbara and John Anderson (our Field Trial Secretary) know him well - they bought Sierra de Keranlouan from him - she is a sister to Spot de Keranlouan (sire of my bitch), who was bought from Patrick by my other friends Patricia and Alan Rush (our Chairman) Say hello to Patrick from the Brittany Club of Great Britain (www.brittanyclub.co.uk) when you next see him, tell him we hope to see him again in July....   Do you have Epagneul bretons too?

Annie

Anne Massie
www.aberdon.org.uk

[kanisha]

don't know about any other meaning; but the classification for dogs over here is different. It wouldn't surprise me if the UKs interpretation of spaniel is a bit off from the original meaning hence the confusion. I don't have brittanys mostly dobermanns 
Patrick has a lot of dogs but I've always found him to be extremely proficient and very on the ball about everything.