How can I improve my spaniels' picking-up skills?

Splitting the gun dogs up is crucial to address their individual flaws.

By Mark Whitehouse

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Picking-up skills: I have two springer spaniel gun dogs and want to improve their picking-up skills.

The gun dogs are 10-month-old litter brothers.

In terms of their picking-up skills, one is a good hunter and bad at retrieving.

The other is what I would call a ’plodder’ at hunting but very good at marking and excellent with his delivery to hand.

How can I improve their picking-up skills?

On the issue of improving picking-up skills, Mark Whitehouse says: All gun dogs show different natural qualities when they are young.

You have fallen into the trap of comparing them to each other, and for this reason you will become disappointed with them both.

To improve their picking-up skills you should separate them and train them as individuals.

Look at their positives and work on their weaknesses.

improve spaniel skills

Splitting the gun dogs up is crucial to address their individual flaws.

For example, hunting comes naturally to most spaniels but there are those exceptions that need a bit of guidance and encouragement.

Regarding the springer you describe as the ‘plodder’ - hunt him in an environment with plenty of game scent, such as a training pen or rabbit pen.

Being in contact with live game or rabbits will help develop his natural instincts quicker.

For the natural hunter who is very poor on marking and retrieving, only hunt him in very light cover so when you fire the starting pistol and throw him a retrieve you can make sure he has every opportunity to mark it down.

If this doesn’t improve his marking send him for the retrieve sooner while the dummy is still in the air.

This will encourage him to run in, but you can then work on the breaks later.

Once your gun dog is reaching the fall area every time and marking the dummy away, you can then start to work on the breaks by reinstalling the stop whistle.

Most novice handlers introduce the stop whistle on every flush at a young age and this encourages the gun dog look up at them.

This takes their eye off the flush and subsequently the gun dog doesn’t get the right opportunity to mark the dummy or flush away or the fall area.

Every flush becomes a blind retrieve, hence poor marking ability is manufactured by poor picking-up skills.