Racomitrium Gundogs

A little exercise yesterday on the Obstacle Workshop. Building up to a blind over a bank through the morning. A great exercise for both the novice or experienced handler. You just need an extra pair of hands to film it! I see far too many handlers over handling their dog, especially when on a marked, memory or seen retrieve. Especially the 'hunt whistle' 🤦‍♂️, it has a time and a place but not as the dog hits the fall the first time out, let it hunt and find it naturally. Unless it doesn't hold an area or is completely in the wrong direction or the wrong side of the wind so it won't turn into the wind and work back towards the mark. This video shows a young spaniel on her second run, out and back with no handler interference. My point being, the dog does really well without any handler input. Dare I say, the spaniel actually did better on this exercise than the three fetch dogs. Who by comparison all retrieved but took in most of the 3 acres they had to hunt, however, they all successfully completed the retrieve, just took longer. So the next time you start frantically blowing the stop whistle and redirecting onto the fall with a hunt whistle, bear this video in mind.......your dogs nose and natural ability, will, given time, experience and training do this when you can see them!!!! 😉 A day of almost all labradors yesterday, best be careful I might get a reputation!! (Love watching a well trained fetch dog! 😊) Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories Fed on #skinnersfieldandtrial Skinner's . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Every single day! 😂 Violet and her sister River (I will be re-writing my puppy contracts, if you buy a puppy and send it back for residential training, you cannot name them the same name as their mother, two Rivers currently in the kennel! 🤷‍♂️) I can walk to them with a lead, sit nice, pop the lead on, walk them to the truck and jump in! 🤦‍♂️😂 Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories Fed on #skinnersfieldandtrial Skinner's. . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Hopefully this coming seasons Novice dog. Racomitrium Posy. Needs some game under her now. Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories Fed on #skinnersfieldandtrial Skinner's . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Racomitrium Violet, 11 months tomorrow. Enjoying this one, lots! Always wants to look at the bloody camera! FTCh Hagghouse King of Eborakon x FTAW Spiriteddawn Acer of Racomitrium Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories Fed on Skinner's #skinnersfieldandtrial . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

A few from today, picking up. Mini Me hasn't been picking up before, she enjoyed being able to watch the guns, who shot very well. Racomitrium Violet had her first taste of watching what it's all about, sitting with her best mate! ❤️ Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories Fed on #skinnersfieldandtrial Skinner's . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Having lots of dogs doesn't lend itself to 'normal' dog walks, easily. So lead work isn't high on my list of things to do........... Mine generally don't see a lead very often as a result, but decided today to introduce Violet at home. This is the second time, when the boss filmed it. The first time was 2 minutes before! I never understand how people struggle with lead work. If you have control of the dogs head, you can control its behaviour to allow you to teach loose lead work, before slacking the stopper off. This is a 1.2m 5mm trialling slip lead (I prefer these as they are light, have a metal ferrule which aids with the slip, but importantly have a spring loaded stopper which helps keep the lead in the correct location, leather ones stretch, rubber ones can pull through the ring) put on correctly (right behind the ears, and under the chin, at the top of the trachea, pushing the stopper down to allow about 25mm slack), holding it in one hand and halved it's length to teach her the desired position, keeping a loose lead rather than fully tensioned, with occasional on/off light pressure in an upward motion to correct the pulling etc (not yanking and trying to pull the dogs head off). 'Heel' when we step off, praise, encougement, keeping her focused on me and walking circles, zigzags, lefts, rights, speed up, slow down and quick direction changes. Keeps them totally focused as they have no idea what's coming next, as we are so hell bent being English that we have to take our dogs for a walk to wear them out, rather than tire them mentally on something that almost every handler needs help with! No treats, no squirty meat, no favourite toy, just good old fashioned experience and a proven technique! So for all the Karen's, snowflakes and everyone else who thinks a slip lead is a cruel method, just look at her little face, engaged with me, following rather than pulling and that tail doesn't stop wagging! I am now stocking these leads from A K Gundog Accessories f

Then finally, mumma bear........ Starting to get in shape now, poor girl hasn't reached her full potential yet as I'm too busy doing everything else, hopefully, that will now change. Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Racomitrium Violet or Violent as I still call her. FTCH Hagghouse King of Eborakon x FTAW Spiriteddawn Acer of Racomitrium. Almost 7 months. Still on single digits as to the amount of times she's actually done anything. No steadiness, no lead work, no delivery (can you tell!😂) some recall, but letting her hunt for fun! stop whistle, turn whistle she has started to learn. At this age I want them to have the drive for a thrown dummy, I launch it as far as I can, letting them run onto it & then hunt and work it out for themselves, I don't want a robot, I want a dog that has natural gamefinding ability and the presence of mind to keep hunting until they find something. All the other stuff comes over time, don't worry what everyone else does, even pups from the same litters mature differently, so never compare what someone else is doing. Their own situation may be different at home, allowing more time training etc. Gone are the days trying to do everything from a pup at 8 weeks old. Most of mine now don't do anything properly until 10-12 months, so.long as they listen to their name and come back & stay close when playing that's all I ask. NO TENNIS BALLS USED FOR HUNTING! Springcopse Spaniels 😂😂😂😂😉 Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs

Update on Sam, our residential springer. Started to put it all together now & has finally cut the apron strings and isn't so Velcro now! You can see he runs in on the shot and stop whistle, as he was so steady when he came in, by trying to firm the steadiness for this would have caused issues with trying to get him away while hunting, double edged sword. Sometimes, you have to let an issue slide before correcting it. The first time he heard the pistol at distance he shut down and went like jelly, as you can see, not the case now! Plenty to work on, but the hard graft has been getting him away from me and hunting. He will be out on his first shoot in two weeks time in the beating line! 💪👌 Brand Ambassador: A K Gundog Accessories . . . . #springerspaniel #cockerspaniel #labrador #puppies #gundog #gundogtrainer #gundogtraining #gundogsofinstagram #fieldtrials #workingtest #beating #pickingup #minoritybreeds #skinnersfieldandtrial #akgundogaccessories #gundogsdirect #fyp #landrover #racomitriumgundogs