Last week me and the spaniels spent a week training with Helen Phillips Clicker Gundog we had a fantastic time, Sidney was fantastic despite having got into some bad habits with his retrieving, lots of new experiences for little Walter and loads of fun for us all 🐶🥰
Saffie has all of the natural instincts that a springer spaniel should have. She loves to run, to hunt for things with her nose and to retrieve. She would make a fantastic working dog. However, Saffie’s guardians don’t need or want her to work, instead they spend time training and providing outlets for her instincts using hunting and retrieve games. You can achieve this with your gundog, have a look at the link or get in touch for more details of our pet gundog classes.
Willow at the weekend Hoopers workshop, Facebook isn’t letting me share videos with anything else. Hard to believe this dog hadn’t seen a hoop 6 weeks ago!!
Sidney resource guarding
Spaniels are bred to retrieve items often through thick cover or from water, to do this job effectively they need a strong desire to have and keep hold of items. This desire to have and keep hold can sometimes lead to resource guarding. I noticed that Sidney had resource guarding tendencies from a very young age. He had never shown any aggression but I believe he would have done if handled differently. My approach was to teach a really strong retrieve with lots of different items including food items and to
lower the value of items that are safe by using a ‘keep it’ cue and leaving him with them. This video shows some of the body language you might see with low level guarding, often this is hiding under a table or in a crate with a stolen item, it also shows how I respond.
Please note Sidney found this bird already dead in the garden.
These 2 have worked incredibly hard for this. Charlotte loves her mom and moving away has been a real challenge but their hard work is paying off. The bond between them is a joy to see. 🥰
Another great afternoon spent at Helen Phillips Clicker Gundog. Some super progress being made and lots of fun being had along the way 🥰
What a great morning we’ve had at the ‘Fun games for pet gundogs’ workshops. Providing outlets for instinctive behaviours while building on self control, concentration and memory skills. A super group of dogs and their guardians. Little Walter even made an appearance do some demonstrations with me 🥰
Walter is now 8 months old and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. We don’t do lots of formal training at this age, we work to his strengths. Walter loves to hunt with his nose and run fast. From the start I’ve made sure I’m a big part of these games. Stop and look starts the fun, sometimes he hunts for hidden treats, sometimes like here in the woods he gets to run and sniff all of the natural smells that are out there. Connection and relationship is everything at this age. 🥰
Spaniels are bred to be environmentally triggered, they have a need to get their nose down and to hunt. Without input from us they can easily become self employed and giving them offlead freedom can be difficult. Working with your dogs natural instincts gives them an outlet while ensuring they remain connected. Look at the focus Saffie has on her guardian and look at the fun she is having. All trained using fun, reward based training and games 🥰
Did you know that not only is hoopers great fun it also builds on lots of other skills, including; off lead connection, distance control, recall and wait. These dogs Helen Phillips Clicker Gundog are using hoopers skills to complement their gundog training.
Training classes include, puppy, adult, indoor and outdoor options suitable for all ages and abilities, please get in touch for more details 😊
Loose lead walking is hard, loose lead walking in a stimulating environment around other dogs and people can feel impossible sometimes. These dogs absolutely smashed it last night on their final week of a loose lead short course. Fantastic work, lovely to see your progress 🤩🤩🤩
Today we have been recording video tutorials for the loose lead walking course. Loving that Walter is getting involved and love seeing the progression between them #spaniellife #apdtuk #dogtraining #looseleadwalking
I currently have a 6 month old puppy, when I'm out with Walter he takes up most of my attention, I need to be watching, supporting and managing where needed. Focussing on him can mean I miss other things going on around me. This is one of the reasons that all of my puppy classes are followed by a weekly email which includes video tutorials such as the one below. My job is to train you so that you can train your puppy. Video tutorials and email support mean that you get the best from your lessons and can review what we covered in class with a cup of coffee while your puppy is having a snooze.
Don't miss out, book your puppy class today.
https://lakesidedogtrainingbookings.as.me/?appointmentType=category:Puppy%20Training
This week I received this lovely video and message from Nelly’s guardians who have clearly put in the time with Nelly’s training and are seeing some fantastic results 🥰
Today was heelwork day for my spaniels. Walter is nearly 6 months old and learning that walking by my side is lots of fun. Sidney is learning to manage himself in movement and maintain a heel position when walking towards door treats. Fun and learning and always wagging tails 🥰 #spanieltraining Lakeside Dog Training #happyspaniels
For me there is no greater joy than watching a dog loving their learning, yesterday Saffie worked on her gundog skills including off lead heel work. Her tail didn’t stop wagging she just had the best time and did a great job too 🥰
