18 replies to this topic

[sambarnes]

Hi,

About four weeks ago we got a springer spaniel pup, but have just decided its probably time to start training her. She is quite obiedient as in she will follow you with out a lead and sometimes comes back when you call her name, but it would be nice to have her fully trained.

Is there any tips or advice for doing so?

Heres a picture of her



Thanks
Sam

[yeti21586]

a tip i got given by a mate at work who has trained springers, is not to use food as a reward but love. in other words oraise with words and hugs and strokess etc, because if you praise the pup with food all the time it wont do what you say unless it knows/thinks youve got a treat for him/her.

and also have fun doin it. its possible if you put the effort in to do all sorts of things. he trained his dog to fall over when he pointed his finger at her like a gun and said bang was hillarious lol


Hope this helps


YetI


also that is a gorgeous looking pup

Edited by yeti21586, 09 January 2010 - 09:37 AM.

[blacktulip]

how cute is that!! we love springers. we used to have one. they do need discipline otherwise they run riot. at first our one used to follow us off lead but when he got to around 6 months they wander off and you cant call them back as they usually get on a scent for something. they are very very clever dogs though and respond to training well. we did hear that when they reach 2 they seem to calm down. we used to hide treats in the house and egg him on to find them... he found every one lol. it makes you feel so proud.

do you have trouble with her biting everything and chewing? we did but one day he stopped and we was like "he's stopped chewing, when did he stop that" lol

good luck with her, we always talk about having another but it wouldnt be the right thing to do at this stage of our lives.

[WiredbyWilson]

I agree, we have a spnger/lab and she is adorable (3 years old now) and best to train them early and especially important to socialise them with other dogs and people so she isn't scared or bothered by other dogs.
Our Labradinger has no interest in other dogs now and as such is a lot easier to control (whereas our young westie cross jack just buggers off to play with any other dog!!)

Another training method is the "clicker" method where you have a clicker in your hand and train the dog that one click is good, 2 is bad - that kind of thing. It is also the recognised method amung gundog trainers.
Try this link - Clicky

Wilson

[sambarnes]

do you have trouble with her biting everything and chewing?

When we first got her all she did was bite anything you put in front of her, but my dad managed to stop her doing it on things other than toys.

She is very good with other dogs and people. She has been going out a lot with my mates dog and she is fine, although i would assume this gets worse in a few months.

I will give the no food as praise a go as at the moment we have been using food.

I have read also that if you hide in your house with a treat and call the puppies name, and they then find you helps when calling them back when they are running free?

[bananaman]

One thing you do have to watch is that they can get very possesive with the lead male in a house (if the dog is a *woman of ill repute*). They seem to suffer from phantom pregnancies alot, and can get a little aggressive with other females, both doggy and human, when they are in season (Really bad doggy PMT was how the vet described it).

My Springer Meg snapped at my wife, and we were almost at the point of taking her to the Dogs Trust when the vet realised what it was, once she was spayed she was fine, but she still tries the dominance thing from time to time, you just have to be very firm.

The Dog Whisperer's books are very good, Meg is very good on and off the lead but their nature makes them very inquisitive, and full of energy. Meg's 8 now and show's no signs of getting old other than a few grey eyebrows.

Tony

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[davidv]

Love the dog.There are a lot of training advice sites on the web.I would try to find someone with a very safe larger dog to befriend.I make my pincer sit down if i say thats a family pet to her.I find finger click commands very good or small whistles.I like to use an extending lead with a leather collar and a chocker just to hold by hand only.Take loads of pictures they grow so fast.

[oli8925]

awwww, now that takes me back quite a few years. my springers now coming on for 9 years. I agree with the love tactic instead of food. plus springers are a very affectionate breed so it will work better with them. cheeky bugger though there not stupid

picture of mine in the TMF Pets thread

[sambarnes]

One thing you do have to watch is that they can get very possesive with the lead male in a house (if the dog is a *woman of ill repute*). They seem to suffer from phantom pregnancies alot, and can get a little aggressive with other females, both doggy and human, when they are in season (Really bad doggy PMT was how the vet described it).

When she had her injections the vet did warn us about her being aggressive with my mum especially, he just told us to be firm and keep an eye on her.

oli8925 and bananaman, those are both gorgeous dogs you have.

My dad seems to find that she responds to clicking from him, and a short whistle from me, so hopefully these will catch on and be ways of communicating.

Does anyone have trouble with them running after people and other dogs and not responding to your call?

[davidv]

With most young dogs they think everyone wants to be there friend.My dog dos not like other dogs.

[GottaDesigner]

I'd suggest finding a local dog training school and taking her through the Kennel Club's 'Good Citizen' program. Made a lot of difference to Jay, our highly-strung Cavalier. Most spaniels love to please, so if they're being good make a massive fuss of them and totally blank them if they're being naughty - after you've corrected them that is.

As others have said, do not use food as a reward or they'll come to expect it and won't respond well once you withdraw it. Another tip I'd give is use a harness and halti 'no pull' muzzle instead of putting the lead on the collar, spaniels pull like steam trains and can have serious medical problems as a result of being walked on the collar. The halti will prevent pulling and the harness will prevent choking.

Beware of rope tuggy toys as well, they have a nasty habit of falling apart and can make your dog very ill / possibly choke them!

Good luck with her!

[sambarnes]

Thanks for the advice GottaDesigner. We are currently looking into a harness as she does pull lots on the lead and the collar irratates her neck a bit.

An update with the training: I have been teaching her to sit, stay, lie down and roll over, using food the first few times and then love after. Its been working well as she will sit, stay and lie down almost everytime now. Some times she wll roll over but thats just for fun. Oh and i taught her to give me high 5's

The thing im having trouble with most is getting her to heel/come back whatever you like to call it. I have tried hiding in the house with a treat and calling her but she never seems to come. Is there anything else i could try with this as it would be nice for her to come back when she runs about.

thanks

[Goldie1275]

I'm studying Animal Behaviour and Welfare and I'm looking to end up training service dogs in the future.
I agree, that Puppy classes are the best place to socialise your puppy, it means that they are less likely to respond in a negative way to new things in the future. Its better to introduce it early then have to break the habit later on.

There is no problem with food rewards, regardless of what others have said, yu just need to know when it is appropriate to reward. it's a very quick way of training (along with the clicker method) of training new behaviours. The best analogy of explaining what I mean when using treats is the gambling idea. People get very addicted to gambling but they don't necessarily win everytime. Don't expect too much from your dog at once, and keep training sessions short otherwise yu will frazzle their brains! (I recommend around 3-5mins at most)
If your still dead against food rewards then another method is to combine clicker training with a toy reward. Use their favourite toy when a behaviour is is displayed and just be so happy and amazed with yur voice and actions.

Make sure initial training is undertaken in quiet environments with no distractions, and that your puppy is excercised beforehand. Otherwise yu may have a over excited pup and harder to keep them concentrated.
If using food rewards they will also not respond as well to treats when they have just been fed, so keep them a little hungry. Also it is important to make sure that their diet is altered slightly to accomodate extra food. Typical food used (apart from the bought packs) are things like broccoli, carrot, cheese and meat like hot dog. Cut them into very small pieces.

When training a behaviour chain (such as go to bed) start at the end. For example start by training the dog the command on the bed then gradually build on that. This always ends with the dog working towards something they know.
And finally, end training sessions on a high. If the dog hasn't grasped a new behaviour then end with something they know. It will make them more willing to want to train again.
Your lucky springer spaniels are very eager to learn and of course are a working dog, most popularly used in the force as sniffer dogs. This also makes them high energy dogs so make sure yu use up their energy with regular walks. (This will also keep them stimulated and reduces the risk of bad behaviours within the home due to frustration!)
Yu have a very pretty puppy there, and I'm extremely jealous!

Hope all goes well, let us know your progress. And if you want any more information, I have a mountain of info from college and personal experience!!!
Also see if you can pick up tips at London to Brighton from the Canine Partners demo!

Ellie x

[Goldie1275]

The thing im having trouble with most is getting her to heel/come back whatever you like to call it. I have tried hiding in the house with a treat and calling her but she never seems to come. Is there anything else i could try with this as it would be nice for her to come back when she runs about.

thanks

Try starting off small, like teaching a toddler to walk, if that makes sense. Increase the distance slowly and make sure yur puppy responds well enough before increasing the distance.
When you try in another session, don't expect the same distance to work. you need to refresh his mind, so take it back a few stages. (I hope that makes sense!!)

Sorry, I will stop spamming!
Ellie x

[john1.2pearl]

She's an awsome lookin pup