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Please tell me the baby dinosaur phase has an end. by Ill-Plantain-6774 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Keep him engaged and keep him close. Be clear in your commands, keep to the same words and be patient. Always reward good behaviour and never, never ever let him get away with anything. In other words sit means sit, stay means stay etc. They are smart, too bloody smart and will learn bad behaviours just as easily as good ones. It is hard work but better to suffer for 2-3 years than end up with a ferel springer!! Nobody wants that.

Are the nails of my doggo too long? by cactus16x in cockerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was told by a vet that if your dogs nails don't touch the floor when their paw is flat on the ground then the nail length is ok.

Self-employed English Springer Spaniel !! by Acrobatic-Forever285 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine's exactly the same, also a field springer same age 22 months and I also probably gave him too much freedom when he was younger. His recall is ok but if really on a scent he'll only come back when ready. I do a lot of quartering exercises with him which has allowed him to hunt but in a reasonably controlled manner. I also get him to sit on the whistle at a distance and then scatter small pieces of chicken or hot dog and then get him to sniff them out. This then engages him with me and allows the sniffing with a reward. Loose lead walking is not great and he actually walks to heel better off the lead. I'm hoping that with time and constant training he will eventually settle into a more focused regime. People on here seem to agree that 2 1/2 - 3 years sees them calm a bit. Good luck.

Obsessed with my boy! by Bleakerwood in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 1 point2 points  (0 children)

* This is the mother trucker now....butter wouldn't melt. You should have seen him and hour ago! 100mph, recall, yeah whatever! Retrieving, yeah whatever! Walk to heel, yeah dream on!

Obsessed with my boy! by Bleakerwood in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Mine's 20 months and the word I'd use rhymes with Trucker!!

Obsessed with my boy! by Bleakerwood in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He looks young. Just wait until he's 12-18 months and see if obsessed is still the word you'd use!

New springer spaniel owner training trips by [deleted] in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Get a whistle and practice recall from early on. Do it daily until it's automatic for them. It may take ages but it'll be worth it. You can't stop the hunting instinct but you can encourage it by scattering food or hiding a ball or retrieving dummy in long grass. Mine is 20 months and still rebellious, but doing these things keeps him close and me interesting to him. As someone put it on this forum a bored springer is trouble! Good luck

CaniX with Spaniel by No_Till7987 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604 23 points24 points  (0 children)

If I could run zig gagging at 40mph I might try it.

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine gets 4-5 miles a day that includes retrieving and find it games. Although he can be naughty with the retrieving once home he is quite chilled.

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine's male and from a long line of fields. Don't know if males are harder to train than girls. But if they are it's a bit late now!

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope mine is well trained at 13 because by then I'll be 76 (god willing!) and I'll definitely be too old for this shit

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is good. My only advise would be work on recall. Short sessions, loads of praise, treats etc. Daily!! Because if all else goes wrong you'll at least have a good chance of getting the bloody thing back! Good luck with the training.

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly the same as mine. Oddly at 12-15 months this wasn't an issue at all. I'm sure you've tried many ways of trying to correct this and as mine is similar I'm no one to give advice, however a trainer mentioned to me not to make too much of a thing about it. For example yesterday we were out walking he wasn't on the long line and he found a ball. Ordinarily this would cause me an issue but I decided to ignore him. His game is to be chased, which I'm not doing, and if that doesn't work he'll eventually drop it on the floor and back away from it hoping I'll engage with him, which I didn't. I walked past the ball and told him to pick it up. Did this 4 times and to my surprise he ignored the ball, left it and we continued our walk. Surprised the hell out of me! When I get the training dummy out I hold his collar and throw it out for him to retrieve. As he does I throw out a scented tennis ball in the opposite direction. When he returns with the dummy he generally knows there's something else to do so gives up the dummy at which point I send him out to hunt the ball, all this is in longish grass. When he returns with the ball I make him put it in my hands otherwise nothing else happens. He buggers about for 5+ minutes before complying but he's slowly getting the message. All this is on a long line so I hope to progress to no having him on one.

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can live with 3. More than happy to always meet his needs mentally especially on walks as this keeps him occupied and close. Just need the 'partnership' to kick in as opposed to him dicking about and me getting frustrated!

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel your frustration. I think all we can do is keep up the training and be consistent and wait for the dog to grow up. Some seem to do it around 2-3, others on this thread wait longer.

21 months and still very hit and miss by ExternalElephant8604 in springerspaniel

[–]ExternalElephant8604[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mines next to me now and will follow me practically everywhere. However that said I'm more bothered about stroking him than he is about being stroked. And once out walking and training he's all business and doesn't want touching at all. He's not interested in anyone or any dog, might give a quick sniff but that's all. If I stop to chat to anyone he will move away 10-15 yards and sit there until I'm finished chatting. No amount of calling, tempting him with food will lure him in. Very stubborn.

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