Some of you have asked how Rachael is getting on.
December and January have been unbelievably busy months for me and what with my shoot commitments, and some unexpected writing deadlines to meet I reluctantly decided to put Rachael’s training ‘on hold’ until February.
Here she is this morning keeping an eye on her disgusting old rawhide bone.
And here we are in February!
The shooting season has finally come to a close. It is really time to get down to some ‘big girl’ training.
Growing up
Rachael has come on heat this morning for the first time, puppyhood is fading fast. Some bitches can show a marked change in attitude whilst they are in season, so I will be keeping things quite simple for the next few weeks.[wp_ad_camp_1]Like most nine month old puppies Rachael can be extremely boisterous at times and still finds it quite difficult sit still around visitors, but on the whole she is maturing into a calm and thoughtful dog.
She is very quiet around the house (she hasn’t barked in weeks now, and rarely whines).
If I forget to let her in from the garden, she just goes to sleep on the back doorstep.
Her favourite positions are sitting next to me with her head on my lap whilst I type. Waiting by the fridge. Or lying on her back with that horrid bone. Which incidentally I never leave her alone with in case she pulls a bit off (rawhide make all my dogs sick if they swallow it)
Training goals
My primary objective is to have Rachael ready to accompany me during the next shooting season which starts in October. Though her role will be initially that of an ‘observer’ I want her to be ready and prepared for any opportunities that I feel she is up to tackling.
I have a lot to get through this year, and whilst there is plenty of time, the months can slip by all too quickly. So this weekend, I will be making a plan and setting myself a few targets to keep me on track.
This is a really exciting time for me, one of my favourite parts of puppy raising is taking a dog on from basic obedience through a structured programme of retriever training. I promise to update you as we go!
If you enjoy my articles, you might like my new book: The Happy Puppy Handbook – a definitive guide to early puppy care and training.
Brian says
Interesting Pippa that you say Rachael will accompany you next season as an observer.
This season gone was Marnies first year on the shoot, while she did not disgrace me I have encountered a few things that need straightening out. She had got to pulling forward when we where beating the woods , this I put down to to much dogging in learning her to stop on the flush. Also she was not as sharp on the whistle as I expected.
The point I am making is that without having taken her on the shoot I would not of been in a position to correct these thing.
I have now gone back to some basic training concentrating on the faults developed and we are now working well together putting things right.
One other thing Pippa Marnie is strictly a beaters dog . I think this requires adjustment to your training methods. Do you train them to drop to shot when you are using them for beating ?
I once read the easiest way to spoil your training was to use them in the beating line.
I wonder what other people think ?
Regards
Brian
Karen says
I’ll be really interested to follow your training with Rachael, as she is just around the same age as my Poppy. Even though my dog will probably never be a ‘real’ gun dog, she will be doing dummy work, so your experiences will be very valuable to me! 🙂
Pippa says
Hi Karen, I’ll try not to disappoint you. 🙂 I think its going to be fun! Pippa