Puppy catches the birds

I bought a working cocker puppy four years ago and trained him with the help of a few friends and a book or two. I took him shooting as soon as he was on the whistle at about nine months old and have worked him on shoots since then. This year he is chasing everything and catching birds if they do not flush quickly. Is it too late to get him back under control?

You have allowed his natural predatory hunting instincts to come to the fore and I therefore assume that his obedience to your commands has now ended. Once catching game or pegging becomes such a strong desire it is very difficult to correct in older dogs. Running-in is the same, and to use unnecessary punishment could be counter-productive and cause

52 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE him to start damaging or killing game instead. You may well have started taking him shooting too early, not in his age but in the level of training that he had received. Only once a dog is perfectly under control in the training environment should it be introduced gradually to the real thing.

However, hindsight is wonderful. There may be a chance of redeeming the situation, with some expert guidance, but if you keep taking him shooting it will only get worse. The first step is to refocus him when a bird gets up; you can begin this training with making a moving object the cue for a treat. Have him on a lead, drop a ball, make him sit and reward the sit with a treat. Repeat until the movement of the ball becomes another sit command. With care and patience this can be extended to flushed rabbits in a pen. But it will take several weeks or months to effect a satisfactory cure. PR

Make sure your young cocker is perfectly trained before taking him out shooting