Dog training in isolation

GUNDOG TRAINING

I started training my young cocker spaniel this spring and, though things are going well, I am concerned that she is learning everything without being in the company of other dogs as a consequence of the lockdown. Even if group training is eventually permitted again, I feel I need to do something as soon as possible or this could be an issue for her later on. What do you suggest?

In many ways, isolation has enabled people really to focus on their dogs and undertake plenty of valuable training in recent months, but the downside has been the inability to allow youngsters the opportunity to train alongside other dogs.

Rules on social distancing and what is permitted will be under constant review as we go through the summer and into the autumn, but whether effective group training sessions can be held and still fulfil social distancing is questionable. It may be possible to do so if training with a friend was permitted and social distancing rules were met. At least that would enable your youngster to learn steadiness when another dog is working at a safe distance.

If that isn’t possible, I am assuming that the rules will soon allow one-to-one training sessions with private trainers. While you may not have intended to go down that route, it is at least one way to expose her to a new training environment that will be of enormous benefit to her. Hopefully, a private trainer would be able to demonstrate some retrieving skills with another dog so that your bitch would benefit from steadiness watching another dog work.

These are difficult times, but any exposure to other dogs — and using the experience to be calm and focused on you, even though it isn’t in a training situation — is bound to have some benefit. JH