The problem: Entering cover

“I have great trouble getting my gundog to go through cover when retrieving a bird that I have shot, especially if it has dropped the other side of a hedge or a patch of bramble. Is there any way I can teach her to ignore the cover and get out on the othe

The causes

Your question brings back some frustrating memories. Many years ago, I was running a smart little springer at a trial and was called over by the opposite judge to make what looked like a simple retrieve. A bird had been dropped out in a field the other side of a large stick pile. I sent the dog, she hit the sticks and stayed there, hunting the cover. No matter how many times I stopped her and gave a “back” command, I could not get her out. I was put out of the trial and I learned a valuable lesson. Now I always teach my dogs to go “through” an obstacle or cover on command.

From an early age, most owners will train their spaniels to hunt rough grass to find a tennis ball and then progress to the dog finding retrieves in heavier cover. This conditions the dog to always look for “something” in an area of cover and herein lies the problem.

For most of a young spaniel’s training we teach it to stay close to us, hunting within a close distance to the handler and always in sight. In the scenario in question, we are asking the dog to get further away and, in some cases, work out of sight. The dog needs to not only be trusted to perform this task — what we refer to as being an “honest” dog — but it also must have the confidence to leave the handler.

If you have not got the basic handling skills fully ingrained in the dog — in other words, the stop whistle and back command — you will struggle to get the dog to go through a hedgeline or any kind of cover, especially if the retrieve is a blind.

One reason dogs will not face cover, and consequently go through it, is that they have been “over-faced” as a young dog. That means they have learned that bramble and blackthorn hurt, and they become reluctant to push through it.

Game birds like hedgerows and there will always be plenty of foot scent along the bottom of the cover — this is where the dog will want to hunt. It must have learned to trust you as a handler and that when you want it to come off the scent there is a good reason. That said, you must also learn to read your dog. After all, you are a team.

Expert advice: from sg’s gundog guru Graham Watkins “Your dog must have learned to trust you as a handler”

I believe in training for any situation that may occur in the shooting field. Obviously you would never be able to cover all eventualities, but it is all about putting