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How do I get my spaniel to hunt harder?

Tuesday, 19 June 2007

I would like to see my spaniel hunt a bit harder than she does. How can I encourage her to do that - and how far should I let her hunt in front?

Gundogs
PETER BLATCH says: There's no finer sight than a spaniel that hunts hard and leaves no stone unturned. Having said that, the 'average' shooter-cum-dog-handler is probably best served by a spaniel that doesn't push things to the limit. All depends on whether he wants to enjoy his day's shooting, or simply concentrate on his dog.

I am sure there are lots of folk out there with a hard-hunting springer who would love to swap places with you!

If you really want to instill a bit more vim and vigour into this bitch, then the best place to do it is in a rabbit pen where she will have to use her nose to find them in cover. The only proviso here is your dog should be 100% attentive to the stop whistle otherwise she won't just become a hard-hunter, she will become totally uncontrollable!

The first job of a working spaniel is to flush game, so straight away the dog needs to work a pattern that gives you plenty of time, when a bird or rabbit breaks cover, to mount the gun, and shoot it cleanly. You can't do this if the dog is working 30 or 40 yards away from you.

On the other hand, you shouldn't set out to be a control freak who keeps the dog tight against your legs. Strive for a happy medium. Get the dog working a nice pattern about 15-20 yards in front so that it's able to cover a decent amount of game holding cover. At this distance you should be able to control it properly on the stop/turn whistle and still take in a fair amount of ground without missing birds tucked up on the floor.


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