under20yds

I have springer(7/8yrs) that was given to me. she seems to have a good nose. however she likes to run far ahead of me often out of sight. I would like to try her for grouse but I fear she might run off and annoy other bird hunters. So is there some kind of training I could do to condition her to come when I call? I' m new to grouse/springers so maybe it might be normal for this breed to range somewhat far ahead? any advice on hunting grouse with dogs will be well taken. thanks

MA Jay

I hunt grouse with my Springer and what you are describing is more training/control issue than a dog issue. Before taking her hunting I would strongly suggest getting the basic commands down. Sit, Stay, No, Come should all be learned and listened to under all circumstances before taking her out. This will mean getting the commands down pat in the kitchen to start .. then in the back yard .. then to a field alone .. then to an area with some distractions. Don' t let her age bother you, she' s more than capable of learning these simple commands.

With these basic commands you' ll be able to control your dog enough to keep her close, and once you take her out a few times and she realizes you are only reining her in when she strays outside a certain range she should start to work closer to you. As far as " teaching" her hunting .. don' t sweat that if she has decent bloodlines, she' ll instinctively start looking for birds.

I recommend a long check cord during initial trainings .. it' ll save your sanity when she heads for the hills the first few times! If your dog ignores the " come" command ... ugh... that can be frustrating! The Springer doesn' t normally range far ahead, they typically stay real tight, unless of course they have been allowed to run free for 8 years! Good luck .. and with a little effort you should have a great hunting partner.