Does it really matter ?

kateincornwall

kateincornwall

Location
Cornwall , UK
Yesterday , we had a lovely long walk on the forest trail . Reuben loves training , it is pure fun for him , so he has free time and training time in equal measures . When I say training , its our very own version , lots of recall , encouragement for checking in and much retrieving which he is passionate about .
There we were, enjoying the afternoons sunshine when along comes the man, with his two GSP , and stands watching me , most unnerving to say the least . He then comes right up to me and informs me that I am doing it all wrong , my instructions , the number of pips on the whistle etc . I reply that Reuben will never be worked in the field , but that as he adores training , I strive not to do things right for gundog purposes , but for his and my enjoyment and as such, did it really matter if I wasnt sticking to the rules of the game ? He was aghast at this , said I was spoiling my dog by giving him treats , that I was not fulfilling his purpose in life :sad: which was to obey without question or treats , and to follow the guidelines . I looked at his dogs , who frankly did not look happy , in fact they looked downright miserable , they apparently do not go off lead just to be dogs , but only to work, well fine matey if thats your bag, but its not mine :angry: Maybe I am wrong , and if so , I hold my hands up , but my dog is very happy doing what he is doing , it keeps his brain active as well as body , some people really should keep their opinions to themselves , I think xx
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
You already answered your own question: what matters is a happy, safe, dog...not the number of whistle pips.

kateincornwall said:
He was aghast at this , said I was spoiling my dog by giving him treats
Click to expand...
As I work with Carbon so much on the streets around our apartment and we're very visible, I get this comment a couple times a week. I've learned to smile and move on. If people are really insistent, I ask them, "So you love to go work without getting paid, do you?"

I've even been told that I'm going to make him fat. Ugh. All they have to do is look at him!

No disrespect to anyone who does gun dog training here, but there does seem to be a lot of rigidity around it and not much of a concept of Labradors being able to do other 'jobs' instead of or in addition to GD training. Jobs including being walking companions or just good family members. You aren't going to hunt with Reuben so you are training him to fit into the job he has in your family: seems perfect to me. :)
 
A

Aitch

Location
Buckinghamshire UK
We've got a guy like that around here. He has an opinion on everything and isn't afraid to voice it. It wouldn't be so bad but he is more than often wrong.
You do extremely well with your dogs so take no notice. Reuben is happy, healthy and safe and that is all that matters, :)
 
Candy

Candy

Biscuit Tin Guardian
Location
West Yorkshire, UK
The man with the Rottie who Joy met and played with a couple of weeks ago was a bit like that. He didn't believe in giving dogs treats/ rewards, said that Joy shouldn't be checking in with me so often as it stopped her from being a natural dog and that this was my fault for looking at her all the time. I put up with it for a little while because the dogs were having such a good time. Then he said, 'You're doing it again! Why do you keep watching her?' I'd had enough by then so I told him that I kept watching her a) because she is beautiful to watch and b) because I wanted to make sure his much bigger dog didn't hurt her. I then said 'Goodbye, we'll carry on with our walk now,' and we parted company. Guess which good little dog came as soon as she was called and which big dog had to be repeatedly yelled at!:fistbump::happyfeet:
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
Emily_Babbelhund said:
there does seem to be a lot of rigidity around it
Click to expand...
I would say, not necessarily :):)

This thread has got me thinking in a number of ways. Firstly I'm incredulous of course that anyone would just take it upon themselves to start instructing a total stranger minding her own business with a happy dog.

I totally agree that Labs can have many "jobs", not just gundog work, and obviously many do. When I was considering whether or not to have one of my friends Labrador puppies 3 years ago, one of the things that I was very aware of was that she would be coming to a home with just one adult, me. I thought that in fact it wouldn't be much of a life, other dogs that I've shared my life with have been part of a family, and I do believe they get a great deal out of being a part of a busy family. So, I decided that I would do gundog training with her, I always had an interest when I was young as we had gundogs as family pets.

Although at times it's gone a bit off course, I'm so glad that I'm doing it with her, now that I'm going to a +R group. For me, being out in the countryside with her, watching her use her body and her mind in all sorts of terrain is very satisfying. There is always something to work on, and our daily walks incorporate training as we go.I love how it means we interact with each other, not just me walking and her running about. I'm enjoying the graded scheme very much, because it means we can gradually increase the level of difficulty in a structured way.
For us as a pair, it is good for our relationship. I am certain that, with her strong prey drive, walks would not be as enjoyable as they are now without what I've learnt from +R gundog training :)
 
kateincornwall

kateincornwall

Location
Cornwall , UK
I learned an awful lot from Mel Brookes who Sam had 1+1 lessons with when he was around the same age as Reuben . She took on board the fact that I was never ever going to be working him and so the finesse wasnt that important for us and was happy to teach me how to teach him , it was invaluable , and the fact that she had a wonderfully wicked sense of humour helped enormously ! To me , whether or not they are working in the field doesnt matter to the dog , if they are fulfilling their instincts then they will be happy , mistakes and all x
 
Stacia

Stacia

Location
Malvern Worcestershire
It makes not a jot of difference not being 'right' in his opinion. Reuben enjoys it, you enjoy it and if you succeed in what you want to get out of it that is perfect. Poor GSPs. I have had five over the years, once three together and they all had off lead walks all the time, sometimes quite hair tasing if you are not used to their ranging, a Lab is a doddle in comparison. My GSPs (2 at that time) had a wonderful time in your forests when we were down there, my happiest holiday.
 
Selina27

Selina27

Location
Herefordshire, UK
kateincornwall said:
She took on board the fact that I was never ever going to be working him and so the finesse wasnt that important for us and was happy to teach me how to teach him , it was invaluable
Click to expand...
Swmbo was the same, at my first1.2.1, and the fact that as Cass isn't KC registered I can't do working tests even if I wanted to. I harbour a sneaking wish to take her on a shoot one day, just to see how she would be, but even if I did take her the season is so short that to stress about "getting it right" would be totally innappropriate. I like that in the GGs we are learning to do things "properly" and the reasons for doing so, but her life with me and her place in my heart don't depend on her doing so :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top