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Dual purpose dogs

Advice from our experts on how to train your dog for more than one role in the shooting field

Q: Now that the season has finished, how do I remind my cocker how to handle and not just hunt?

Gareth Davies: If you’ve been mostly rough shooting and beating throughout the season, I’m going to assume that you’ve let the dog get away with more than you generally would, which is maybe why the dog has developed a cavalier attitude towards retrieving. A note for next year would be to build some training in throughout the season to keep them in check; this will save time in the long run.

Now that the season is over give them a month for their body and mind to recover and hopefully forget some of the bad habits they have learned. Remember what you did when you initially trained them to handle; use the same drills, take it back to basics and make it fun.

Do as many variations as you can to keep it interesting; use the water in the summer months and if you can get other people and dogs involved, even better. I love taking a few dogs out at a time out with the dummy launcher and giving them long, marked retrieves as a group. You can take it in turns on marked retrieves to maintain steadiness. Most importantly, don’t feel the need to hunt them in the off season; concentrate on retrieving only.

Q: Is there such a thing as a ‘dual purpose’ dog? I have a young Lab and I want to take him beating but my partner wants to use him picking-up… can we train for both? If so, how?

Laura Hill: Yes, it is possible to have a dog that you use for both beating and picking-up but there are some considerations for you to take into account when your dog is doing these two types of work.

Firstly, you mention that your partner will be handling the dog when picking-up. If you haven’t already done so, then it is worth having a conversation about what you will both be letting the dog do, and not do, and also ensuring that you are both using consistent cues with the dog. Try and have a few ‘house rules’ about the amount of freedom the dog is allowed in both roles, and what your common expectations and goals are. This way you can both work towards improving the dog’s capabilities and education rather than undermining each other’s training.

If you are walking in the beating line, will you be expecting your dog to quarter out in front of you like a spaniel would, or will you just be keeping him at heel? With a young dog, walking them at heel and under close control is a good way to reinforce steadiness for the dog’s role as part of the picking up team or as a reliable companion on the peg. If you are wanting the dog to hunt in front of the line, then use a distinct cue for this activity and ensure that you remain in close contact with the dog so that you are working as a team and the dog doesn’t start pulling on ahead in pursuit of birds. Occasionally, you might want to volunteer to just be the ‘stop’ at the end of a drive. Again, this will be good steadiness practice for your dog. You can keep him on a lead, and he will get to see plenty of birds flushing without the risk of him learning to chase them.

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