Training a Sniffer Dog to be a Gundog

I’ve just had a first lesson with Missy, the Springer Spaniel. Missy has already had an eventful life and it shows in her behaviour. She was given to West Yorkshire Police by a family in Leeds when she was about 12 months old. She was training up to become a sniffer dog and seemed to be making good progress but unfortunately, she wouldn’t mark her find for long enough. After indicating she’d found something she’d then move on to find the next hidden item. West Yorkshire Police put her through the training three times as she showed promise but ultimately they couldn’t turn her into a police dog. A friend of the new owner is a dog handler so Missy is fortunate to go to a good home with a family who are interested in getting the best out of this energetic dog.

Gareth attended the lesson with his wife and young son. The aim is to have a good family dog that can also go out beating with Gareth. He has taken Missy on a shoot but she is nowhere near ready; she was lost for 15 minutes during one drive as she was off following her nose. She has a high prey drive and this needs training and focus before she can work.

Inner Circle Training

Missy needs to get back to basics. I taught Gareth and his family my Tessleymoor Way inner circle training. This involves keeping Missy on a lead at all times while the bond is established. Gareth’s son, Oli, had Missy walking nicely to heel on a slip lead before the end of the lesson. Good structure and boundaries need to be established before this former sniffer dog is allowed the free reign and excitement of being off the lead. We’ll be looking to next year’s shooting season before she can start working with her new owner.

Posted: November 10, 2019