Iris at 16 Weeks – Guest Blog

Damian has been blogging about training Springer Spaniel puppies Iris and her sister Wren. Iris belongs to my son, Charlie and he is hoping to use her as a working dog as he starts his gamekeeping career. I can’t take any credit for her training – although I have trained my English Pointers with Damian, I’ve taken a back seat with Iris. My son has followed Damian’s Tessleymoor Way instructions and has built a lovely bond with his young dog.

Over the Easter weekend, Charlie was working. I took the opportunity of the lockdown relaxation to meet up with a friend for a walk. I asked if it was ok to take Iris as my dogs had already been walked that day. Iris behaved for me as she does for Charlie. She sat quietly in the crate in the car and only got out when told. She then walked on the lead before I let her off. Iris stayed close to me at all times – in fact so close she nearly tripped us over! She came back to me when called so that she was on the lead when other dogs were around. While we sat and admired the view, she sat quietly with us, playing with a stick.

I didn’t think any of this was remarkable but my friend, who is a dog owner, was amazed. She kept checking that Iris was only four months old. She couldn’t believe her good manners and how relaxed we could be, not worrying about her running off or bothering with other dogs.

This is totally down to Damian’s Tessleymoor Way of training. It’s just as important for a family companion dog as for a working dog. At the moment, she’s not a dog with a job, she’s just a puppy with good manners and that makes her really enjoyable to have in the house and to take out for walks. I think I’ll be borrowing her again.

Posted: April 6, 2021