But they won't last much longer and then the real work will begin. With that thought in mind I made a call a couple of weeks back: "Can I book a water-work session with Rory?" I asked his good lady wife.....Thus it was that The Bestest Gundog in all the World, and I, turned up in the middle of last week for a spot of training in a fishing lake not dissimilar in size to this one in the photo which is one of the 'ponds' on our local shoot.
Should a shot bird land on a lake during a 'drive' the dog of choice to retrieve it would be a Labrador - the coat and physique of which is particularly designed to withstand long spells in cold water. But there is not always a choice. Sometimes a spaniel has to go for it - but their coats are not waterproof and the dog quickly gets cold. So the more confidence and speed he has in water the better for all concerned.
The BGiatW is pretty good with rivers and small ponds but his experience with large water masses is limited. Therefore, warm summer weather being most conducive to a spot of swimming, I thought he'd have a bit of fun and improve his skills at the same time.
But the water was deep and wide and the Trainer unrelenting.
"We'll start off with a couple of easy ones" he said.
With which words he lobbed a dummy a few metres into the water to get the dog's brain working in the right direction.
"Walk him a few yards away from the pond then turn and send him in" he instructed.
And we complied; and the dog happily went for the dummy and brought it back to me - not fast but without hesitation. So Rory-the-Trainer repeated the exercise, this time flinging the dummy tens of metres out into the lake. Again the dog gamely went after it - snorting occasionally as the water went up his nose - and again he brought it back, steadily and deteminedly. Again the lesson was repeated at - again - a greater distance. Once more the dog did a good job of bringing it back. "Going jolly well" I thought - should have known better.
"Right" said the man "You two stay here; I'm going over the other side of the lake. I'll throw one dummy into the water then a second into the reeds at the bottom of the bank. In each case send your dog to retrieve - but there are waterhens in the reeds so don't let him get distracted."
"Right" I said.
Well, Rory hadn't even got half way round the other side when sharp eared dog suddenly sat up alertly and indicated a bird in the reeds. Which he continued to watch intently - although he did break off to watch Rory lob the dummy into the water as agreed. Sending Gunner out to "Fetch" brought an eager response - straight down into the water, right turn into the reeds - and after the waterhen which, obviously (being a seasoned Gundog) he knew was what I really meant he should fetch.
When he heard the sharp "No!" he instantly returned. Rory lobbed another dummy into the water on the other side.
"Fetch" I said. "Waterhen!" he thought "No!" I replied.
Back he came again.
"You'd better bring him round the side and fetch into the wind" said Rory, since one of the dummies was now happily floating towards the side and the other was firmly stuck in the reeds over there.
So we did and instructions were given and followed to the letter and I handed the two dummies to Rory. And we tried the same thing again, this time with him on the other bank.
But Gunner was having none of it. There were waterhens in the reeds and by hook or by crook he was going to flush them out or, better still, bring them to me.
"Fetch" and "No" were repeated and repeated and repeated - each time Gunner came back and each time Rory lobbed another dummy - fortunately not into the water but on to the bank on
his side. But Gunner would not go across. He was firmly determined to find that waterhen and fetch it back to me. Finally, he took charge of the situation and would not come back; instead he paddled up and down the reeds intent on catching that darned bird. By the 3rd recall whistle I was almost in the water and he got the message; "Uh Oh - she's whistling me to return!" And he sheepishly returned - and got the jolly good shaking that he knew to expect.
"Right - sit him well down the bank almost at the water's edge" said our patient Trainer.
And then he lobbed a dummy well out into the water.
"Fetch" I instructed and the dog entered the water, looked to the reeds on his right... "FETCH" I instructed and he snapped back in the direction of the dummy - but the 'tide' caught him and carried him well downstream. He swam on to where it should have been, then stopped and looked back at me: I gave a left arm signal; "Oh, that way is it?" he said; turned upwind, caught scent of it and quickly swam up to and retrieved it - and swam quickly back to give it to me as if to say "Whyever didn't you say that was what you wanted me to fetch?"
And he was probably right: whenever a dog gets something wrong it is invariably because the handler got the instruction wrong......
"That was an excellent re-direction in the water" said our Trainer "many dogs won't handle in water" and we finished on a good note. Good Trainer. Knew I'd be just as upset as the dog so no point rubbing it in.
The advice: return to river and small pond work and teach Gunner to go "over" the water rather than "Fetch" (which he now associates with game) and then return for another lesson in the lake!
Easy then. Still a few weeks to go before shooting season starts........
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