Rofl well thats lightened up my night before i go to bed. Bless her

Maddy's delicacy is baby fledglings, gone in a oner.

smacking her bum lightly wont hurt her it probably upset you more.there are people whose dogs are easy to train and there are some like us whose dogs are a right royal pain in the bum just keep up with the training we are going through the same trouble with heal work ourselves it turns a 20 minute walk into an hour walk (perhaps thats their plan)we turn change direction go different ways ,we just make sure that they are walked when we have plenty of time.

fingers crossed for the future

We are all allowed to get cross sometimes. We wouldn't be normal if we were one way, all the time, no matter what.

Must admit the bird thing would have done me in too. So I don't think you reacted too badly.

A night's sleep and you'll be back to your patient self and I'm sure your little treasure won't remember that Mummy was cross but something may have clicked (we live in hope ) so that next time you tell her to "drop" she might remember that she should do it

My thoughts exactly. Hope you can persevere with her hon x

Bad advice to be honest.
ESS are not easy dogs to train to walk on a loose lead but you can do it without yanking, although don't expect it to happen fast...

Sounds as if you expect her to learn in a few days or moments even - and get cross with her when she doesn't. That's not really on when you are training - you do need patience, you know

Consider using a stop pull harness or similar to help with this. Or get someone else to walk her if it's hurting you, because pain won't help with your temper

Yuk, I'd feel quite sick too but what she did is a very common thing...

But, have you trained her to drop very high value items? Or to retrieve such items to hand? It's up to you as her owner to train for more advanced situations such as this - or else expect her to eat the bird. It's not her fault - she's a dog, and doesn't think like you do. Smacking her, although relieving your own anger and frustration may well convince her that next time she needs to swallow it more quickly!

Why? She's not done anything wrong.

Punishment way after the event is likely to get her to see you as very unpredictable.

I think you probably posted in anger as a bit of a vent, but try to take a step back, try to think dog rather than see her with a human view ... Sounds from the rest of the thread as if you've done really well with her!



Wys
x

Thanks! I really didn't need to read that while I was eating my breakfast!!!

But I have to say that I bow down in admiration before you, Magpye! Greater love hath no dog's Mother than to play tuggy with a dead bunny in the cause of training her dog!!! That really is dedication above and beyond! There should be a medal for it! I thought I loved my dogs but I really don't think I could do that!

Back to the OP, we all have bad days and disheartening days Valandra and it's 10 times as hard to be patient when you are suffering so don't beat yourself up and keep up the good work!

J

I know its upsetting you got to put it in perspective things like this will happen. Its taken a year of hard training to get one of my Beagles to leave but at times if i am not looking at the right time he will gulp something down but he will drop it or with Jezz he spits it out which makes you laugh so you have already forgiven him . As for the other one he is a rescue used to eat other dog poo , how gross is that. The way i taught my dogs to walk on the lead(right or wrong it worked for me) was using a plastic bottle with some stones in it just to break that train of thought.

Dogs are carnivores - your dog was acting in a perfectly normal fashion. With gundogs like yours, they are trained to give up the prey they have found so the owner can eat it. So the dog was right - you were in the wrong for not having trained the dog. So you should have been on the naughty step, not the dog!

Wys, tried to give you reps but I can't.

RE yanking the lead: it's never worked for me. Have you tried a canny collar? My friend has an ESS who pulls on the lead and a head collar really helped with his pulling.

Otherwise, it has to be sheer bloodymindedness on your part and only walking when the lead is loose. It might take you 30 mins to go 10 steps, but you have to be more persistent than your dog.