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5 month English Springer very hyper ....

3K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  Catz1 
#1 ·
Hi all,
My Parents bought a beautiful Springer at 8 weeks, she is now 5 months old. The problem is they are struggling with a few things:

1. She pulls terribly on the lead and will not respond to 'clickers' or treats or anything in order to attempt training her to heal or walk without pulling. Mum and Dad are getting older and this makes walking her very difficult. They have a massive enclosed back garden which she has full run of too.

2. She gets very, very hyper with guests and really jumps up and nips. She is very strong for such a young pup and can nearly knock you over with her bouncy enthusiasm!

3. As above, she nips..... a lot!

4. She is fully house trained, but will still pee under tables or on her bed/mats etc. It seems as though she is doing it in defiance. She also does it when she is excited, which we understand as it is when she sees us (in the mornings) that she seems to have a bladder expolosion!

5. Getting her in!! She will not come back in the house or respond to her name when the lead is off.

Any tips or advice on any of the above would be fantastic. I read somewhere about the protein in her food. Could this help with mellowing her out a little? She is the most wonderful dog, but training her is a task.
Thanks in advance :)
 
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#2 ·
IMO a Springer + elderly owners is not the ideal combination! They need a hell of alot of exercise both mentally and physically. A springer is my dog of choice but I would not have one in my current situation as i do not have 4 hours a day to exercise/train it.

Are they taking her to training class as this would help with all the above
 
#4 ·
We are in our early 50s and have a lovely English Springer hasd her for 2 months now, she is just like yours!! Very excitable, a nipper and pulls on her lead etc. We bought her knowing she would need loads of exercise etc, we love to walk miles and did 6 miles a day with our old dog, who sadly died earlier in the year. We took Roxy to dog classes which have helped a lot to be honest, she is very sociable now and has learnt the basics which we are very happy with, and continue to advance on. When we have visitors she is like yours a bit of a nightmare to be honest so if she doesnt behave otr settle she goes into her crate, then everyone is happy!! I think time is the thing and patience to be honest, Roxy pulled alot on her lead so we tried a harness and she is a diffrent puppy now, she does hven her off days and can be naughty. Treats are a big thing with Springers they are so willing to learn as well like little sponges. We use a clicker and she does come to us but not if shes attacking crows or eating rubbish then ignores us totally. I think youve just got to keep trying and dog classes do help!! Dont forget at 5 months they are still babies really, and still have a lot to learn. Good luck......
 
#5 · (Edited)
If they have no dog training knowledge the last thing that will happen is they will grow out if it. Springers are very clever dogs and if a working type springer you will need to learn how to utilise its heavy need to use its nose, it will need an outlet for its hunting/retrieving instincts, this can be a ball if done properly but if not you may find that a sign of a rabbit, squirrel or pheasant will have it heading off, so solid recall training is essential. The dog will need time off lead to be able to run to use its senses and energy, ours have around two lots of one hour a day offlead with some training and blind/marked retrieves of their balls. I would up the level of the food reward when first training and possibly consider a long line to help guide the dog in etc on recall. There are lots of other tips re training on here too.

I have had my fifteen month old from nine weeks and my eighteen month from nine months, and they were my first dogs, i have had to learn incredibly quickly from a variety of sources to make it work, but with time and a great deal of effort it has been one of the most rewarding when we get comments about how good they are. Good luck will be keeping an eye out for updates.

If you get them to retrieve balls then this is their reward so it us important that they dont have unrestricted access to it, put it away and not leave ir for freeplay. Ours have rope balls indoors but are tennis ball obsessed when outside.
 
#6 ·
They aren't quite Elderly :). Late 50's.
They haven't looked into classes at the minute as we are just hoping she will grow out of it with home training.
Sorry you did say that their age was a factor in walking her!!! :confused1:...... I think she would really benefit from training classes, for socialiseation and manageability.
 
#7 ·
Hi all,
My Parents bought a beautiful Springer at 8 weeks, she is now 5 months old. The problem is they are struggling with a few things:

1. She pulls terribly on the lead and will not respond to 'clickers' or treats or anything in order to attempt training her to heal or walk without pulling. Mum and Dad are getting older and this makes walking her very difficult. They have a massive enclosed back garden which she has full run of too.

This is simple to cure, I have added some links, an ESS WILL respond to the clicker system of training and treats (although some prefer a ball) IF it is correctly given, however it sounds from your post that your parents have no dog knowledge or experience at all and so, like all of us, need some help?

Where do they live perhaps we can recommend someone?

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/loose_leash_diagramed.doc
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/letsgoforawalktogether.pdf
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/strolling_on_lead.doc
Learning About Dogs - Walk Together, Learn Together DVD
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/walkingyourdogwithheadhalter.pdf

How to Teach Loose-Leash Walking | Karen Pryor Clickertraining

Look under loose leash walking here:

ClickerSolutions Training Articles Contents

2. She gets very, very hyper with guests and really jumps up and nips. She is very strong for such a young pup and can nearly knock you over with her bouncy enthusiasm!

IT is great to have enthusiasm, joie de vivre and energy, after all that is what an ESS SHOULD be like, the dog needs training so it learns that 4 paws on the floor = reward, 2 paws on floor = 0
ClickerSolutions Training Treasures -- Quick Fix for a Jumping Dog

3. As above, she nips..... a lot!

ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Insights into Puppy Mouthing

The Bite Stops Here by Dr Ian Dunbar

4. She is fully house trained, but will still pee under tables or on her bed/mats etc. It seems as though she is doing it in defiance. She also does it when she is excited, which we understand as it is when she sees us (in the mornings) that she seems to have a bladder expolosion!

Dogs do not do defiance, she may do this because of being over excitable, confused or having been punished.............

5. Getting her in!! She will not come back in the house or respond to her name when the lead is off.

Then do not let her off, keep her on a line. If the dog will not recall in the garden it certainly is not going to recall when there is even MORE exciting things to do. There are plenty of recall threads on here.

Any tips or advice on any of the above would be fantastic. I read somewhere about the protein in her food. Could this help with mellowing her out a little? She is the most wonderful dog, but training her is a task.
Thanks in advance :)
All of the above has nothing to do with feeding, it has EVERYTHING to do with being insufficiently trained, no impulse control, insufficient mental and physical stimulation.

Dogs do not grow OUT of things they grow INTO things ie they get stronger, faster and better at doing things they practice.
 
#9 ·
My springer can pull terribly when walking and a Halti head collar worked well for some time and still does help, but he still needed training and walks well now with clicker and treats and me just stopping and standing still if he pulls. He now knows that I will not continue to walk while he is pulling and he either backs up, stops and turns to look at me and waits, or walks back to my side, but he is still learning at 12 months and the key is consistency so that whoever walks them the rules are the same !!!
Also remember to treat the good behaviour and not always focus on the bad. When she is calm and lying in her bed remember to give her praise and a treat so she knows that this is a good thing to do, this can very often get forgotten !!!!
 
#10 ·
Apart from the training which you've had advice on, I would definatly look at what she is being fed.
I was feeding mine a diet that didn't agree with her and she was manic, as soon as I changed her training started to fall in to place. I feed Raw now but there stickies in the health section on wet and dry food.:)
 
#11 ·
Thankyou everyone :thumbup:
I will pass on all this info to my Mum and fingers crossed we will get this adorable pup trained.
She really is a fantastic dog (i had/have a massive phobia of dogs :eek:).
I bought a clicker, but from what I have read we haven't been using it correctly!
Many thanks again.
 
#12 ·
My ESS lad was 5 months on Monday and we've had him since he was 8 weeks.
Very similar to your situation, boundless energy and likes to be first in line for cuddles and greetings when we get visitors ;)

It really is a case of practice practice practice; keep it interesting and consistant, they are far from stupid and I've found they can pick up on virtually anything you want them to learn incredibly quickly. Jenson amazes me with the stuff he picks up on and a lot of it seems to just be coming naturally now, his ancestory is kicking in it would seem!

As others have mentioned the ESS loves exercise but you need to make sure to stimulate them on all levels and appeal to their lineage, I'd say even more so if you have a field springer rather than the bench type. Lots of fun scent work with balls and the like, retrieves, some water work maybe? Your parents will find that their pup is a lot more relaxed and mellow if they are keeping her physically and mentally healthy. Perhaps maybe even take a look at some of the kong toys so shes got something to keep her mind going at home too.

If her recall isn't up to scratch just make sure your parents are aware she could bolt after a scent and this could prove hazardous if shes walked near roads and such, perhaps best to follow the earlier comment of working her on a long line to be safe.

Good luck and hope it all works out with parents and pup :)
 
#13 ·
Let us know how they get on! I've got a six month old working cocker who sounds very similar to your parents' springer, and it really is hard work because they just have so much energy and joy in them! But with training sessions and lots of mental exercises he definitely is learning to be calmer!

I'm now trying a lower protein food too (10% nature diet), so will let you know if I see any difference! :thumbup:
 
#14 ·
And another important training tip, teach them that it is okay to chill/settle.

Keep them sat/laying for a cuddle and gradually increase the amount of time, so that they start to relax and learn to chill indoors. Encourage them to spend some time occupying themselves with a kong or toy/bone and not to always be the centre of your attention.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Let us know how they get on! I've got a six month old working cocker who sounds very similar to your parents' springer, and it really is hard work because they just have so much energy and joy in them! But with training sessions and lots of mental exercises he definitely is learning to be calmer!

I'm now trying a lower protein food too (10% nature diet), so will let you know if I see any difference! :thumbup:
I am afraid Naturediet is not low in protein. ;)

In order to calculate the ACTUAL protein in a food (as fed by dry matter)

you have to remove all the water (as of course there is no protein in water)

As ND is 72% water you need to do the following

Divide the reported amount of protein (in this case, 10%) by the total amount of dry matter (28%).

Then, multiply the result by 100.

Dry Matter Protein Content = (10/28) x 100 = 35.7%

That gives you a dry matter protein content of 35.7%… a lot more than the label's reported number of just 10%… nearly four times the amount of protein claimed by the Guaranteed Analysis.

HTH
 
#17 ·
Just a note, this food contains:

Chicken Meat Meal, Wheat, Rice, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Wheat Feed, Full Fat Linseed, Prairie Meal, Yeast, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

So may not be suitable for dogs with a problem with wheat.

For those that do not know Praire Meal is maize starch.

So a food with wheat, rice, maize and linseed an awful lot of grain and it does not state how much meat v carbohydrates it contains.

Protein : 21%
Oil : 12%
Fibre : 2.5%
Ash : 8.5%
Vitamin A : 12,000iu/kg
Vitamin D3 : 1,200iu/kg
Vitamin E : 125iu/kg
Copper (as Copper Sulphate) : 15mg/kg
 
#18 ·
Just a note, this food contains:

Chicken Meat Meal, Wheat, Rice, Chicken Fat, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Wheat Feed, Full Fat Linseed, Prairie Meal, Yeast, EC permitted natural anti-oxidants, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin C and Rosemary Extract.

So may not be suitable for dogs with a problem with wheat.

For those that do not know Praire Meal is maize starch.

So a food with wheat, rice, maize and linseed an awful lot of grain and it does not state how much meat v carbohydrates it contains.

Protein : 21%
Oil : 12%
Fibre : 2.5%
Ash : 8.5%
Vitamin A : 12,000iu/kg
Vitamin D3 : 1,200iu/kg
Vitamin E : 125iu/kg
Copper (as Copper Sulphate) : 15mg/kg
Thanks Smokeybear perhaps this is something I need to review then :eek:
Is AG any better? That was what he was on previously but someone recommended the CSJ and I thought it looked good as it didn't have tons of 'random' ingredients.

Sorry don't mean to be prestering you with checking foods but your analysis' are very good! :eek:
 
#21 ·
AG puppy food

Fresh Chicken 18%, Chicken Meal* 18%, Whole Grain Rice, Chicken Fat*, Beet Pulp, Egg Powder, Whole Grain Maize, Dried Brewers Yeast, Fish Meal*, Linseed, Fish Oil*, Minerals, Vitamins, Nucleotides, Prebiotic FOS, Prebiotic MOS, Cranberry Extract, Chondroitin Sulphate, Glucosamine Sulphate, MSM, Yucca Extract. * Preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract.

Analysis

Protein 29%, Oil 18%, Fibre 3%, Ash 6%, Moisture 8%, Omega6 4.1%, Omega3 0.7%, Vitamin A 20000 IU/kg, Vitamin D3 1350 IU/kg, Vitamin E 135 IU/kg, Calcium 1.3%, Phosphorous P 0.85%, Copper 22 mg/kg (as Cupric Sulphate).

Only two cereals, rice and maize, plus the linseed. you really cannot compare the two foods.

Much higher protein and oil content too.

For me personally I would prefer if it did not contain maize, but many dogs do well on it.
 
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