Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs A Very Timid Gordon Setter

I have a 3and 1/2 year old Gordon who got zapped by an electric horse fence while i was trying to train her to be a bird dog. she was wearing her shock collar and cord at the time. She got into the fenced in area with no problem, but would not come out. I tried to call her out but no luck. I was able to grab onto her and hold her low to get her out from under the lowest wire. All except her tail. She got zapped and I had my hand on her so she thinks I did it. Now, even a year and a half later if she sees her shock collar, she will cower away from me. She behaves fairly well around the house and yard, but if I take her into the woods she has a tendency to be a runner. She has spent a few nights in the woods. The question is how does a guy get a hunting dog like this to stay within a close hunting range. She is finally starting to act "normal" and not always so afraid of me and I don't want to spook her again and loose the little bit of progress she has made.

I truley believe the only reason a shock collar should be used is to stop a dog from chasing livestock or game.

As a matter of fact the first shock collars were used to stop dogs from chasing livestock.

As far as running in the woods she is only having fun. I would try to find an area with open fields.

Last but very important....some dogs just don't hunt.

Two of our dogs are half brother/sister with different mothers and two month difference in age. The female is mine and is always on the hunt. The male isn't worth txxs on a boar, is gun shy, but my wife loves him.

A really good natural hunting dog is a treasure that is priceless.

I know not all dogs are meant to be outstanding hunters, and I in no way claim to be a dog trainer. Besides the Gordon, we also have a golden retriever, and neither one seems to care less if we get birds, but they are always ready and willing to go and never complain.

Doughboy,

Just continue to take things slow. The most important thing is your relationship with the dog.

I have never had much success with keeping my 2 english setters to keep close. Even in the woods they range way too far. Keep the shock collar in the dresser drawer. Take some good dog treats in your pocket and call your dog back to you often. When she comes tell her she is a good girl.

Hopefully she will come around for you. There are some good folks here who hopefully will chime in with some advice about range.

I gotta agree with Hunts and Reba on the collar....( Boy could we light up a thread about pros and cons of Ecollars??? Don't want to do it though.)
I have not done as much gun dog training as other forms of training, so take this FWIW, but one of the first things I teach a dog, any dog, is the word "stop". It is to be taken literally and applies to ALL instances. Stop means Stop.
I start it with their food dish, put it down, when pup is about a nose away, just restrain him by flank or tail and say "stop", extrapolate the concept up and out from there.All training is incremental, approach the steps slowly... As in all other forms of training, when he does what is requested,he needs IMMEDIATE positive reinforcement, lots of it!
As you work up to the leash, then a long lead, keep extrapolating, Stop him with the lead while saying "stop" and reward him big time when he does. When he doesn't, its simply game over, no negative reinforcement, no aversives, just no more fun. It takes longer this way, but lasts longer. Ultimately in the field when he ranges too far, you say "stop" or whistle or whatever your version of "stop" is, and when he turns to you looking for further instruction, give it to him, recall, right, left, whatever...
Also FWIW I have found the ONLY time you need to raise your voice in dog training is during the whoop-it-up-reward-time...
As HUNTS said, keep some treats with you, whenever the dog does as you ask, make it worth his while....
Ingwe

Of course my experience training hunting dogs is with two brain dead labs, but the story you tell does not make me understand the cowering from the shock collar if she hit her tail on the fence.

I would suggest that you get a dummy collar and every time you do something fun (like a walk or ride in the car or feed it), put the dummy collar on the dog. Run the dog on a long lead and have a pocket full of treats. If you never use the shock collar again so be it.

Get some birds from the farm store and get the dogs nose into a lot of birds (of course have the dummy on). Keep the dog on the lead. The lead will help curtail the dogs need to run big and allow you to reinforce the distance commands.

All that being said: my female lab is a bit neurotic because when training her brother, every time I would yell at him, she would think she did something wrong and cower. The cowering on your dogs part may be the recollection of you retrieving her from that field, some action or behavior which is the same as that day. Remember they are not really rational, despite their appearance.