Spaniels can be fast. There is a reason it matters- seeing the alphabetic trace in their lineage: AFC, FC, NFC, etc...
Most don't have the first inkling how a spaniel is supposed to work in the field, but a well-bred, well trained, field-bred springer or cocker is a thing to behold. I'll be the first to say it's not for everyone.
To wit, a conversation at our last hunt test:
A geneticist friend liked to say:
The speed and agility of this spaniel is quite comparable to how Emmie runs. I wish I could honestly say that the level of control I exhibit was comparable to this handler but it's not. It's good and getting better, but it's nowhere near this level.
So- given a dog that runs this powerfully it's all the more important to channel that energy; to focus it through nurture. If the dog is a loaded gun then drive, desire and heart; these are projectiles. Where will these be directed? (because they will manifest themselves in one way or another) Will they be on target, off target wildly and dangerously? The dog bred with a heart seeking the horizon is going to find it. My role is to provide enough situations, enough stimuli that the energy is harnessed without leading to anguish on either's part.
It's a fun ride.
At this point I can't imaging hunting behind something that doesn't run like their very soul depended on it.
Most don't have the first inkling how a spaniel is supposed to work in the field, but a well-bred, well trained, field-bred springer or cocker is a thing to behold. I'll be the first to say it's not for everyone.
To wit, a conversation at our last hunt test:
'those field bred spingers are just so...fast! I don't think I'd enjoy hunting behind one of them'.Which is probably one of the more true statements I heard that day! That person happened to be running their bench-bred dog in the test, and honestly they were doing just fine. It was evident that they had spent time with the dog, and the dog went on to pass that leg of the test. For them, there was a preference for calm, but methodical searching patterns; not 'plodding' but no one was ever going to break a sweat keeping up. Hunting behind a pocket-rocket really would just be an exercise in frustration.
A geneticist friend liked to say:
Nature is the loaded gun but nurture pulls the trigger.After the breeding there's nothing to be done about the genetics. The difference-maker is nurture: the experiences and stimuli the pup receives-especially when they're "not" being trained.
The speed and agility of this spaniel is quite comparable to how Emmie runs. I wish I could honestly say that the level of control I exhibit was comparable to this handler but it's not. It's good and getting better, but it's nowhere near this level.
So- given a dog that runs this powerfully it's all the more important to channel that energy; to focus it through nurture. If the dog is a loaded gun then drive, desire and heart; these are projectiles. Where will these be directed? (because they will manifest themselves in one way or another) Will they be on target, off target wildly and dangerously? The dog bred with a heart seeking the horizon is going to find it. My role is to provide enough situations, enough stimuli that the energy is harnessed without leading to anguish on either's part.
It's a fun ride.
At this point I can't imaging hunting behind something that doesn't run like their very soul depended on it.
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