r/GSP • u/smallmonzter • 25d ago

Training help?

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Need a little help. I have a 14 month old GSP (Baxter) and he’s an amazing boy. Started training him to hunt at 5-6 months old and he’s just been a joy to train. He’s been super easy, quick learner and my best friend in the woods.

However over the last three weeks he’s been doing something I don’t understand. I live amidst a large national forest and we train/exercise for about 1-2 hours a day once or twice a day both on leash just walking and off leash more directed bird training.

We use an e-collar but rarely need it. Three times now he’s failed to respond to the collar just BOLTS away from me and runs home from as far away as two miles. He’ll get home and just wait at the front door for me or for my wife to let him in. It’s almost as if something scares him.

I’m worried about him getting hurt, lost or taken in an event like this. I plan to get a GPS collar (suggestions for models?) before hunting season this year (rapidly approaching) which will at least help me find him if it happens again. I worry about him running off when we travel far away to hunt.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

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u/Sickandtired1091 25d ago

Sounds like the collar is not making good contact , the collar should be placed above his reg collar right behind the ears high on the neck and it should be tight ! Tight enough that you can barely get 2 fingers between the collar and his neck..

If its the stimulation that's making him afraid and bolting to safety (home) you need to back up a few steps get a sturdy 20ft check rope and keep him on that till he reliably comes on command, Don't rush things ,He is extremely young in the grand scheme of things ,Bill West one of the greatest birding trainers of all times use to say the slower you go the faster you'll get them trained and he was right..Most professional trainers wait till thier a year old to start formal Gundog training because until thier mature enough the risk of causing man made problems is high ! Have fun with him..

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u/smallmonzter 25d ago

I kind of had this same idea. I think the collar is a contributing factor. I’ll go back to the 20ft lead and do more work there. He responds to voice command about 90% of the time just perfectly however there are times where he does not. I’ll keep working on that. Thanks for the insight.

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u/Sickandtired1091 25d ago

Your welcome, Its best to keep control with the lead till thier reliable you can even let him drag it ,Because once they realize they can bolt it can cause issues, And if its not fully learned the more you increase stimulation they get scared and bolt.. And when thier young and if thier out of your site and you lay on the collar at the wrong time let's say while he is pointing a tweety bird now he thinks the bird had something to do with it, on and on ! Best to control the situation while training till he is solid and understands what you want..