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We were given a 15 month old springer spaniel his owner died and the family knew we had dogs like this asked us if we wanted him. We got him home he settled in ok and i as looking to a good time training him. This dog is crazy he will come to call he walks on a lead, but he just is not responding at all like pups do he spins around frantically when you try and put him on a lead make him sit stay or anything, he comes when called but if he knows where the car is he gets to say 100 yards off it and then runs back running around and around the car until you get there, he ignores any commands at all when he is in this mind set.
I am out of my depth here i am sure, i need help. Right from the beginning here, he came with an E collar i presume the owner used to control him, if i put it on him he usually urinates and walks around hunched up and never leaves my side. Sad to see it is.
I have managed to train pups good enough to hunt with, but this dog is out of my knowledge, i will listen and need to be talked through the stages with him if you can help. I cant do this i am not sure where to start. Ricky.

I don't really have any experience in this, but I'll give you my two cents, anyway.

I'd say park the e-collar somewhere and forget it even exists for a while, probably at least 6 months. Then start as if he's 8 weeks old, not 15 months. Don't assume he knows a damn thing, and train him from scratch as you would a puppy you just brought home, same discipline, same program, same everything.

You did a good thing, and hopefully you can make it work. Let us know how it's going. Or at least to vent when he gets under your skin Good luck!

I agree with Assa, start from the beginning. No negative reinforcement. i.e. Shock collar. Just play training until he get the basic obedience kinda figured out.
If he is beyond hyper, it's probably because he needs exercise. I don't have spaniels, but I've grown up with setters. They have a lot of energy, 10X more than any lab I've ever seen. We have a 1/2 acre fence we let our dog run in all day. When she was a pup we would let her run for 2 hours before we could get her to settle down to work. Even now at 4 years old I usually take her for run before I hunt so she can get that initial energy out. So if you keep the dog in the house or in a crate/kennel that is your source for the excessive energy. Try taking him to a open field (not the try of place you would take him hunting) and just let him run and play until he starts to slow down. Then start your training.

had sort of the same deal with this knot head . got him at 5 month,s been in a yard.the guy was working with him he did not know shit so the dog was all f-up just started all over like he was a pup . now almost a year old and hunt,s still dose dumb stuff but get,s better each time out .hope you take time and work it out .it will be worth it

Patience, patience, patience! Good advice given here.

You've gotten some pretty good advice so far. When taking in dogs that are a bit older or dogs we think may come with hidden issues the first thing I focus on is my relationship with the dog. Give him time to adjust to his new life before beginning any formal training. Bond with him, earn his trust and keep everything fun for a few weeks. Then pick out a training program and follow it closely. Start him the same way you would a 8 week old pup. Based on your comment reguarding the ecollar, you will most likely have some issues to overcome there. In the meantime do not use the collar until you have reached that part of training. I would however keep the collar on the dog while training but leave the transmitter at home. Sounds as if someone has had a pretty heavy hand with the collar and used it in an unfair manor. Be patient, keep a level head with him and set him up for success in everything he does and you guys will be just fine.

Thank you for the replies they are reassuring. I am not panicking about the dogs age he is so immature i doubt he would ever have been that steady at this age anyway.
He is well settled but boisterous with the other dogs, they are confused by his rough behavior.
The truck thing as me a little confused, he would not go in it at first, now he treats it like his own, he always wants to jump in first waits for the others to start to jump in then he attacks them not viciously but they don't like it, i have started putting him on a lead then letting him in last. He thinks he is in charge It is very slow progress he will sit still but only when you touch him, if you move away and try to make him sit he spins around and around, its quite annoying how slow he is learning. I do like the dog he as a right bloodline and he is not botherd by gunfire had him to the clayground and shot a few past him he is no trouble there.
It is going to be a long job this one sorry to say, but i am on with him and wont stop.
Got to stop this fidgeting spinning around and truck possession and obsession with running back to it first aspect. what can i do about this, i have not got basic control that's whats troubling me right now.

Start at the beginning with heel and sit, heel and sit. Progress through it as you would an untrained dog. Whatever you do, don't shock the shit out of him until he doesn't do something that you know he can do because you taught him to do it.

Basic obedience is one of the most important traits that make a dog good or bad.

Walk up to your truck with the dog at heel, tell it to sit, open the door and tell it to "kennel" and don't settle for the dog breaking when the door is opened. He should go only when you tell him to.

Make sure he knows your boss. Get on the ground and play with him. Make sure you are always winning and pin him down a few times to where he can't move. Make sure he knows your boss and the training will be a lot easier.

NuffDaddy wrote:Make sure he knows your boss. Get on the ground and play with him. Make sure you are always winning and pin him down a few times to where he can't move. Make sure he knows your boss and the training will be a lot easier.

and take a good chunk of his ear off with your teeth, that works to reinforce your dominance.

And if he doesn't cum when you call, give him a few hand jobs and he won't leave your side.

I am having some success with him, he is starting to get steadier off the lead finally. I can not believe how untrained he was the original owner must have just fitted the collar and shocked him, i feel quite sorry for the dog. He is just like a little dog he is now at about the 10 month to a year stage i would say, he is not wanting to leave me, and he gives more eye contact on and off the lead, before he was looking everywhere but at me and pulling to be free.
He is learning quicker than a pup and i think i am perhaps around six months behind at the moment, but his off lead walking at heal is much improved, he is quite nervous though, and i have to spend more time in busy town and introduce him to strange loud noises, he had no steadiness around traffic, a truck went by the other day and he crouched down like a first day out puppy would. I was lacking confidence when i started this here, but already i can see results and just know he will make it.

Glad to hear it sounds like you to are turning a corner. Keep up he good work.

Good stuff! Just remember to be patient. You never know what "button" the last owner instilled in him that you may unknowingly push.

Do you think i should start him quartering for a ball or dummy with a check cord, he needs a bit more to do than just by at heal . I am not trying to rush this but at least he gets a fun game to play and a mission.

Here is an update on his progress, he was very slow to settle down to any kind of training but over time he as improved lots.
The season is over now here, he finished off retrieving a few ducks and is steady and observes everything with a lot of interest, Di spite his age 20months just over, he is about like a 1 year old dog. He will make a dog for sure i have total confidence in him now, he is nothing like he was just a few short months ago, all the uncertainty i had has gone now. Just left him to it to a large extent he needed hunting time the discipline i got in to him by being gentle with him paid off, the E collar the previous owner had used as never left the drawer where i left it, and never will with this dog. Thanks for the advice, i needed moral support here, this dog was a rebel i had never seen a dog quite like him in behavior. But he is my friend for life now.

rickman wrote:Here is an update on his progress, he was very slow to settle down to any kind of training but over time he as improved lots.
The season is over now here, he finished off retrieving a few ducks and is steady and observes everything with a lot of interest, Di spite his age 20months just over, he is about like a 1 year old dog. He will make a dog for sure i have total confidence in him now, he is nothing like he was just a few short months ago, all the uncertainty i had has gone now. Just left him to it to a large extent he needed hunting time the discipline i got in to him by being gentle with him paid off, the E collar the previous owner had used as never left the drawer where i left it, and never will with this dog. Thanks for the advice, i needed moral support here, this dog was a rebel i had never seen a dog quite like him in behavior. But he is my friend for life now.

Awesome

Good news, indeed.

Great to hear.

rickman wrote:Here is an update on his progress, he was very slow to settle down to any kind of training but over time he as improved lots.
The season is over now here, he finished off retrieving a few ducks and is steady and observes everything with a lot of interest, Di spite his age 20months just over, he is about like a 1 year old dog. He will make a dog for sure i have total confidence in him now, he is nothing like he was just a few short months ago, all the uncertainty i had has gone now. Just left him to it to a large extent he needed hunting time the discipline i got in to him by being gentle with him paid off, the E collar the previous owner had used as never left the drawer where i left it, and never will with this dog. Thanks for the advice, i needed moral support here, this dog was a rebel i had never seen a dog quite like him in behavior. But he is my friend for life now.

Cool news man, great job.