r/springerspaniel • u/killerlaw2477 • 3d ago
Query
We have an absolute menace here lol 😅
I have a question in regards to their insane fixation/focus (say our pet cats). She is very young around 10 weeks old and she is getting better! But she wants to play with the cats, now given our young boy (Lucifur) will play when he is in mood, Saka (pup) does not understand when to stop and our older cat Lilith, does not want to engage so in cat language Hisses are her and even paw taps her head and yet Saka does not understand, understandably.
When they eat together (we like to feed together) they are usually okay and they are getting better around each other) but when Saka is determined, she is determined and we are kind of restraining her back until we can distract her and I feel, there maybe a better way of doing this, unless of course she grows out of it.
I had a border collie before springer who used to do a similar thing and the methods I am using worked really quickly with her, but the springer is a different breed and different animal.
My gut feeling telling me, once she able to go out for walks etc, this should help settle the urges down.
I am open for tips and advice.
We are not doing cage training, she part of the family and will eventually join me in work! Once she had second vacs
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u/RubyRaven13 3d ago
Tell the dog no and continue to redirect. Be patient and stay on it. My pup was the same and now knows as soon as I give the leave it command. As a hunting dog, they definitely can be told to leave a high interest item. Reward when no longer focused. As for the crate, you have a bedroom? Your kid has a room? Why doesn't the dog get their own safe space? My dogs love theirs, never have the door closed but it's their quiet place. No one is to distub once they are in there. The other dog cannot enter, the kid can't bug etc. they have five beds in the house and the kennel is where they go most times.
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u/fiirey_babe 3d ago
Im in the same boat, my guy fixated on my cat, she plays with him but he chases her, he isn't vicious at all but ive been saying leave and when he looks at me or comes to me I give him a treat, there are sometimes his ears dont work as he is so invested in chasing . I am finding it hard for him not to do this
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u/Guilty-Movie-3727 3d ago
She is still developing cognitively and the part of her that may help to inhibit her own behaviour will develop over the next couple of months, along with her ability to self-regulate and focus her attention. Like us, they are all different but I think you are going to have to be her brakes and her judgement for now, because she just doesn't have that yet! Lovely looking pup... looks a bit nuts, which is part of the breed standard 😉
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u/killerlaw2477 3d ago
Yeah I do think that myself, we implemented baby gates as such somcats can evade, she a very clever girly, we teaching multiple things and she is quickly learning, but as you said there, impulse control isn't quite there at this stage.
She is lush! She loves water! And hunting little insects on the floor (which is cool to watch)
I grew up with working springers/labs they are amazing dogs!
This pup is identical to her Mum, however her Mum isn't that well trained, I believe the earlier puppy stages, was maybe mishandled incorrectly, should see how she has been gulping her food down, we have worked on this and is 80% much better. Than at first.
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u/Forsaken-Sea2047 2d ago
Can I make you aware that not all stair gates will work, I have a gate that I used for years and always put it up to keep my dogs apart from my cats so they had a retreat away from them while I was out, this one I might add can absolutely clear the gates and get wherever she likes, nothing holds her back, I have to shut her in one room while I’m at work and have a camera to keep an eye on her otherwise I’d have no shoes or anything that can be destroyed left.
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u/Over_Stuff7619 3d ago
Puppies always love messing with cats. Itll work out. I love that your breeder kept her tail.
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u/killerlaw2477 3d ago
Oh yeah, they cut tails for working variants don't they! I don't condone that, even with the benefits of it (in their heads), I find it cruel.
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u/faunafuture 1d ago
I know you mentioned no crate training. I highly recommend incorporating a crate as a safe space for your springer in whatever capacity you’re comfortable with. My springer literally does not understand social cues and can become hyperfixated on animals that want to hurt him. He thinks they’re playing. If your pup becomes hyperfixated on something they’re not supposed to be, recall, distraction, then regulation if all else fails. They should be able to eventually return to the situation with a better attitude. The crate is a great solution when he’s overstimulated. Obviously, weigh the situation since he’s a puppy. Sometimes he needs more or less stimulation. Mines an adult and settled into a routine/ calmer. Often he needs less stimulation. If I hadn’t crate trained him as a puppy, we’d be SOL.
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u/Forsaken-Sea2047 3d ago
Hi, I have 2 elderly cats and 2 springers, yes they push the boundaries of the cats as I don’t think they understand that they don’t play in the way that they do, my older one (41/2) is not that really bothered about them now but my 5 month old wants to play and follow them around but she gets told off with a hiss and a smack, so with that I just let them sort her out, but if she keeps annoying them then I’ll step in with a leave!! She’ll get bored in the end as she grows out of it and won’t bother with them like my older one now