Hunter's life. Hunting with a spaniel for a hare

First hunt

So, your spaniel is fully prepared for the hunt. The first hunt is a crucial moment in the life of a young dog. Remember that on this day, catching game should not be your main goal, even if it was the long-awaited opening of hunting. The main focus is on the dog.

I do not recommend starting with a spring hunt, where the dog does not work, but only stays next to the owner and serves to feed downed woodcocks. Although the temptation is great: if you took a puppy from an autumn litter, then in April he will already reach “hunting” age. But, alas, the spaniel has not yet gone through the school of training birds in the field, and therefore it is better that the first hunt is associated with the prey of a bird that he himself created.

So, the best time is the opening of the summer-autumn season. I can’t understand why some hunting organizations allow “early” (that is, 2 weeks before the general opening) hunting with pointers and spaniels only for certified dogs - isn’t this the most convenient time for hunting with first-field dogs? In the meadows there are a lot of great snipes, quails and snipe - what a treat for a young spaniel!

Usually the hunt opens at dawn, and most hunters will not miss the dawn, but it is better not to take a spaniel hunting for the first time in his life: there are a lot of people, shots are ringing everywhere, it is hot, and even frightening to an unshot dog, and there are a lot of distractions factors, including other dogs. If you live in a village, leave the spaniel at home, and after the cannonade subsides, return for him and start a normal hunt, preferably for a great snipe or other swamp-meadow game. Of course, everything depends on the land, and for a well-trained spaniel it makes no difference which hunt will be the first. It is advisable to make the first shot only for sure and, like the subsequent ones, only at a bird shot by the spaniel, and not at a noise bird or one that accidentally flew at you. When excited, the spaniel will most likely not pay attention to the loud sound of a shot, and there is practically no danger of scaring the dog with it.

The first outing should not be too long and tiring, even if there was a lot of game. Three birds taken from under a spaniel in 2-3 hours of hunting is an excellent result for a start. Do not forget about the commands, do not run headlong, racing with the dog to the bird that has fallen after being shot, control its obedience. If you are a very temperamental hunter, ask your comrade to play the role of shooter, and you yourself walk without a gun, strictly controlling the dog. Otherwise, your excitement may ruin all the painstaking previous work, and the spaniel will begin to chase all living things to the horizon, wanting to quickly feel the smell of the shot bird and quickly hold it in its mouth.

Well, now – about hunting with a spaniel for various game.

By snipe

Although the classic hunts with a spaniel are ducks and corncrakes, most spanielists rightly prefer the great snipe. The spaniel, unlike the pointers, does not stand, but works short, within the shot, and so expressively that an experienced hunter knows when to expect the bird to take off. Among the three species of royal swamp weevils, the snipe is the most tempting trophy, and not only due to its relatively large size - the work of a spaniel on a snipe is sometimes one of the most beautiful. The lack of a stance on a spaniel does not detract from the beauty of the work itself, as some leggings believe. Of course, there is no sculptural freezing in place with a bent paw, but for spanielists the dog’s manner of working, the spectacular “candles”, the tail rotating like a propeller, signaling the degree of proximity of the bird, and finally, the artistic eyeliner, the throw and noisy rise of the bird provide no less emotional tension, than working as a cop for cops. And here I completely agree with what the famous hunting writer-naturalist Vitaly Bianki, who kept spaniels all his life, wrote half a century ago: “That’s why I didn’t keep pointing dogs, dogs with a stance: it seemed dishonest to me, shackling the bird with fear of the toothy one frozen over it.” beast, slowly approaching the place where she was hiding, and, ordering the dog to lift her on the wing, shoot her in cold blood on takeoff. I preferred spaniels... only those who search for a bird with their instincts and rather help it escape from the hunter than the hunter to shoot it.” This may look somewhat naive, but the fact remains: the more difficult the prey, the more expensive it is for the hunter.

But let's return to the snipe. Hunting for it is especially good at the beginning of the season - in the first half of August and even at the end of July. If the summer is rainy, the snipe lingers until September, but usually after August 20 you will rarely see it. I will also say that the main August prey is young people with females. After the end of mating, adult males remain in the lek area for some time, but already in early August they fly off to distant African wintering grounds. Before this, they wander around the lands for some time, forming summer rashes. That is why in the old days, when hunting opened on Peter’s Day (July 12), great snipe hunting, in the words of S.T. Aksakov, were “fabulously successful” (remember L.N. Tolstoy’s great snipe hunt by Levin and Oblonsky in the novel “Anna Karenina” - it was in July).

The autumn migration of snipes does not occur everywhere in their breeding grounds, but only in some especially feeding grounds for snipes at this time. The peak of migration occurs on Natalia's Day (September 8), also capturing Indian Summer (from September 14 to 21). Dry summers accelerate the departure of great snipes, and in dry autumn there are always few of them.

It is better to go out for great snipe hunting early in the morning, without waiting, as is usually written in hunting guides, “for the dew to dry.” In the summer heat, you need to come to the meadow in complete darkness and wait until dawn: as soon as you can shoot from below, you need to start looking for great snipes, since in such weather they fly away early, even before sunrise, into the support. The spaniel is usually launched against the wind, but it doesn’t matter if there is no wind: he will find the desired smell of the bird from below. The main attention is paid to ensuring that your assistant does not move more than 30-40 meters away from you. As soon as he starts to pause, his tail starts to wag, and you realize that the bird is nearby, come as close to the dog as possible.

Before lifting the bird, the dog makes an approach, changing its move; some spaniels bark, as if warning the hunter that game is nearby. Jump - and now the long-awaited swamp king takes off with the characteristic sound of wings characteristic only of the great snipe! An experienced spaniel will remain in place, only following the bird with his gaze. You release the snipe at 20-30 meters - it’s easy to shoot, but sometimes excessive excitement (after all, it’s a snipe!) leads to annoying mistakes even for experienced hunters. If it is inconvenient to shoot, it is better to refrain from shooting at all: a great snipe usually lands nearby, in front of the hunter, but the one fired at can fly far away, disappearing from sight.

Great snipes hide very tightly: a hunter can walk nearby and three meters away, and the bird will only press closer to the ground. Great snipes love the company of their own kind, so when you find one, take your time and circle around this place, even if, in your opinion, you have already walked around everything here. Sometimes great snipes run into the tall grass on the border with a mown area of the meadow, but after a while they come out into the clear again.

Never shoot through a dog: this is not hunting with a pointer, where you can get close to him. A spaniel can easily be caught with a shot, especially if you use special “scatter” cartridges with dispersal guns, which produce a wide scree already at 10 meters. And remember: the further you are from the dog, the greater the danger of hitting it with a shot. Under no circumstances should you shoot if the dog has chased a great snipe. Here it is necessary to stop and punish her, then calm her down and only then continue the hunt.

Dedicated to our spaniels Buyan and Bridget Beadie, faithful hunting assistants and expedition companions. No country can boast such a variety of hunts as Russia. Since time immemorial, the voices of famous Russian hounds, hot on the trail of the beast, have been ringing, moaning, and sobbing in the fields and copses. The national pride was the magnificent greyhounds, which in a spirited gallop overtook not only the hare and the fox, but also took on the wolf. In the taiga lands they hunted furs with sharp-eared, sensitive huskies. They were irreplaceable and brave helpers in hunting bear, elk and wild boar. And through the swampy meadows, forest edges and thickets of bushes, passionate admirers of the exquisite “hands-on” hunting wandered with the cops, the beauty of which lay not only in the hunter’s quick reaction and accurate shooting, but also in the stylish work of the dog. And in our time, an amazing restless tribe of people has survived for whom the expression “hunting is worse than bondage” is not just a saying, but a state of mind that forces them to go hunting with a gun and a dog during the hunting season, forgetting everyday troubles, comfort and peace. As soon as spring gradually comes into its own and villages of geese begin to pull over the city with a characteristic “ka-ha-gak... ka-ha-gak”, the hunting fraternity lives in anticipation of a happy moment - going out hunting. Atlas of dog breeds Dogs for sale Dog kennels Dog food Dog training

Things and concerns that seemed urgent and important recede into the background, all free time is devoted to preparing equipment and checking ammunition stocks. From storerooms and closets guns, waders, raincoats, backpacks, rubber and plastic stuffed ducks, goose profiles appear into the white light... My soul is joyful in anticipation of woodcock drafts, hunting with decoy ducks, to whose passionate calls gullible drakes flock, successful shots and the first trophies. But doubly happy is the one who can share the joy of getting ready for a hunt with a recklessly devoted friend and companion, fussily scurrying among backpacks, boots and other hunting attributes, for whom there is nothing more important in life than the beloved owner-partner and the all-consuming ancient passion - hunting. Truly they are of the same blood - the hunter and his dog. And there is nothing more beautiful than hunting with a purebred dog! All hunting dogs are beautiful in their own way, but today we will talk about the RUSSIAN SPANIEL, the youngest breed of the spaniel group (spaniels, like cops, are classified as gundogs in their tasks), a breed created in our country. The breed of spaniel we will be talking about - the Russian spaniel - is not yet recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), but for real hunters this is not the main thing. It is important that the breed has proven itself well in Russian hunting conditions and brings a lot of joy to its fans, and high-ranking show exhibitions (only FCI-recognized breeds can count on prestigious titles and prizes), where little attention is paid to hunting qualities, are not so much for us and attractive. To be fair, it must be said that foreign hunters are very interested in the Russian spaniel, noting the functionality of its exterior and excellent working qualities. Until the end of the 19th century, spaniels were known in our country only by hearsay, although in England, Germany, France, and Italy, these dogs were successfully used to hunt woodcock, great snipe, and quail. Despite the fact that Spain should be considered the historical homeland of the spaniel group, the true creators of the breed types were undoubtedly the British. In England, there have long been several breeds of spaniels, among which the most famous were the cocker spaniels, sussex spaniels, field spaniels, clumber spaniels and, a little later, the springer spaniels. All these breeds, imported from time to time to Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, participated to one degree or another in the creation of the Russian spaniel. Already from the middle of the eighteenth century, individual specimens of various spaniels began to appear in our country, but they were not used as hunting dogs, they were pets, lovely companions on walks. The real history of the spaniel in Russia began in 1885, when a black cocker named Dash was sent from England to the passionate hunter Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (the younger). Following him, other spaniels began to appear, mainly cockers; in addition, descendants were obtained from Dash, whose owners were mainly representatives of the imperial family or persons close to them. The number of hunters among them could be counted on one hand, and even those were mainly fond of hunting with hounds or baiting. Due to a certain conservatism, spaniels were not recognized as hunting dogs for a long time. Hunting flourished with classic island cops: setters, pointers (local offspring of smooth-haired Russian cops were replaced by island breeds). In the free expanses of our meadows, fields, swamps, among tall grass and hummocks, small, sometimes slow-moving spaniels with a short search were uninteresting. It made no sense to carry out real breeding work with single specimens of different spaniels. In the first decade of the 20th century, there were barely fifty of these dogs in St. Petersburg. And yet their number, especially cockers and to a lesser extent springers, grew and people involuntarily began to pay attention to them. The St. Petersburg-Petrograd-Leningrad hunting dog exhibitions can serve as an indicator of the growing popularity of spaniels in Russia. Thus, in 1885, among all the hunting breeds shown, there was only one spaniel (the already mentioned Dash). In 1890 - 1 cocker from England; in 1891 - 1 Sussex, in 1900 among 657 dogs - 10 were spaniels, in 1909 - 20 spaniels were exhibited at the exhibition in the Mikhailovsky Manege: 7 cockers, 1 springer, 3 field, 4 clumber and 5...” just spaniels." And in 1910, 49 spaniels were shown; black (descendants of Dash), black and tan, tricolor cockers predominated, yellow piebald descendants of the first Clumbers appeared, and black piebald (white with black spots) and black piebald schimmel (with black specks and strokes, in other words, gray merle) appeared for the first time. By the end of the thirties, spaniels had already confidently won the love of Russians. However, not everything went smoothly. Small, very cute “cocker-type” dogs suddenly became fashionable, attracted the attention of women, and they “took them into their hands.” Immediately, some decoration of the exterior began: growth noticeably decreased, a lot of dog hair appeared, which became wavy and even curly. This was noted by the famous expert A.S. Tulipov, who repeatedly judged spaniels at that time. At the same time, the few “springer-type” spaniels still remained in male hands and were mostly used for hunting, maintaining their “working” appearance. They were subsequently reflected in the appearance of the modern Russian hunting spaniel. At the same time, the blood of cockers and springers became increasingly mixed; Work continued to create a dog of small stature, but relatively tall legs. They tried to adapt the descendants of spaniels of various breeds, brought to us at the end of the century before last, as much as possible for hunting in Russian swamps and water meadows. Leningrad spaniels were not inferior in number to other gun breed groups that had a longer history of use in Russia. At our pre-war exhibitions, from 30 to 33 representatives of the young, emerging breed were exhibited. In those years, the number of these dogs in Moscow and Sverdlovsk was also considerable. It is unknown how the future fate of the future Russian spaniel would have developed if not for the Great Patriotic War. At the last pre-blockade exhibition (June 21-22, 1941), 33 spaniels were registered, and 5 were bred. Many owners of hunting dogs immediately after the exhibition went to the military registration and enlistment office to sign up as volunteers for the front. A new, sad page was opening in the history of our breed. Only seven spaniels survived the Leningrad siege, but already in March 1945 the first puppies appeared from them. One of them came to me, and since then my heart has been forever given to this breed. And although my first spaniel was far from ideal, I remember him with warmth and gratitude. It must be said that almost all of today's St. Petersburg Russian spaniels come from these first post-war producers. Unfortunately, in the subsequent post-war years, the spaniel population in both Leningrad and Moscow again became very diverse due to imported “trophy” spaniels. Many were brought without documents, among them were mainly cockers, there were typical Sussexes, Clumbers and Fields, and very rarely Springers. There were brilliant specimens with long pedigrees, and dogs of very dubious origin, whose belonging to any particular spaniel breed was difficult to determine. The first standard for a new domestic breed of hunting dogs - the Russian hunting spaniel - was approved in 1951; in 1966, a slightly modified updated standard appeared, which still retained a wide range of dog height indicators, containing many controversial definitions, inaccuracies in the description of the exterior, allowing for different interpretation of shortcomings. Such a standard allowed for significant diversity in the breed, which contributed to the emergence of regional types that were so noticeably different from each other that at times it was doubtful whether we were dealing with the same breed. I had to conduct an examination of spaniels at exhibitions in different cities of Russia, and sometimes, guided by the current standard, it was difficult to explain to dog owners and breed managers why their pets are far from the desired type of breed. The modern Russian hunting spaniel is distinguished by its relatively high legs. The height at the withers for males ranges from 40-45 cm, for females - 38-43 cm. He has a dry, elegant head, dark expressive eyes, the eyelids should in no case be damp or drooping. The expression “Sad look, like a spaniel” is not about the Russian spaniel, because this dog is very cheerful, cheerful, mischievous and maybe even quite strict, but certainly not sad. His coat is smoother and less wavy than other representatives of this group, he does not need to be trimmed for exhibitions, and when hunting he suffers less from the tenacious seeds of marsh meadow plants. In a word, it is perfectly adapted to hunting a wide variety of game birds in a wide variety of areas of our country. The hunting behavior (search, reaction to rising game, attitude to the shot and, finally, the obligatory delivery of the killed bird) of the Russian spaniel is practically no different from the work of the English cocker or springer. But there are still some differences and they are attractive to many hunters. In no way do I want to dispute the merits of English breeds; in the end, everyone chooses a four-legged assistant to their taste. We created the Russian spaniel for our conditions, because it is not without reason that most other spaniel breeds did not take root in Russia, and now the number of Russian spaniels used in hunting (and not in shows, exhibitions and tests) significantly exceeds the number of hunting cockers and springers in our country. The Russian spaniel, as already mentioned, is tall on its legs, which makes it easier to work in swamps and hummocks, it has an economical creeping gallop, due to a longer lumbar region than the mentioned English dogs, I have already mentioned the advantage of a smooth and not very rich coat and, finally, dry eyelids do not become clogged or injured by seeds, sedges, and strings while searching in tall grass. And with all this, it is easy to transport, unlike the Springer, it fits in a backpack, does not take up much space in a car, in a boat, and in small apartments it is easier for it to allocate living space than for larger dogs. Thus, having absorbed the positive traits of its ancestors, the Russian spaniel turned out to be a very convenient dog for us. With our spaniels, we hunted in a variety of landscape zones: geese in the tundra on the White Sea coast, quails in the steppes of Kazakhstan, pheasants in the tugai forests along the banks of the Amu Darya, mountain partridges in the Caucasus, ducks, coots and waders in the salt lakes in the Karakum Desert, and, of course, for upland and swamp game in the lands of the Leningrad region. Hunting with a spaniel is very exciting, although more intense than with a pointer. The lack of a stand for a short dog working in tall grass or dense bushes is not a disadvantage, but an advantage. While the setter or pointer stands picturesquely over the great snipe or woodcock, the spaniel quickly darts between the hummocks and bushes, driving out the hidden game and raising it to the gunshot. Of course, there is not that soul-stirring style that distinguishes the work of island cops, but there is a certain charm in the excited search (in our house this is called the “eye-to-forehead state”), a short bark while hot on the trail, jumping out of the tall grass with a candle to catch an elusive scent birds and at the same time adjust their actions with the owner. And how much joy you experience when your long-eared partner diligently and busily carries a killed bird, and sometimes drags “prey” that almost exceeds him in size - a goose or wood grouse. All spaniels are deeply convinced that a bird that falls after being shot can only belong to its owner and must be delivered to him immediately. Such diligence sometimes leads to the dog collecting other people’s trophies that have fallen into the water, regardless of which shore and who fired the shot; naturally, all the carcasses are privatized and delivered to the owner. A hunter without a dog loses a lot of wounded animals; a hunter with a spaniel, going around the areas where the unlucky shooters stood the next morning, collects all the game they lost. In hunting literature, the spaniel is often presented as a universal breed for all types of bird hunting and is even recommended for hare hunting. All this is so and not so. In difficult conditions of broad duck hunting (dense thickets of reeds or reeds, heavily swampy banks, deep swamps), it is more effective to use continental pointers or huskies; they are stronger, larger, and reach the bottom where the spaniel is forced to swim. Spaniels are so adventurous and passionate that even when exhausted, they will break through a wall of reeds or swim for hours in cold water in search of downed ducks. But this way you can ruin a dog, strain its strength, greatly shortening its hunting life. While duck hunting, one of our spaniels swam in the cold November water of Lake Ladoga until he had severe convulsions, so that he had to be carried home in his arms. Since then, during autumn hunts and evening parties, we always tied the dogs in some dry area, sending them into the water only to retrieve them. Most spaniel hunters have shot a hare from under their dog at least once in their lives. But, of course, not even the most fleet-footed and talented spaniel can ever replace a hound, because half the pleasure of hunting with one comes from the rut itself, from the dogs’ voices, and skill. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than hunting with a spaniel for swamp game, woodcock, quail, and upland bird. Here all his inclinations, breed characteristics, passion and skill, which appears with experience, are brilliantly realized. Honestly, a few well-made snipes, great snipes or garcocks bring no less joy than a fat mallard drake shot down in the evening. The spaniel has a number of qualities that allow it to be valued not only as a tireless hunting assistant, but also as a cheerful, cheerful and pleasant companion. He is very affectionate and devoted, fanatically tries to take the most ardent part in all events, strives to sit next to him on the sofa, in an armchair, freezes in an extremely uncomfortable position, just to touch the most precious creature in the world, his owner. You are sitting at a desk, a dog is sure to perch on your legs, you go to the phone - your pet runs ahead to immediately settle down next to you while you talk. Fans of calmer and less sociable breeds are annoyed by this property; spaniels are considered too annoying and clingy. But what can you do, that’s the essence of this breed. But no sofas, no home comforts can replace a spaniel’s passion for hunting, the passion for which, as I have already said, is amazing. Anticipating a hunting trip, he closely monitors all the actions of the owner. As soon as you move a gun, a backpack, waders from place to place, there will be no peace, the dog rushes around the apartment, gets underfoot and, finally, tired of the fuss, lays down close to the front door, so as not to be forgotten, and waits for something to happen. Finally, the owner will put on the collar, fasten the leash and say the long-awaited words: “Well, let’s go?” Sometimes things get funny. So that, without arousing suspicion from our dog, I could calmly leave early in the morning to judge field trials, I often had to put on my waders on the landing, where my backpack had already been secretly, stealthily taken out. All attributes of hunting are once and for all classified as special values, which presents a certain inconvenience when traveling in a crowded train carriage; try to accidentally hit the owner's gun or backpack when a long-eared guard is sitting nearby... In general, despite their affectionate and cheerful disposition, Russian spaniels are excellent watchdogs, and it is often necessary to wean the dog from the desire to guard everything and everyone that belongs to the owner, so as not to run into trouble. Anger towards people is classified as a vice; at exhibitions, aggressive dogs can be left without evaluation, despite their brilliant exterior and merits in field trials. Fortunately, we have few such spaniels in our city. The description of the Russian spaniel and its track record would be incomplete if we did not recall another modern specialization. Russian spaniels have proven themselves excellent in customs and rescue services. Our long-eared pets are constantly flashing on TV screens, looking for explosives and drugs. I had to give lectures on animal behavior at the Customs Academy during advanced training courses for customs dog handlers. Finding out what breeds they work with, I was surprised to learn that many of the listeners turned out to have Russian spaniels. They are appreciated for a good disposition (passengers are not afraid of the inspection), for an active hunting search in the examined room, an excellent flair and for working excitement. The desire to definitely find what they sent (hidden drugs or explosives) sometimes leads to the fact that a tireless assistant has to be carried away in the event that nothing suspicious was found. We have many applications at the Russian spaniel to work at customs in different regions of Russia. Our dogs successfully cope with the tasks set for them, and we get gratitude from their owners and new applications for puppies. In early June, the next Leningrad Regional Exhibition of Hunting Dogs is held annually, Russian hunting spaniels, descendants of dogs, preserved in the terrible years of blockade, delighting on hunting and houses that are rightfully considered one of the best representatives of the Russian hunting spaniel in our country are also presented there. And if someone like our dogs, then we are mercy to our club for puppies. We will be happy to see everyone on Thursdays from 18 to 20 hours at the address: Malaya Pypyskaya Street, house 4, Club of Blood Hunting Dogging MOO LOO IR.

A.E. Airapetyants, Honored Expert of the All-Russian category in hunting dog breeding, curator of the Russian Spaniel breed in Russia

Dogs

Man and his dog

Hunting with a Russian Spaniel

For snipe

Snipe hunting with a spaniel has its own characteristics. This bird is often very strict, especially on open mudflats and swamps: even a pointer does not stand on all snipes. Among these waders, it’s as if there are guards who break away when you approach and drag some other relatives with them. This should not confuse you - in snipe rashes there are also birds that tend to hide until the last. Your spaniel continues to work, and for good reason: such snipes usually pull out almost from under his muzzle. The spaniel is required to search carefully and, most importantly, not to run too far ahead of the hunter.

Snipes love swamps that are not overgrown with grass, “rusty” meadow hollows with muddy windows, and partially dry quarries, but in rainy years they often sit in puddles among hayfields and cow pastures. If you find 2-3 snipe swamps in a meadow, you can repeat the hunt for them in almost half an hour or an hour: frightened birds often return to these places again.

Snipe, unlike great snipe, can be hunted all day long even in clear weather: they do not huddle in the support even in the heat. But still, in the morning the hunt is more productive. The best time to hunt snipe is mid-September, the golden days of Indian summer, when there is a massive migration of marsh weevils. If you are lucky, the hunt will be very successful. Sometimes the cartridge belt is not enough for the spaniel to work for half an hour.

On the garnish mud

Garnish is the third species of the royal trio of noble swamp weevils. Hunters love it because it is the latest swamp game in the season. Great snipes have long disappeared, you rarely see a single snipe, in the mornings the swamp is frozen in ice, but hunting with a spaniel for swamp game continues.

You can look for spearfish as early as the twentieth of September, and sometimes even earlier, in marshy muddy swamps. Often such places become former duck meadow lakes and bogs as a result of many years of siltation, aging and drying out. Garcocks are often found in typical snipe swamps, and in rainy years, when the flight of Garcocks is generally more noticeable, they can even be found on rain-drenched stubble in the fields.

The spaniel works with spearfish very enthusiastically, sometimes hotter than with snipe. Garschnep takes off quite quickly and, despite its fluttering flight like a butterfly, it is quite difficult to hit it, especially in the wind. It is difficult to find a downed one even with a dog: it often falls into tall grass, cattails or dense reeds. Of course, an experienced spaniel will find it, although not the first time, but it is better to learn to remember, as accurately as possible, the location of the fall of the expensive prey when hunting for spears. In case of a miss, the spearfish, unlike the snipe, very soon, sometimes in the same swamp, sits down again, even in full view of the dog. The main thing is to prevent the spaniel from quickly getting up before you approach.

And moving through such garnish mud - oh, how difficult it is! His legs are sucked knee-deep into the silt, and the spaniel gets stuck up to his belly in this jelly. Immediately after the end of the hunt, the dog should be bathed in clean water and wiped dry with a terry towel.

Hunting and fishing

Character of the Russian Spaniel

This is a cheerful and very friendly dog with a balanced character.
Not only an excellent hunter, but also a companion. Loves free, long walks in the forest, loves to swim. Russian spaniels get along well with any pets and do not chase geese or chickens. They are perfect for the role of a pet and are increasingly being kept for this purpose. The spaniel simply worships its owner and is ready to follow him everywhere, be it a soft sofa or a cold, dirty swamp. He is loyal and tireless, and is easy to train. This spaniel loves to communicate with people, but at the same time he is unobtrusive, knows how to be invisible and keep his distance.

Maintenance and care

The Russian Spaniel is perfectly kept in an apartment or house. But he needs long daily walks, fun games with a ball or a stick.

His wavy coat is easy to comb and there is no need to cut it. It is not even recommended to cut these dogs, so as not to disturb their natural appearance.

The dog is combed and cleaned once a week, and dead hair and fluff are removed 2-3 times a year, especially after a hunt. You should also check your ears regularly.

It is important to feed your spaniel at least two or even three times a day. They are very voracious, and everything that falls from my hands will be immediately picked up and tasted. I once dropped a set of keys and immediately had to take them away from the puppy.

Health

This is a fairly healthy dog breed if fed and cared for properly. Long floppy ears can cause your dog to develop otitis media and should be cleaned and checked regularly. Due to poor diet, your spaniel may develop food allergies or obesity. Therefore, you should carefully monitor your dog's diet.

Peculiarities in training and coaching a spaniel

Dina on the pages of the magazine Hunting and Game Management

Training a puppy begins from the first month of its life. In the work of a spaniel, the “fetch” command is of particular importance. Accustoming to giving things at home can begin as early as 2 months of age. Throwing any soft thing (initially 3-4 steps) must be done after the dog is laid down with the command “lie down” or “down”. Sending a dog to retrieve an abandoned item must be done after some waiting. The interval time gradually increases from 1 to 2 minutes. The dog is sent with the command “forward”. Then, after the dog takes the item with its teeth, the command “give” is given. After bringing the item and handing it into the owner’s hands, you need to reward the dog with treats, praise and stroking. You should not throw the thing and force the dog to serve more than 3-4 times in a row. In addition, in no case should you let the dog play first and then serve it to the owner. The distance for throwing the thing should increase as the dog masters the technique. Simultaneously with casting, it is necessary to practice training the dog to fetch things without throwing, for which the dog is first laid down, and the thing to be served is placed in front of its muzzle. Then they move some distance away from the dog and give the command “give.” As the dog masters this technique, the distance between the laid down dog and the owner should increase.

When learning to serve, it is advisable to use a special saddle. Training a puppy to find a hidden object (or smear) should be done after he has finally mastered the presentation technique. This finding technique is practiced as follows: the owner puts the dog down with the command “lie down” while simultaneously raising his hand up. Then he lets her sniff and examine the thing that will be searched, after which he moves away from her, puts the thing in sight of the dog and with the command “search” he sends it on a search. After the dog finds the item, the command “give” is given.

After mastering this technique, you should hide objects not in sight of the dog, but in another room, behind some kind of fence or bushes, if the training is carried out in the yard, garden or square.

Spaniels begin to be accustomed to water no earlier than 4 months of age on warm summer days in shallow bodies of water with a sloping, hard bottom. A dog that has been previously trained for retrieving will very willingly go into the water for a stick, which was initially thrown near the shore, take it in its teeth and bring it to the owner. In the future, throwing the stick should be done further and further from the shore, so that the dog first reaches the stick, and then swims to it. Some spaniels are very willing, even excited, to go into the water, they immediately begin to swim beautifully, training them in water does not present any difficulties and can be fully mastered in literally 1-2 days. But there are dogs that are very reluctant to go into the water. Such dogs require a very careful approach. Under no circumstances should such a dog be forced into the water, shouted at, or even punished. Only through affection and encouragement can the owner ensure that such a dog ceases to be afraid of water, begins to willingly enter it, and then falls in love and swims with pleasure. You should not repeat throwing a stick into a pond often and many times and send the dog after it.

Some spaniels, who have an innate love of water, not only swim beautifully for long periods of time, but also dive very deep without any training. However, teaching a spaniel to dive is also quite easy. For this purpose, a small stone is thrown into the water in a shallow place, so that the spaniel can freely remove it from the water by dipping only the end of its muzzle. After several repetitions of such casts, the depth of throwing the stone into the water gradually increases. Having dived at least once, the spaniel ceases to be afraid of water and becomes a real “waterfowl” animal.

A technique that is very important for hunting is learning to search with a shuttle. It should be carried out at 4-5 months of age. The search width from the owner moving forward in a straight line should be within a rifle shot, i.e. no more than 40 and no less than 20 steps, since a smaller search width will greatly reduce the possibility of finding the bird. It is necessary to train a dog to search in an open meadow with short grass with a slight headwind in places with a complete absence of game. Starting the dog 10–20 steps forward on the command “go”, the owner must stop the dog with a whistle or shout and, turning 90° to the right from his original direction, give the dog an indication with his right hand in the (right) direction in which he should make your first shuttle loop.

The dog, seeing the changed direction of its owner's movement, will go in that direction. In the same changed direction, the owner takes 5-10 steps, turns 90° and takes several steps in the direction of his initial forward movement.

Having released the dog 30 steps to the right, the owner again draws his attention to himself with a whistle, turning 90° to the left, takes several steps in this direction and at the same time gives an indication with his left hand of a new direction for the dog. She, seeing that the person is walking in the opposite direction from her, will make the first turn of the shuttle and go to the left in the direction of the second loop of the shuttle. The owner, having walked 10–20 steps to the left, again turns 90° in the direction of his main forward movement and takes several steps in this direction.

Having released the dog 30 steps to his left, the leader again draws the dog’s attention with a whistle, turns to the right, takes several steps in this direction and at the same time gives instructions with his right hand for the dog to move to the right. The dog, seeing that the owner is again walking in the opposite direction from it, makes a second turn of the shuttle and goes to the right in the direction of the third loop.

Repeating the zigzag movement forward in this way with a zigzag width of 10–20 steps, the leader will force the dog in front of him to also move in a zigzag manner with a shuttle with a total shuttle width of 60–80 steps. When practicing the shuttle, you must carefully monitor and ensure that the dog turns on the turns of the shuttle.

Training can be carried out for 30–60 minutes, 2 times a day. The shuttle must be practiced all the time, that is, during training, drilling and hunting, until the dog learns a search other than the shuttle.

If the dog does not develop a shuttle search with the described method of training, it should be trained with a long (30 m) cord tied to a collar, and if the dog is especially excitable, disobedient, chases and moves far from the owner, then using a strict collar - parfors.

It is very good to throw a diarrhea or other thing known to the dog in the direction of the search, before starting the dog on a search.

The desired gait (speed of movement) for a dog when searching with a shuttle is a light gallop or a light gallop with a transition to a trot. In order for a dog to be able to work at this pace for 30–60 minutes, it must be healthy and trained. Therefore, in addition to training, the owner should not forget about its proper maintenance, feeding, caring for it and its physical training.

After mastering the techniques listed above, the dog can be considered prepared for field training. It is usually accepted that depending on what bird the owner intends to hunt, the pet should be trained according to that bird.

A spaniel should work on any bird, but can be specialized on those for which he has to work more often and more.

Before we begin presenting training tips, it is necessary to familiarize novice hunter-dog breeders with the following general requirements when training spaniels.

1. Start field training of the spaniel no earlier than 5 months of age.

2. Start training a dog only after full identification and knowledge of its character, instincts, traits, type of its higher nervous activity and conduct training taking into account these factors.

3. Start training only after the dog has fully mastered a minimum of general and preliminary training techniques, tested in field conditions.

4. As a rule, you should only train a dog yourself, alone, in the absence of other dogs (strangers or your own). The collar should be removed from the dog during training.

5. Do not allow anyone to take a trained dog into the forest or field, at least for a walk to pick mushrooms and other things; In addition, you yourself cannot leave the dog unattended either in the forest or in the field and leave it to its own devices. You cannot let your dog go more than 40 steps away from you in the field, and even less in the forest.

6. Dog training should be carried out at the time and in the places designated for this purpose by the local hunting society. The best time for training is the second half of July, since by this time the broods of young animals are already quite mature.

7. Training should begin in the morning from 5 to 9 a.m. and in the evening from 6 p.m. to dusk in the presence of moderate wind, dew, but no rain.

8. Avoid swampy and strong (with dense thickets) swamps and forest thickets.

9. Protect the dog’s natural instincts - do not smoke in its presence, do not feed food with spices, do not keep or transport the dog near chemicals.

10. Before each training session, before reaching a place with possible game, you should check the dog’s mastery of preliminary training techniques, such as following the “down” command, searching with a shuttle, walking at the foot, returning to the owner, and presenting an abandoned object.

11. Know firmly that a trained dog must:

1) when searching in clearings, in clean and unswamped places, work with a correct shuttle at a gallop or with a transition to a trot with a search width of 60 to 80 steps;

2) get excited when stretching;

3) when approaching, give a voice and make a jump;

4) after the bird rises, remain in place and do not drive it;

5) after the shot, remain lying down or standing;

6) go in search for a killed or wounded bird only on the command “give” and hand the found bird into the owner’s hands, do not crush it or tear it.

Spaniel training in swamp game

You should start training a spaniel in swamp game when there is enough game, and the dog’s work on it happens all the time in front of the owner’s eyes. It is best to start introducing the dog to the great snipe, since it allows the dog to come close, does not run and moves a short distance, which allows the dog to perform several repeated tasks on the same bird. Snipe is less convenient for training, since it rises at a considerable distance from the dog and moves over long distances, but the presence of a significant number of this bird makes it possible to successfully train spaniels along it. The marsh hen is less suitable for training because it runs very fast and has a very difficult time getting on its wing.

Before training a dog in a swamp, you should determine the direction of the wind. When approaching the swamp from the leeward side, it is initially recommended to lay the dog down, move 10 steps away from it, give the command “search” and at the same time point the direction of the search with your right hand. When the dog goes searching, the hunter, moving slowly against the wind, must carefully monitor its behavior all the time. If the dog begins to search too broadly and moves far away from the hunter, it is necessary to draw the dog’s attention with a quiet whistle and show it with your hand to move in the opposite direction.

If the search is too narrow and the dog is poking around in one place for a long time, you need to approach it and use the “forward” command to force the dog to expand the search and continue moving. At the moment when the dog, when sensing the bird (during stretching), changes direction towards the location of the bird and begins to intensively wag its docked tail, it is necessary to give a decisive command to “lie down” or “stand”. The purpose of stopping the dog during the pull is to delay it before throwing towards the bird (lead) and at this time to give the hunter the opportunity to get ready and come closer to the place where the bird is rising. Practicing this technique is not intended to develop stance in the spaniel, but is necessary only to consolidate absolute obedience in the dog and develop contact between it and the hunter.

When hunting, you have to stop a spaniel while stretching quite often, especially in the forest, when the distance between the raised bird and the hunter should be very short. The approach or throw of the spaniel towards the bird before it rises on the wing should be very fast, energetic and temperamental. It is highly desirable that at this time the spaniel barks, that is, gives a voice. To practice a temperamental approach with a voice, after approaching a stopped or laid down dog, you should sharply excite it with the command “forward”, taking 2-3 very fast and sharp steps in the direction of the dog’s movement. After the bird has risen on the wing, it is necessary to immediately give the command “lie down” or “stand” so that the spaniel does not stick after the raised bird and chase it.

If the spaniel in the swamp does not lie down or stop at the command “lie down” or “stand” when stretching and when the bird rises on the wing, then you should go back to training the dog and stop training for a while. After each rise of the bird on the wing, with the dog’s preliminary fulfillment of all the requirements and techniques of training for swamp game, it should be encouraged with affection, praise and treats; if the dog does not comply with these requirements, it should be called to you, put down and punished.

You can shoot a bird after lifting it onto the wing only after the dog has been tested several times in its work and has shown good mastery of all the specified requirements. After the shot is fired, it is necessary to pay special attention to the behavior of the dog and under no circumstances allow it to jump up on its own and begin searching for the fallen bird. The dog should be sent after a fallen bird with the command “forward”, or “search”, or “give”, and the hand should indicate the direction where the bird fell. In no case should you throw yourself at a bathing bird, much less pick it up yourself.

You need to stand still, be patient, and wait for the dog to find and pick up the bird. If, when searching for a fallen bird, the dog becomes overly nervous, searches to no avail and fusses, then you should call it back, put it down, calm it down and let it search again.

If the spaniel begins to tear and fray the found dead bird, you need to put him down with the command “lie down”, come up and take the bird from him, punish him and hide it in the game bag in full view of him. Then you should leave the swamp to a dry place, put the dog down with the command “lie down”, calm it down, take the dead bird out of the bag, throw it 20 steps and send the dog to retrieve it.

Casting and presenting should be repeated until the dog clearly hands the bird with a soft bite.

Great care should be taken when training a spaniel through swamp game in case the spaniel begins to dig around on the ditches and repeatedly return to the places it has already searched. In this case, if you are completely sure that there is no marsh hen, you need to recall the dog and send it forward. If there is a marsh hen in this place, you can help the dog quickly trample (raise on the wing) it, being always in close proximity to the dog. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that prolonged picking on the ropes may be the result of a dog having a reduced sense of smell.

Very often the spaniel will have to meet with the corncrake. The corncrake runs quickly, twists and turns a lot, returns to old dams and takes to the wing very reluctantly. When introducing a dog to a corncrake, the hunter must be very attentive to the dog’s behavior, since its work on this bird is often very difficult, especially for a low-energy dog. First of all, it is necessary to ensure that the dog quickly understands the bird’s loops, does not pick around and moves on to the liner as soon as possible. The Crake will never expect the spaniel to throw and will definitely run.

This behavior of the bird makes the dog very angry, so the owner should always calm it down with words “calm”, “quiet”, etc. and try to be as close to it as possible.

When working on a crake, the spaniel often has to do several stretches and several drops (throws) before the crake rises to the wing. When lifting the corncrake onto the wing, you must immediately give the command “to lie down,” since the corncrake flies very low and can drag the dog along with it in pursuit. If the dog fails to comply with the command to “lie down,” it should be recalled, taken to the place where the bird was raised, put down and punished. If, after punishment during the new work on the crake, the spaniel repeats the chase, you will have to put a strict collar on the dog and tie a cord 15–20 m long to it. A dog sent with such a cord in search must be stopped when the bird rises, and if it does not lie down and pokes behind bird, step on the end of the cord with your foot. You can shoot a crake raised on the wing only if you are completely sure that the dog will not follow it or jump up, because otherwise the shot fired by the owner may turn out to be tragic. As a precaution, when shooting a corncrake, you should release it further away and shoot no closer than 20–30 steps.

Spaniel training for field game

A spaniel trained in swamp game will start working in the field without any difficulty. Letting a dog search in a field is no different from letting it go into a swamp.

Training for a quail is much simpler, since, especially in the fall, it hardly runs, hides, and its morning and evening broods are very odorous, and it is not difficult for the dog to find it and rise to the wing.

When training a quail, the spaniel must be required to more clearly perform all general techniques, i.e. searching, pulling, lifting on the wing, searching for a beaten bird and presenting it to the owner.

The specificity of training a spaniel on quail is that quails are kept in broods in the fall, and the large presence of birds in one place, and even more so the simultaneous rise of several birds on the wing, makes the dog very excited. To calm the dog, you should stop and put it down more often. But when working on displaced quails of a broken brood, it is easier and better to train the dog.

There are also no particular difficulties in training a spaniel on gray partridge where it is available in sufficient quantities. The specificity of gray partridge training is that partridges are usually kept in broods and herds.

When a dog lifts at least one bird, the entire herd rises almost simultaneously, emitting very sharp sounds with its wings, similar to loud pops, which make the dog hot.

Therefore, when lifting the herd, you should pay special attention to the dog, put it down in time with the “lie down” command and calm it down. If you manage to split the herd of gray partridges in different directions, then training the dog on individual birds hiding in different places will happen quite normally, since the gray partridge alone allows the dog to be reasonably close.

When working in a field in tall grass, weeds or bushes, the spaniel usually loses sight of its owner.

In order to see the owner and orient themselves, spaniels usually stand on their hind legs from time to time and jump up (make candles), and then get back to work. This type of behavior should be encouraged in your spaniel as it is a sign that he is bonding with his owner.

Spaniel training for upland game

Hunting with a spaniel in the forest should be carried out short, the distance between the hunter and the dog should be reduced so much that its work always takes place within the hunter’s visibility. This basic requirement must be strictly fulfilled when training a spaniel in the forest. To practice this skill, you need to stop yourself more often, call the dog away from the search, or stop it as soon as observing it becomes difficult. Under no circumstances should the hunter run after the dog himself, as this will make him even more excited, he will speed up his gait and completely disappear from sight.

With frequent stops and recalls, the dog will understand the need to constantly see its owner and will begin to work briefly in full contact with him.

It is necessary to take into account that giving orders and recalling the dog in the forest should be done as quietly as possible (with a quiet whistle, or even better with gestures).

It is best to start training a spaniel on black grouse in July. When a spaniel detects a brood, which will be noticed by its characteristic manner of stretching (vigorous wagging of the tail and somewhat slow movement towards the bird), the starka usually tries to take the dog away from the brood.

Literally under the dog’s nose, having barely risen above the ground, it slowly, clucking, flies a short distance and sits down on the ground again. With this behavior of the bird, a rare spaniel will resist the temptation not to chase it.

Spaniel training for waterfowl

In this hunt, training a spaniel comes down to teaching the spaniel to carefully search the difficult terrain ahead of its owner. When a bird is detected, the spaniel must lift it onto its wing, after shooting, on the owner’s orders, go in search of the fallen (killed or wounded) bird and bring it to the owner.

Being in such difficult working conditions, the hunter does not have to fear that the spaniel may chase the bird after it has been lifted, so he should only ensure that the dog thoroughly searches all places accessible to it, do not allow the dog to independently search for a dead or wounded bird without a command, and do not leave too far from him.

It goes without saying that a spaniel trained on a duck must first be accustomed to water, must swim well and even dive, which is extremely necessary when catching a wounded animal that has fallen into the water. A spaniel working in a swamp must also be well prepared physically, which is achieved by appropriate preliminary training.

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Behind the jerks

One of the most interesting hunts with a spaniel is corncrake. I will not be mistaken if I say that in this hunt they have no equal among other breeds of hunting dogs. As you know, the corncrake does not like to hide and runs around a lot when chased by a dog. And although shooting him from under a cop's stance is a common thing, you often come across such sprinters that they can endlessly torment a dog with a firm stance, each time literally running away from under the cop's muzzle. There are no jokes with a spaniel - with candles, jumping, and with his voice he still forces the lazy jerk to rise on the wing.

In the summer, it is better to start hunting corncrakes no earlier than the twentieth of August: before this there are many flightless broods, and during the summer molt, old people, like black grouse and ducks, completely lose the ability to fly for almost three weeks. The best time for hunting is the first half of September. Crakes, both local and migratory, stay in lightly bushed meadows, along reclamation ditches, on the border of mown meadows and unmown areas, along the banks of meadow lakes and ravines.

In clear weather, it is better to hunt in the morning, before the heat sets in, and in the cool of the evening, when the twitchers go to more open places and rise more easily from under the dog. In cloudy weather, as well as during a massive migration, which happens in the middle zone usually in the first ten days of September, you can shoot corncrakes all day. On such days, you usually forget about time and, having gone out at dawn, you often linger with your long-eared fish in the grounds until 3-4 o’clock in the afternoon, when you planned to return by 10 in the morning.

It’s good if the spaniel gives a voice before the bird takes off, is persistent and tireless in pursuing the twitch. With a too phlegmatic spaniel, hunting is less prey and tiring (but it is easier to shoot great snipes with him). Sometimes the dog chases the twitch for up to half an hour or more. Crake literally, like a hare from a hound, runs almost in circles. If the grass is tall, he may never get up despite persistent pursuit. Some hunt all the way, but in such (rather rare) cases I always recall the dog, and we move on to look for another.

Shooting a corncrake is very easy, the main thing is to release it at 20-25 meters and not break it with a close shot. If the crake has risen too far, it is better not to shoot, but to try to raise it again: firstly, you will suffer with wounded creatures, and secondly, it is not difficult to lift a displaced corncrake, and it usually flies off not far away. Even an experienced spaniel cannot catch a light wounded animal in tall, dense grass - it runs like a sprinter! But still, there are few losses of downed corncrakes and spaniels. Especially if the dog is used to frequenting meadows and jerks are your main hunting objects.

Now in most central regions of Russia, where there are floodplains, the number of corncrake is quite high and is even growing slightly from year to year. For many spaniels who are seriously involved in hunting, it comes out on top among all other swamp and meadow game in seasonal prey, perhaps with the exception of quail, the hunting of which is worth talking about separately.

By quail

In recent years, there has been a quail boom in most areas. There is information coming from everywhere that there are suddenly a lot of quail. Just five to ten years ago, quail was mainly hunted by hunters in the south of Russia, steppe and forest-steppe zones, and in the Moscow region and nearby regions it was caught relatively rarely. What “helped” was the devastation in agriculture, a sharp reduction in chemical use, an increase in the area of non-mow land and the revival of inconveniences, which have become just convenient (pardon the pun) for many meadow and field birds.

So, you understand where to look for quail. Forbs, abandoned meadows and fields overgrown with weeds - these are their main lands. Quails do not disdain fields of agricultural crops, especially oat, vetch, pea and grain. It is more difficult to raise quails in the rain: they often hide in the bushes and behave there like corncrake runners. Therefore, it is better to hunt in clear, but not hot weather. On cloudy days, you can walk with a spaniel for quails all day, but on a hot afternoon it is difficult both to raise the bird and for the dog to work.

The quail emits a relatively weak odor and runs around a lot while feeding, so the spaniel mainly works from below. The work on broods is especially effective. At the beginning of the summer-autumn season, you will often see a female withdrawing, pretending to be wounded, with small guns - none of the real hunters will raise the hand to make a shot. Later, towards the end of August, the quail quickly gain weight, many broods unite and among the raised flock you will sometimes find young animals of different ages: both large ones, already absolutely indistinguishable from adults, and also small red-legged ones.

When hunting quails, you need to very carefully search the places where they rise: where one rose, others were probably hiding. Sometimes you have to literally spin around in one place, and the spaniel keeps picking up and picking up new quails. If the shot was unsuccessful, the quail usually moves close and soon sits down, especially if it was raised from the brood. The dispersed quails will gather again after some time, so do not rush to leave the quail areas and after a successful hunt, relax with your dog, have a snack nearby and walk through the treasured grounds again. Quails can be hunted almost throughout September, although in the second half of the month there are noticeably fewer birds.

By ducks

When spaniels appeared in our country, their main purpose was duck hunting. Spaniels were bred primarily by duck hunters, and many still keep them for this purpose. Indeed, the spaniel loves water very much, and fetching from water is in his blood.

It is good to hunt duck broods with a spaniel in the first days of the opening of summer-autumn hunting. The water has not yet warmed up, you walk along the edge of a meadow swamp, in which a working spaniel snorts and puffs. He tirelessly examines shallow waters, making his way between hummocks, wading in places, and swimming in others. It can swim for a long time in the thickets along the shore of a lake along which you slowly walk with a gun.

But the spaniel became even more animated, began to bark, jump, and finally, after another barking, one, two, three rose up in front noisily with frantic quacks... and then the entire brood of young, but already heavy-weight mallards!

An experienced trained spaniel in duck areas does not know fatigue and can work for several hours, but at the same time you should not overload, especially a young dog - do not forget about rest and choose the right weather. In the rain or early in the morning, due to dew, if it is not possible to dry, take breaks more often, drying the dog with a towel. In clear, hot weather, you can work longer - the spaniel swims with pleasure in the heat and gets less tired.

Those who say that the spaniel is too weak for duck hunting, unlike, for example, the drathaar, are wrong. It all depends on the fitness of the dog’s body, and spaniels often outperform cops in terms of time spent working in water. Of course, it is difficult for a spaniel to work in water bodies densely overgrown with tall above-water vegetation, but on rafting, an unsteady thick carpet of plants covering some lakes, a spaniel can move without falling through, as if on asphalt. A cop will fail here and will rarely follow a wounded animal or even a dead duck.

Spaniels are very helpful during the evening and morning duck flights: not a single wounded bird will escape from an experienced duckling. In general, spaniels work with great passion on wounded animals: after the start of the hunt, it is enough to walk with the dog through the duck places where the hunters greeted the dawn, and the spaniel will collect for you a hefty bunch of game that was not taken by other hunters.

Many spaniels are excellent at diving for wounded animals. There is no need for special diving training, such as throwing a stick with a weight, etc. Excitement will make the spaniel dive for a wounded animal and, having disappeared under the water, soon appear with a duck in its mouth. By the behavior of the dog, you can determine the degree of proximity of the wounded animal. When she overtakes him, and the duck dives, the spaniel first spins in place, turning his head first to the right, then to the left, looking down, and finally dives. That means the duck is under him, in the water! I have had incredible cases of discovering and catching such very live wounded animals with a spaniel 100-150 meters from the place where the duck fell after being shot.

Duck hunting with a spaniel continues until the very end of the season, until late autumn. But then the dog needs to be protected, avoiding hypothermia.

Purpose of the operation

Why do spaniels have their tail docked nowadays? This is a kind of tradition that has developed for this breed. Breeders and owners perform such actions for aesthetic purposes. Proponents of docking are convinced that the selection of the breed did not include the presence of a tail, so it not only has a strange appearance, but also upsets the balance and prevents the dog from moving fully.

Opponents of this procedure consider the tail as a “rudder”, a means of communication. In Australia, as well as in many European countries, such a procedure is considered inhumane and is prohibited. Spaniels with a natural appearance become winners at international exhibitions. In our country, the question of whether a spaniel will have a tail is decided by the owner of the dog.

If the dog is intended for hunting, then tail docking is a justified measure. According to the results of statistical studies conducted in European countries, it turned out that more than half of the dogs of this breed receive tail injuries during the hunting season.

The domestic spaniel with a tail is a common sight in modern Europe. There are no significant differences in injury rates between domestic dogs with undocked and docked tails. The doctor may prescribe amputation in case of serious injury: burns, fractures, frostbite, oncology.

On woodcock rashes

From the end of September to mid-October, one of the most beautiful and poetic hunts with a spaniel takes place - on woodcock rashes. At this time, both local and migratory woodcocks seem to pour out of the supports, where they stayed in the summer and early autumn, into open places - coppices, individual clumps of bushes in the meadow, on the edges of fields, small forests and overgrown clearings. At night, they fly out to feed in cow pastures with low numbers, so the best woodcock habitats should be found in areas of the forest where cattle graze nearby. It is difficult to shoot a bird flashing among the trees and bushes, but the prey is even more expensive for the hunter.

Unlike a pointing spaniel, he works short in the forest, he is not hidden from view, and he does not need to hang a bell to indicate the dog’s location. As a rule, all the work is done within the shot, and as soon as you see that the dog is working on the woodcock, you can come closer. Sometimes, however, woodcocks run as fast as they can from the pursuing spaniel (which I have observed more than once) and rise far away, out of range of the shot, also shielded by a tree. But among the woodcocks there are also those who prefer to hide until the last, flying up in close proximity to the dog, making a candle. After a miss, you need to walk with the dog in the direction where the woodcock disappeared - often wounded woodcocks, and even completely beaten woodcocks manage to fly away, but an experienced spaniel will still find precious prey. How many times, having made, as it seemed to me, an obvious mistake, I wandered with regret towards a woodcock hidden in the branches, when suddenly I noticed my spaniel with a woodcock in its mouth!

Wood waders are rarely seen alone in autumn, so if one rises, look for fellow birds nearby. The spaniel is very warm towards the woodcock - he works passionately, and when the bird rises, many give a voice. The smell of woodcock makes the little spaniel work in dense thickets, where a large pointer can’t get through, and crawl under roots and fallen trees. Hunting often goes like this: you stand on a forest road or clearing, and the spaniel works from the edge, in the forest. A woodcock that takes off ends up in the clear, and shooting it is no longer difficult. From the outside, it looks like the spaniel is chasing woodcocks at the hunter.

On other hunts

There are many more types of hunting with a spaniel. I talked about the most famous ones to me. Crakes and swamp hens are hunted in almost the same way as corncrakes, except that they choose damper swamps with barrels filled with water. Hunting for gray partridge is similar to quail, but the birds sometimes stay in very large broods, taking off with great noise and crackling, synchronously maneuvering in flight, and often landing again as a whole flock 100-200 meters from the place of rise. The smell of gray partridge is very strong, especially if the brood is fattening. One evening in October, my dog and I were returning home from a not very successful hunt: only woodcock and snipe were hanging out in the bag's bag. Suddenly, on a road passing by the edge of an abandoned field, a dog suddenly pulled into the field, literally squealing with excitement. It was the wind that brought to her the smell of feeding partridges. I let the spaniel off the leash, he rushed about 100 meters into the weeds and, of course, killed an almost fifty-hundred flock of gray partridges outside the shot. I noticed where they were landing. The fatigue was gone. Having calmed the dog, he began the hunt. The brood rose three more times, some birds lingered, and in total we took five birds that evening. The pilaf turned out excellent!

Hunting for wood grouse broods is similar to a similar hunt for black grouse, with the only difference being that it takes place in more difficult forest areas, wood grouse run more, fly farther and are incomparably more difficult to catch than black grouse.

They hunt with a spaniel for curlews, turukhtans, snails and other waders.

I can’t say anything about pheasant hunting, but I know that here, too, the spaniel helps the hunter well.

During the spring hunt, the spaniel is indispensable for searching for downed woodcocks while being pulled. He quickly learns to understand the voice of a drawing woodcock and behave calmly next to the hunter, without disturbing him to listen to the evening forest and wait for the woodcock to approach. On other spring hunts, the main purpose of the spaniel is to search for wounded animals and dead birds at the end of the hunt.

Some people hunt hares along the black trail with a spaniel. During my life I took three birds with one stone from under them, but I must say that this is still not their game. Yes, a spaniel can chase in small circles, the hare moves out from under it slowly, but during this hunt the dog completely loses contact with the owner, which is undesirable. Remember, we said that the spaniel should work all the time with an eye on the owner, not moving further away than a reliable shot. Hunting hares spoils the dog in this regard. I also cannot understand the need for a spaniel to work on a blood trail, which has been propagated lately. I knew spaniels that were excellent at working on ungulates. But you must admit, there is a limit to versatility and there are traditional dog breeds for hunting animals, but it is better for a spaniel to concentrate its efforts on game birds.

Sergey Fokin

Russian hunting spaniel

In addition to bird hunting, it is quite possible to hunt small animals with a spaniel. Of these hunts, which have considerable sporting interest, two types deserve special attention: hare hunting and squirrel hunting. These types of hunts make it possible to continue hunting with a dog even after stopping bird hunting.

Hares hunting

They hunt with the spaniel mainly the white hare. This hunt usually begins in mid-October and can continue until deep snow falls.

In autumn, until the leaves fall, the white hare mainly stays in deciduous forests. During leaf fall, when falling leaves frighten the hare, it moves to a coniferous forest, mainly to a small and dense spruce forest or to juniper thickets. In very dry autumn, the white hare stays in the lowlands, closer to rivers and springs. On the contrary, in rainy autumn and with strong winds, the white hare migrates to higher places in coniferous forests, where it is less bothered by drops and there is no noise from leaves that drowns out suspicious rustling sounds.

Hunting with a spaniel for hare is carried out in drives, which are organized and carried out by hunters where there is a significant number of hare. This hunt is carried out by a group of hunters of at least 4 - 5 people and with several spaniels.

Drive hunting is carried out in the following order: one of the hunters, the most experienced and best knowledgeable of the area, marks the places for the drive. This examination is done in advance, before the hunt. On the day of the hunt, hunters go into the forest. Having reached the place of the first drive, the hunters stop and, avoiding any noise and especially the barking of dogs, hand the spaniels on leashes to one of the hunters, who, having laid down the dogs, remains in place. The rest of the hunters go around the place of the drive and stand on the numbers, forming a shooting line, as in round-up hunts. At the prearranged signal, as soon as the hunters have lined up, the hunter remaining with the dogs, walking a few steps towards the middle of the shooting line, begins to lead the drive. To do this, he lets the dogs off their leashes, and he himself, shouting, whistling and tapping his stick on the bushes and trees, slowly begins to move towards the hunters’ shooting line.

Spaniels, as soon as they are released from their leashes, immediately rush into the search and, searching the places in front and on the sides of the walking hunter, raise hares, which run away from the noise in the opposite direction and fall under the shots of the hunters in front. Several runs are carried out this way. After each drive, the hunter who controlled the dogs is replaced by another hunter from the shooting chain, and he himself becomes a number. In subsequent pens, the spaniels begin to work more actively, become more friendly, and are more relaxed about the absence of their owners when they remain with the beater.

In order to search for dogs to cover a wider area in the paddock, the hunter driving the spaniels should not go straight towards the shooters, but in zigzags, towards the chain of hunters.

Hunting in a pen with spaniels is usually very lively, especially if, in addition to hares, black grouse, woodcock, capercaillie and other birds, raised by the noise of the corral, fly into the chain of hunters. Sometimes a fox can jump onto the chain.

For shooting hares, shot No. 4 and 5 are usually used.

Some hunters hunt hares with their spaniels as they would with hound dogs. To do this, they are accustomed to rutting a raised hare. One of the ways to teach a spaniel to chase a hare is to chase it together with a slow-moving, so-called “walking” hound dog, with which the spaniel is raised together and is in great friendship. A spaniel accustomed to the rut gives one or two circles after the raised hare, chases it with a voice and allows the hunter to substitute himself for the rut and intercept the hare in the hole.

Some hunters successfully use their spaniels to search for and raise a hare from a rest along a black trail and along the first powder.

Squirrel hunting

You can hunt squirrels with a spaniel from the beginning of the season, from about November until deep snow falls. The squirrel lives in coniferous and mixed forests. She makes her nest, called “gaino,” in trees, in most cases on spruce trees. To search for food, the squirrel leaves the nest and descends to the ground early in the morning and in the evenings. The main food of the squirrel is the seeds of spruce, pine, fir and cedar, as well as mushrooms, leaves, buds and catkins. In search of food, the squirrel walks a lot on the ground.

At the beginning of the hunting season, a squirrel can be found in the snow without a dog. The tracks left by the animal in the snow will lead to the tree on which the squirrel is sitting. When a person approaches a tree, the squirrel hides, but as soon as you hit the tree with something, it immediately jumps up and runs or jumps to another place. Fresh snow (powder) that fell in the evening ensures good hunting the next day. Powder hunting for squirrels gives the hunter the opportunity to quickly train his spaniel to find and bark at a squirrel.

To do this, the hunter, taking a small hatchet and a piece of twine about 10 meters long, must come to the hunting site early in the morning to capture the squirrel at feeding time.

Holding the dog on a leash, the hunter follows the fresh trail of the squirrel and finds the tree on which it is hiding. Approaching it, he lets the dog off the leash and, with his gun at the ready, walks around the tree, trying to spot the squirrel. If necessary, the hunter hits the tree with a hatchet, which forces the squirrel to give itself away. Having discovered the squirrel, the hunter shoots, but does not approach the fallen animal - he allows the spaniel to sniff it. Then, tying the end of the twine to the back leg of the killed squirrel, he throws it over a tree branch, holds the opposite end of the twine in his hand and lowers the tied squirrel down. Having done this, the hunter gives the spaniel the command “give!”, but at the same time with the command he pulls the twine and lifts the squirrel in such a way that the dog cannot reach it. At the sight of a “runaway” squirrel, the spaniel jumps after it, tries to get it, and after several unsuccessful attempts begins to squeal and then bark. Having gotten the dog to bark at the animal, you should encourage it with the exclamation “good”, and then quickly lower and raise the squirrel again. After these “movements” of the squirrel, the dog becomes very excited and begins to bark at it excitedly. Having made several such descents and ascents of the squirrel and achieved increased barking by the dog, the hunter begins to slowly lower the squirrel down, giving the dog the opportunity to grab and pat it.

After this, the squirrel is selected, and the dog is rewarded with a “treat.” The hunter performs this baiting of the spaniel with the first two or three killed squirrels in order to develop the dog's barking skills.

After several such hunting trips, the spaniel begins to more actively sniff at squirrel tracks left in the snow or on a tree.

And now comes the moment for the dog to start working independently. While searching, the spaniel saw a squirrel running away from him, which ran up a tree in full view of him. Chasing a squirrel, the spaniel runs up to a tree and begins barking excitedly at the animal hiding on it. The hunter should hurry to spot and shoot the squirrel and give the dog a chance to maul it.

At this point, the spaniel's squirrel training can be considered complete. In the future, the dog’s work on squirrels will become more and more independent with each new hunt. To develop a broader search in a spaniel when hunting squirrels, it should not be restrained.

For shooting squirrels, shot No. 4 - 5 is used.
F.S. Akishin “Hunting with a spaniel.”