When a person is seeking to train an English Cocker Spaniel to hunt, it should begin as soon as the dog is old enough. The training needs to include the basic obedience commands as well as teaching the dog to retrieve, sit, stay, up and recall. The commands are necessary to make the dog into a good hunter and the English Cocker Spaniel is a natural bird dog. Without proper training, the hunter and dog might be putting themselves at risk. The training should be consistently done on a daily basis and using a firm, but gentle manner.

The puppy needs to learn how to obey and stay within the parameters of a gun. If the dog is flushing out of range, you will not be able to get many birds. Many training professionals use pigeons as a way to train the dog for knowing the proper gun range. With advanced training a dog will quickly learn the pattern of flushing and retrieval and stay within gun range. Once the dog has mastered using pigeons, the trainer will want to attempt some flushing exercises prior to opening day of the hunting season. This is done so that the dog will learn different bird scents other than just that of a pigeon.

The most important thing the puppy needs to learn is how to chase and come back if the birds fly out of the range of the gun. The first instinct the dog will have is to keep pursuing until it catches the birds or until he or she loses sight of them. In this instance, the trainer will need to train the dog using a recall whistle, though some trainers also incorporate the use of a shock collar to get the dog familiar with stopping and returning.

When introducing an English Cocker Spaniel to the gun, it is important to note that if the dog isn't warned properly he or she could become gun shy. You need to make sure gun training is done in steps, teach the dog that when the shot is heard it is time to retrieve. This takes considerable practice and is not something the dog will learn in a short time period. You need to consistently practice and take the dog out with you to get them used to the noise of birds, the sounds of gun shots, and to do a short chase and return exercise.

One method used by professional trainers is done using flushing, a short chase and then calling the dog back after you toss down a dead bird for the pup to find, retrieve and bring back. The idea of tossing out a dead bird during this situation is to get the dog used to seeing the reward of retrieving and bringing back the game. This is a crucial step that must be done to ensure proper gun training and bird hunting.

Young dogs that have trained still are not ready for an actual all-day hunting trip. It will take a couple of years of consistent work and training before the dog will be prepared for an all-day hunt. With time and dedication, the dog will learn to go for longer periods of time, do more chasing and retrieving. Bird hunting is an activity that an English Cocker Spaniel completely enjoys and by giving it time and adding a little more activity with each outing will build confidence, skill and endurance. If you have done the training correctly, your dog will learn to flush, chase, retrieve and return the birds you hunt with relative ease.