Week 12: Post-Season Reset – Refreshing Skills After the Shooting Season

After the shooting season ends, refresh your gundog’s skills, rebuild connection, and restore calm foundations before spring training begins.

Week 12: Post-Season Reset – Refreshing Skills After the Shooting Season

Introduction

With the shooting season finishing on 1st February, many working dogs are coming out of months of excitement, birds, noise, adrenaline, and long days.

This makes late winter and early spring the perfect time to reset, decompress and refresh your dog’s foundational training.

The aim isn’t to ramp up difficulty—quite the opposite. Week 12 focuses on helping your dog transition from months of high drive and instinctive work back into calm, thoughtful learning.

A post-season reset is one of the most valuable things you can give your dog.

1. Decompression Before Training

Straight after the season, many dogs:

are over-stimulated
anticipate action everywhere
lose connection on walks
default to self-employed hunting

So start with 2–3 weeks of decompression:

calm, steady walks
on-lead connection
quiet routines
no high-intensity retrieves
predictable structure

This settles the dog’s brain and prepares them to learn again.

2. Revisiting the Basics After Months of Excitement

Once the dog is calmer, go right back to basics:

Stop whistle (only when the dog is out in front)
Recall with strong reinforcement
Heelwork in short, tidy bursts
Connection games to rebuild focus

Even the most experienced dogs benefit from this reset—habits slip subtly through the season.

3. Heelwork, Positions & Rebuilding Rhythm

The season often leads to:

pulling toward cover
scanning for birds
ignoring turns
anticipating movement

So early spring is the time to tidy everything up again:

heel positions (left and right)
turns
brief halts before moving forward
reconnection after excitement

Keep sessions short and achievable.

4. Handling Skills – Slow, Steady, Clear

Post-season is perfect for rebuilding clarity without pressure:

Casting to food bowls
Short, simple lines with value at the end
Stopping before being pushed back to the reward
Single direction casts rather than complicated patterns

Dogs coming out of a picking-up or beating season often default to what the season rewards—so simplify, clarify and rebuild.

5. Hunting Work – Controlled, Not Chaotic

During the season, dogs are encouraged to hunt for long stretches.
Afterwards, they often lose structure or overrun ground.

Retrievers

Short controlled hunts:

light cover or bracken
place a ball, food, or dummy
stop before hunting on again
use the wind sensibly

Spaniels

Spaniels benefit enormously from post-season structure:

set them up to hunt every section, not just the "hot spots"
use hunt → stop → hunt on sequences
add change of direction after a stop
keep them connected, not self-employed

When appropriate, hide a ball in bracken for them to find.

6. Mixing Up Sequences to Reset Their Thinking

After months of predictable patterns on shoot days, vary the order of cues to keep your dog thinking:

stop → reward → then recall
cast → dog finds something
hunt → stop → change direction
heelwork → stop → hunt → recall

Every gundog benefits from this mental flexibility, not just spaniels.

7. Emotional Control – The First Thing Lost, the Last to Return

Shooting seasons raise arousal levels dramatically. Spring is the moment to rebuild calmness:

calm starts to every session
rewarding stillness
quiet reinforcement
short breaks between activities
predictable routines

A dog that can think calmly learns twice as fast.

Why a Post-Season Reset Matters

A thoughtful reset now means:

fewer bad habits forming
better connection
calmer spring training
improved responsiveness
a steadier dog next season

You’re not preparing for October yet—
You’re helping your dog become ready to learn again.

Categories: : Autumn Series