I ranged my German Shorthair by first teaching her the come command (whistle, voice and hand) - Make sure the dog has this down pat before going on. Then I walked her in cut fields (dog visible at all times), ALWAYS keeping her in front of me (I did'nt care where she went I always turned to keep her in front). If she got to far out I tooted the whistle once (the attention call) and called her in (voice, hand or a double toot - the come command). When she was close enough I whoaed her and gave her the "Hunt em up" voice command and cast her off (left, right or out). After doing this 50 million bazillion times, she got the idea of how far in front I liked her. Sorry but there is no other way that I know of other than pure repetition. over and over and over and over and over. Dont take the dog into the thick stuff till she/he has an idea of what you expect. They are so eager to please and when they get it, it's a thing of beauty.

I specifically chose the breeding line of my dog based on the range I wanted it to hunt for me. English pointers (from what I understand) are typically a longer ranging dog...I believe you have your work cut out for you.