Sounds like you're on the right track. Once pups see their first covey flush or their first rooster fly up, it really opens their eyes!

I remember the first time I put my 1st GSP on caged quail, he ended up running off through a bean field chasing butterflies and we could see was his head and ears flopping every 5 seconds or so above the beans trying to get the butterflies! haha That's one of my fonder memories of him. Despite that event, he turned out to be one helluva a bird finder....never hunted with a dog that could out find him when it came to birds...maybe a little more discplined, but not with finding birds. Good luck to you and your pup!