The best way to get a dog to look out for birds is to have somebody out in the field throwing birds for you.
You need to give the dog a que ("Mark" is the most common) Then have the person shout "Hey Hey Hey" - when the dog is looking in their direction, have them throw the bird (dead is alright - or a dummy). The toss should be in a fairly low arc to begin with -- then later on, make the arc higher.
The throws should be left to right or right to left. No inward or outward throws until the dog gets the idea that it has to look "out there".
I'm a big believer in using live birds -- either wing clips or shot flyers at least acouple times a week. It really helps build the dog's enthusiasm.


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