Blackliner' s advice is right on the money. However, I am just the opposite...I never teach any of my dogs the command " whoa" until they are pointing and holding wild birds for the flush. The only way to be able to do that is to get them into plenty of wild birds, let them knock and chase until they themselves figure out they can' t catch them. If they are well-bred, they start pointing, and most stop chasing birds after the flush, as well.

If you have the luxury of getting your pup into covey birds (and it doesn' t drive you crazy to not shoot until he does it right), let him knock and chase those a few times...the greater scent put out by several birds may be just what he needs to start pointing reliably. I then take the long off-season to do a complete and thorough job of yard work.

This illustrates perfectly how more than one technique can be used to train a bird dog. Good luck!