I know quite a few people who use non-typical dogs for upland hunting...one of the best dogs I ever hunted pheasants with was a Jack Russell Terrier! Basically, if a dog has the drive they can do a formidable job of helping you out. If nothing else, it's something fun for the two of you! Plus, he's got a better nose than you do!

The most important this in training a bird dog is exposure to birds. There's no substitute for that! Also, work on obedience so that you can have complete control out in the field. Using real pheasant wings attatched to a dummy will also help.

And don't listen to what some others will tell you about it not being a hunting dog. I saw quite a few embarassed German Shorthair owners after a little terrier found AND retrieved twice as many birds as their thoroughbred!