PA GOBBLER

im getting an english pointer in aug. i got 3 books to read on training. and im reading one now and i have a couple of questions but ill just start w/ one.. im going to be doing a lot of grouse hunting, and i know the pointers range far but whats a good thing to start to teach a close working dog? and a lot of the training is for field work and it doesnt touch much on working them in cover.. what are some things i can do to teach in cover?? im new to this so please bare w/ me
thanks

Zoomer

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.

PA GOBBLER

thanks zoomer.. i will keep all that in mind.. i do know im a long ways off but i want to be the best teacher i can be. i also am learning a lot from my books..

HunterMag

PA Gobbler,
You have at least one good thing going for you. You can always train a dog to hunt closer but it is almost impossible to make a dog range out further than its inherited range. I will second Zoomer's approach on the yard training of come. Yard training is EXTREMELY important in the progression of training any dog but especially a hunting buddy. I would guess that 95% of first timers don't spend nearly enough time on basic obedience. You have to remember that if you bought a good hunting genetics your dog will hunt longer than you can walk. Obedience gives you the controls needed to make the dog hunt for you. It will make your hunting experience much more enjoyable if your dog knows who is in control it will also save your vocal cords and I'm sure your whistle will last a lot longer if obedience is thoroughly trained.

Huntermag

GSPsnFORDs

I was going to suggest the same as Zoomer. I have two GSP's, one ranges farther than the other but both are very obedient. Make sure you do enough obedience training with your dog so that it "knows" what you want from it. My guess is that at times it will want to range out farther than you want but if you put in the time and effort in obedience and after a few seasons in the grouse woods, then your dog will know what you want and will learn how to hunt close.

Mite

I want to voice some of the same plus a few extras concerning your EP. Your EP should have a natural range and that range will change depending upon the cover and how many people you hunt with. When hunting with my friends EP, if we were the only ones hunting, it would range 100+ yards ahead. If we had a crowd of about 8-9 hunters, to cover the line, it would range about 20 yards. The dog has to run 200 yardsor more to cover the line. That's perpendicular to the direct your walking, ie. one hunter every 30 yards. Concerning cover, your EP should adjust for it. Thick brushes, stays close. Open land, range far. It should know where you are at all times.

Remember, they have alot of energy. Dont be surprised if they range more than 200+ yards when first let out of the truck.They willstart to settle down after about an hour or so.

Your EP, if it came from good stock, will know where to find the birds. So, I suggest letting the dog hunt and you guide it.

GSPsnFORDs

Mite brings up a good point in the second paragraph about dogs' energy. My GSP's are usually wound up tighter than a rubber band before we get to our spot. So I'll let them out of the kennels and make them run in the OPPOSITE direction of whereI intend to hunt. I just let them run out as far as they want within eyesight and then they usually turn around on their own and come straight back. It's our drill, so to speak, and takes the edge off of them a bit. But, depending on where you hunt (i.e. if no open fields) this might be hard to do. Just thought I throw the idea out there for you!

PA GOBBLER

good points guys.. i have even heard that when training the dogs its a good idea to run/play w/them a bit before hand.