I got my pup on birds today
 

i took mypointerpup to a preservetoday and got him on birds. not to hunt just for him to get birdy.this is the first time for him finding birds, and once he learned how to use his nose WOW.. he did such a good job. it took him a few min.to find the first one but after that he knew what to do and how to follow his nose.i thinkhe is going to be agreat hunter. he even gave some nice points after he knew he couldn't catch them.. i am so happy for him.. i wish i pics of it[/align]

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

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!

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Isn't fun and very gratifying to see your pup pointing? When I took my dog out the first time she found the scent and locked up. Couldn't stop her after that. Couldn't be more proud. Now, you just have to introduce the gun and you'll have a buddy to hunt with. You can train him along the way but it looks like you are well on your way. Congrats :)

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

GSP- yes his eyes are opened up now. i took him for a walk today and his whole way of acting and smelling is different.
Mite- yes im so proud of him he is doing so well. who would have thought, about a month ago i thought oh no im never going to be able to do this. but we stuck w/ it and we arent there yet and it will take time but now things are starting to come along. and you are right, the guy told me to get him ready for the gun, he is going to help me work w/ him, which is great. once he is used to the gun we are taking him hunting w/ him mom. and he said that he will learn so much hunting w/ her.
well thanks guys ill keep you updated on how we do.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

well i took him out today and had my dad shot a 20ga about 100yds away. he jumped a little then went back looking for birds then he came closer and shot at 50 and he just looked back.. then i shot at 20yds from him and he didnt even move.. so far so good w/ the gun.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

That's one way to do it :). I would rather let the puppy find a bird, flush it, then shoot over him. It's an association they make gunshot = birds. When I'm hunting with her, when we hear a gunshot she immediately wants to know what they got.

Update on the puppy training: My puppy seems to be getting 'it'. On leash that is. She knows 'woah' + 'heel' real well. After her run, I will do alittle trainning session everyday until she gets it. Today, I did something a bit different. I heeled her then walked 20 feet then blew my whistle once for whoa. (I can use both verbal or whistle commands). Then walk backwards for 20' then blew two hoots to come. Did that several times, back and forth LOL my pup prolly thought I was dingy that day.

PA Gobbler, how's the training going? You should start seeing results by now. Looks like the puppy's hunting instinct is comming along just fine.

I've also heard of a command I haven't the faintest clue in how to train the dog in. A guy with two EP's told me that he uses mutiple hoots to get the dog to circle the bird. That's a really neat trick because the pheasants here will run alot. I have no idea how he trained them to do that.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Boy I would be careful associating the gun that way, a better way to do is to get a few pigeons, pull some of the wing feathers out when the dog bumps, bird flies, but not well, as soon as the dog gets mouth on thebird to catch it,fire. The dog does not have time to think bout it, you can always shorten the firing distance after it gets comfortable with it. This is just socialization of the gun and the dog won't think the bird is doin it. I have had to fix alot of dogs from that sort of problem. Jonesy

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Jonesy

Interesting. This is the way I've always been told to do it. I've basically trained two setters this way. But I've always let them run/chase birds first until they would want to chase birds rather then play. When I introduce the gun, they are totally focused upon chasing/getting that bird.

I don't doubt you but wouldn't the dog be smart enough to know where the sound is comming from? Perhaps, these dogs you corrected was from owners who tooked their dogs out for the first time then shot over them? I would be interested to know and in which situation you shouldn't do the chase-shootmethod.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

i shot w/ him today and now im shooting 10yrds away from him. so i feel good about it. im taking him back on tues. and they guy told me to bring my gun so i might be shooting while he is chasing birds.. i cant wait.
well im glad your training is going really good. i bet youhave a great dog and one thats going to be a fine hunter. mine well its going okay.. we are working on heel right now. which is going okay but only on a short leash.. and lately "here" or come isent going as well as it was in the past. i dont know if he is just testing me or not.. in the field he comes when called but around the house and yard he isent doing as well.. and fetch took a downhill also.. i dont know what is causing this though.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

I am willing to bet it's the environment. Home is safe for him. In the field where he hasn't spent much time is still new. He wants to explore but doesn't want to be left behind so he will initially range close but get a few more times out there and let him mature, he will be just in sight range.

I took my dog hunting yesterday. The site next to a busy highway and we were nearing the edge. My dog scented something and ran into the thorny blackberry thicket. Tried to call her back but she wouldn't listen. 20min later a rooster popped up about 30' from where she entered. I can only assume that she was on point all that time because the bushes stilled. Too bad I had my shotgun broke open. Later she ran into the corn fields and flushed/pointed another one. Both times I couldn't steady her because the thicket is nasty. Only small dogs enter in them. In the corn field I can't see her. Oh well.

Have fun hunting with him. If anything else it's valuable experience for the pup.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Mite- sounds like you guys had a blast. you guys will put it together soon.. im hoping my shooting is on myself. that would be my luck husker(my pup) would point me birds and i would miss them all..lol.. well we are to go hunting tomorrow but the weather is taking a turn for the worse so im not sure whats going to happen. we are to get SNOW.. oh well we'll just have to see if its rain or snow..

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Pa congrats on your pup....I am not sure how old your pup is but becareful not to put to much pressure on a young dog....You would hate to create a problem that would be hard to undo....example gun shyness or blinking all in the name of hurrying to get a dog in front of the gun. If he is a year old let him be a pup.....let him develope his love for the bird.....if he has enough point and love for the bird you can overcome alot of problems. I am no expert but I met a man trains birddogs for a living. He has been training for over 30 years.He is friends with Delmar Smith and the late PaulLong.He has taken me under his wing so to speak and taught me alot in the last 4 years. But the most important lesson is
patience. Let a dog mature mentally as well as physically. Some times their mental ablities cannot keep up with their physical ablities. If anything this first year do alot of yard work, Teach pup to come when called name or whistle, if nothing else teach him the word WHOA!... So you at least.... have brakes! Remember patience...

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

thanks for the reply. i doagree inwhat your saying and im not putting much pressure on him. least i dont think i am. im not even thinking that he will be ready this year.. but what im doing is letting him get to like birds and getused to the gun, which he seems not to bothered by it at all.. now for whatyou say about"blinking" im not sure i know what that is? i am doing yard work w/ him but more than that i let him run the woods and fields.. he seems to pick up everything i teach him quickly but not always wants to listen.im takingthat as he is a pup and im not worried about it.also im going to have him running w/ an older dog fact its his mother. i was told he will learn a lot from an older dog. thanks

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

So are you guys saying that they pointed naturally in the field w/o previous expereince pointing planted birds while on a check cord? My Visla is very birdy and always runs right to/through the small birds that live in the grass. Not sure what he will do on a pheasant that holds its ground. Last he did creep up on the few we ran into. He did get into a group this year, but he was out of sight in some grass/bushes taller than me. I didn't see him for a time, but eventually he was on the chase of a flying cock. So, who knows if and how long he pointed. I will say that he is pretty well controlled afield. Whoas, comes, sits well. I plan to hunt him mainly on terraces and fence rows this year where I can see and control him better.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

CDover
My pup is seven months old now and I've already taken her hunting. She's been very birdy at 4 months or so. So, i've taken her to game farm, essentially planted birds, and eased the gun introduction from .22 to .410 to 20 ga. So, she associates the gunshot with birds now. As to training, I've been using the Smith's method for conditioning (chain gang, standing still, etc.)but been training using Paul Long's method because that's what I'm comfortable with.

PAGobbler
Hunting with the mom, if she's well trained, will teach the pup alot. It will be interesting to see, especially backing. I've hunted with mom+son combo a few times. The son wanted to eat the dead birds but mom would have none of it. He learned quickly and never did that again. Tells me how he does.

houtsdog
It's all in the breeding. My dog was in a similar situation. Small patch of thick thorny blackberry bushes. She caught scent and ran it. Then all went quiet. 20min. later a rooster popped out no more than 30' from where she entered. The patch wasn't that big as it popped out nearly from the other edge. So, I can assume she was on point all that time. But I've seen point chukar. Running then stop dead, head low, pointing a bush. She wouldn't move until the bird ran.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Hey Guys can't believe I am posting on a board... but I know I read posts. Figured maybe what I have learned may helps someone else.[/align][/align]Pa Blinking is when a dog intentionally avoids a bird it encounters and smells. Instead of pointing. They assciate something negative to the scent of a bird example...Stimulation from a ecollar at the wrong time, something unpleasant...alot of gun fire I understand a pheasant flushing can be intimidating to a young dog.[/align][/align]Mite I understand my GSP was on the dove field at 8 months and in the Upper Penisula hunting grouse at10 months. Every dog is different it took somebody explaining to me and for me to see what happens to a dog that somebody tried to ramrod through it's training. Example the English pointer that I have. he is 4 days younger than my GSP. He has a problem of flagging his tail when he points.... I rescued him from a field trialer that trained him. He on paper should be a jam up dog. 2 hall of famers in his pedigree. But no matter what we have tried he just does not have the drive or enough point to get him over it. So I am looking for him a home as a pet.....But a perfect case of to much pressure to soon.[/align][/align]Hountsdog - I have never even seen a pheasant but I understand they do not believe inholding for a pointing dog. I am not sure how old your dog is but sometimes a youngdog needs to chase some birds until they figure out they cannot catch them....Then instict takes over and walla! Point! IF the pup is pointing then rushing in that is a new ball game. Have you taught him whoa? Is he reliable to stop when given that command. IF he flushes the birds intentinally. Tell him whoa if he does not stop u will need to correct him or hunt him on a checkcord so you can get to him.[/align][/align][/align]There is all kinds of stuff....Like I said I am in traing myself.................[/align]I[/align]

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

CDover sounds like your pointer's prey drive hasn't been driven. Funny, all the English Pointers I've seen has had quite abit intensity. And for a field trialer to train the dog, it must of have had something which caught the fielder's eye. Range?

Anyway, I ran the dog at the pheasant release site/duck hunting area today. Alot of newbies hunt there and shoot at birds 100+ yards up. Everyone was blasting away and my dog was going nuts.Running to see who shot what, chasing ducks in the sky, etc. When I say birdy, I mean nose to the ground/sky constantly sniffing, running into thorny bushes, always looking for birds. She stares at them in the car when driving, loves to chase plovers, and 'hunts' falling leaves. Today, some kid with his father was duck hunting w/o a dog. The kid thought he winged one but couldn't find it. I set my dog to look for it and she eventually kickedup a hen mallard. It must have been running because she scented that thing from long ways off. Wind was blowing kindof strong too, so that helped.

RE: I got my pup on birds today
 

Mite my pointer has a little drive....not much but a little. Like I said on paper the dog has it...... I think the low drive could have been built upon.. But all of the pressure was to much. He was headed to the pound wwhen I got him. I hoped we could get him over it.. I hate to see a Brdog in the pound......