will patience pay off
 

I have an 8 month old gsp that I kept out of a litter I raised and he is a little gunny. He points great, backs superbly, and occasionally retrieves to hand( all natural by the way, I have a severe bowhunting addiction which doesn't allow me to work much with him). When I shoot he just comes to me for a few minutes but then continues to hunt. I can tell that the gun makes him nervous, I've never had a gunny dog before. Do you think patience and keeping him in birds will prevail. The last time out, we found 9 coveys! I hunt him with his mother who is a real good dog and another pup that I have

RE: will patience pay off
 

Hard call without seeing the response, with what you are saying, I'd worry some, it sounds like it could turn bad in a blink of an eye. Thanks Jonesy

RE: will patience pay off
 

If it were me I would stop hunting him for a bit. Sounds like he needs to mature mentally. I would get some pigeons and let him chase,chase,chase build his desire for the bird. Then I would take some pigeons tie about 50 -75 ft cord with something heavy tied to it. Throw up the birds just before he hit the end of the string I would have some one stand way off and shoot just before the bird falls. then release dog to fetch it. He needs to learn to associate the gun fire with the bird. Just my thoughts. I still do not under stand why people need to have a 8 -9 month old dog hunting.....You would not expect a 3 year old kid to hunt?

RE: will patience pay off
 

Both tailcrackin and CDover give great advice. Keep the dog out of hunting for awhile and get her prey drive even higher than it is with the suggestion of pidgeons. Another thing you might want to try is to start making loud noises when she is focused on something else. For example, try banging a few pots and pans together in a seperate room from the dog when it is eating. This begins to condition the dog to loud noises unassociated with guns and birds. Eventually, make the noises louder and closer. I know of a couple of guys who have tried this with good success. The same then goes with cap guns and action in the field. Start with letting your dog run around smelling things out and shoot a cap gun off while she is focused on something else (sniffing, running, etc.). Make sure that the gun is pointed away from the dog and you are at least 20 yards away when you first try this. This is how I conditioned my dog and it worked out well for me. Good luck and keep us posted.

RE: will patience pay off
 

You can simulate what cdover suggest by getting 3ft. piece of 1/2'' rebar, a 10ft. piece of 3/4 pvc, 8ft. it'll work, but I personally like 10. take piece of durable string or rope, 1/16-1/8'' thick, tie to the tip of the pvc, walk into the field probably 30-35 yds. cut your string. This should look like a big cane pole when done. Wild pigeons are better for this they are more durable. Tie it above the knee, drop and go get the dog, repeat what cdover said , the pigeon will fly full tilt, and hit the end of the string, shoot, cause 95% of the time , its coming down. If this sounds to much for ya, get some pen raised quail, take out 1 dizzy, let the dog go in and bump and chase, let it do what it wants, remeber, the gun is more important in hunting than steadying, right now. Do first bird, no shot, leave dog up couple days, get it excited about working with you, or work with no bird. after couple days , let dog go in and point or bump, as soon as the bird comes down, dog is going for the retrieve,SHOOT...........AS SOON AS THE DOG PUTS ITS MOUTH ON THE BIRD. Has not got time to think about the shot. If it still acts goofy then, let it bump and chase few more birds, then try shot again. Don't do this everyday, skip day or two. Expect full report, in the morning....hahaha Thanks Jonesy

RE: will patience pay off
 

Like tc says, hard to call unless you can observe the dog. There are two schools of thought on letting pups chase birds. I fall in the opposite camp, I don't see any reason to allow a pup to do something if I'm going to have to break him of later.

In your case the pup is pointing and backing, so I sure wouldn't want to mess this up with allowing him to chase birds. Chasing birds can build prey drive, but not necessarily cure the fear of the noise.

It is cause for some concern. If he isn't getting worse, I might do nothing except hunt him. Be sure not to shoot right over him and don't put him in a position where 2 or 3 guys let loose over him. I'd be sure to come in from the side to minimize the muzzle blast over him as well. If he sees mama and brother aren't bothered by the gun, I suspect he will join in the fun.

RE: will patience pay off
 

Ok, if the dog is as tight as he says on its bird work, he to far to fast. Wether or not he put pressure to get there dog or not, it has to build the dog on the prey drive to get over the gun. If not, the bird work doesn'tmean crap. Just like a lot of guys whoa break a dog on a barrel, or 2x6 table, and then you put on a bird it falls apart. So if the dog is allowed to fall apart to get the bird, the prior staunchness will be able to be worked back. Because it has already been taught. Nothing wrong with back stepping, if need be, when completed it will all come together, and the dog will be right. Make sense?? Thanks Jonesy

RE: will patience pay off
 

Wow, 3ft of 1/2" rebar, that bird is going nowhere. Kinda hard to cut and expensive too. If I remember correctly, someone used a small piece (10') of garden hose, plugged at both ends and string tied to it. He could then unplug one end and fill it with as much sand as he needed for weight. The pigeon should be able to drag it but not really far. Anyway, just my $.02.

RE: will patience pay off
 

The rebar is a stake in the ground for the pvc to fit over, sorry thoght I explained, like talking better than typing:DSorry, thanks Jonesy

RE: will patience pay off
 

Talking about stake out rebars, here's an idea; use a stakeout chain (chain gang). Tie out a dog and on the other hookup tie a little piece of string and pigeon on the other end. Dog can't reach the bird, the bird can't get away. You'll prolly end up with a funny dog after. Anybody want to try it? Perhaps the dog will go crazy enough trying to reach the bird that it will ignore the noise. Or it will stand there and point.