First hunt
 

howdy, I usually hang out over on the archery forums, but figured I would post some pics from my pups first live bird training. He had a blast, snapped up a bunch of points, and did a great job. He is 7 months old.

RE: First hunt
 

Congrats to you and your pup on his first live bird traininghunt, and I hope your pup continues to improve.( I am sure he will ):)

RE: First hunt
 

hopefully! he is a smart guy! doesnt like brush so much, but he is big (65lbs)so there is no crawling through some stuff. still a little gunshy, but we'll work that out slowly. Overall I couldnt be happier. everyone tells me setters have ranging problems and are stubborn untill they are about a year old, but he did great!!

RE: First hunt
 

Great pics!

RE: First hunt
 

Fantastic, great foto's

RE: First hunt
 

Setters can have a ranging problem but, I feel it is more on how you train it. I run the Irish and they say they are stupid and very stubborn..LOL They do tend to have a stubborn steak in them . However it is not very bad once you get them to understand what you want. I would be working on the gun shy stuff to make sure it doesn't go the other way. I also only let mine here any real loud noise when there are birds flying. Now when ever I get the shotgun out he is already at the door waiting..

RE: First hunt
 

The ranging problem doesn't happen until the dog figures out how to hunt. As soon as he does he will want to hunt for himself. If you correct this right when it happens and re-enforce the dog is hunting for you,ranging won't be a big issue. It can be tricky sometimes because you don't want to break the dog's spirit either.

RE: First hunt
 

i love my irish setter!!! you have a red one as in avatar? looks like a good looking dog!! pics?

RE: First hunt
 

Yes I do have a few pics, but, I can not get them to get them together like you did.. Here is one of Rusty he is my favorite out of 2 Irish setters.

RE: First hunt
 

Here is another 1 of him, I can get him to stay in close or range out if I want him to. He knows the difference when we are hunting. Keep the training more like a game to him and he will come out fine. I also noticed you didn't have a check cord on him either. As his training advances you should use 1 a few times to help you and him out some. If you can get someone to hold the cord when a bird comes up and you shoot it so he can be released after you give the OK will help you out alot.. Good luck with him.

RE: First hunt
 

good looking dog!! if you know anyone who has a red and white female let me know!! Setter guys are a rare breed!! lol I cant wait to get out again, we are goin again this weekend. I am thinking about buying a bunch of quail to raise to save money!! lol

RE: First hunt
 

I had some quail once but the climate is to hard on them up here. I ended up going with pheasants and chuckars but, I can't recall them very good..They do make for some decent training though. No I haven't seen any IrishRed and White Setters up here. I never saw any Irish Red Setters either though so I ended up flying mine in. I have bred 2 litters and that will be it from them. This has gotten a few scattered around this area. The farthest one is away is in Penn. and I still contact all of them once in a while to see how they are making out with them..Any ways good luck with your pup and do not worry about the tail coming up as he will bring it up after a while. It normally takes about 2 years for that to happen and by the looks of things yours could have it up in less time than that..

RE: First hunt
 

I was going to go out again this weekend, but this nasty snow will halt that. Maybe next week. dog training permits are great!!

RE: First hunt
 

How are you making out with your pup?

RE: First hunt
 

Live2Draw
That's a large setter you have there. Is it from Ryman/Hemlock lines?

Also, setters can be stubborn but no more than your usual hunting dog. I believe it has to do with their drive. It overwelms them at times. My setter has to chase things - even though she's afraid of them.

A little training goes along way with setters. You'd be surprise at what they can retain. But keep your commands short and firm and don't talk too much when training. Then praise like the Dickens.

RE: First hunt
 

havnt gotten enough work done lately. Busy busy. trying to tackle his earmites. damnit!! lol
I have a quail, just to keep him sharp, I turn it loose in the house and let him find it. haha
he is actually from snowqueen??? i believe? I will check his papers.

RE: First hunt
 

Nice pics.

RE: First hunt
 

Great pics....is there an age where it really is too late to train a dog to hunt with you? Is there a lot of truth in that old addage, 'can't teach an old dog new tricks?' I really want to train my 4yr old.

RE: First hunt
 

I believe you can teach a dog just about anything.. An older dog would need more time IMO as a young one is more eager to learn. But if your dog listens to you well he will learn with paitence on your part. Here is a pic of Rusty retreiving a ruffed grouse, it doesn't appear to be a normal way to hold a bird but..
He was never forced to retrieve and with his natural way of doing it is fine with me.

RE: First hunt
 

Thats a great Pic man!! They always have that look to them!! So happy to do what they are doing!!
I think that any dog can be trained to do things. I agree, it just takes more time with older dogs.
As strange as it sounds, I think it has alot to do with trust/love. as long as your dog trusts you and feels like they are part of the pack, they will work for you.