How are the dogs performing

Busy, busy, but how are things going in the field with the pups? Mine hunted hard 8 days straight after getting back from S.D. A few minor cuts from fences, so I gave him the day off today.

I have not been out for a few weeks to to gun season for deer. I hope to get back out for some late season hunting. I sent 3 day out in western MN the week before gun season. The dog did great. We saw a lot of birds but the rooster were getting up about 40 yards out. My dog was a little upset with me on saturday and Sunday when I left the house with out him. When I came home he was all jazzed up to see me but when me took one sniff form me he knew I had been hunting with out him. Walked away form me and sat down by my wife and would not come to me for about 1/2 hour.

A better question I think would be …Who has had time to get out and who want’s to go in the heat?

35 degrees to warm for ya Chappy? .

My dog has gone a little nuts. We hunted hard opener, trained hard for a couple weeks after, and now shes going nuts. She doesn’t know it yet, but we’ll be in ND in 48 hours. She’s gonna get a workout over there. Cattails, cattails, and more cattails.

Don:

Here’s an update on Lucy, my chocolate lab who in late October, celebrated her 6 month birthday.

I took her to ND with me for my annual duck and goose hunt. I had only one goal for her this week, to be introduced to the experience. Beyond that I didn’t expect a thing. No pressure, no scolding, just praise and fun.

The hunting was below average for us and consequently she did not see many ducks in the water. I’m guessing she had three opportunities to see ducks hit the water, and two of those landed behind very tall stands of cattails. I waded out with her and she was eager to swim along beside me. When we got to a duck, she would grab for it, she even tried to drown one with her front feet. Very funny! I was impressed with her enthusiasm to get wet and dirty and cold.

We did down a teal over field decoys that was alive and she got to chase that down and did so very well. She barked at it a few times in the process but did manage to corral it.

She saw some snow geese come slamming down in the fields and helped us sniff them out a few times. Overall, it was a success as she had fun, got to understand what we were doing and got to run around the farm.

Since then I’ve been taking her to a game farm. Two trips so far. The first trip, we set out 12 birds and kept one in a crate and put that out a short distance from the truck, taped its feet. Surrounded it with four guys and let her go. She found it. And no I did not guide her. She ran past it, smelled it, turned, dove into the cover and this bird was airborne. We got it down, DOA, right in the middle of nothing. But she did not see it right away. I did have to lead her to it. She sniffed it and looked at me and said, here it is!!

We then went after the other dozen and she flushed the first two roosters, we got them both but an experienced dog retrieved them with Lucy in tow. She now knew what was going on.

The third bird up was a hen and we got that one. Again the experienced dog got it, dropped it by its owner. Lucy, seeing the opportunity, grabbed it and raced right over to me and held it out for me until I asked her to release it. Very cool! She was getting it.

We got a few more birds that day but nothing exciting to report on for Lucy.

Last Sunday, I took Lucy and my wife to the game farm (Forest Ridge) and we got two birds in a crate. My plan was to put them out, one by one, and let Lucy work each. First the hen, again, she found the bird, on her own, and flushed it…..bang….bang….bang….nothing. I missed. If there was a silver lining, the bird went down about 100 yards ahead. We went up to its location, Lucy found it and again flushed it. This time I got it down and after a short chase, Lucy had it. She retrieved it perfectly to hand.
So back for the 2nd bird, a rooster. Again, she found it and this time she caught it, on the ground. Guess I shook that one up too well. I called her off of it, and it flushed, again swing and a miss! This one went down in some thick, flooded stuff. I took her in there, and really had to work to keep her on task. Finally, after about 5-7 minutes, she got wind of it and flushed it. I got it down but it hit the ground running. She chased it for about 50 yards, through some thick underbrush and caught it. And retrieved it alive, perfectly to hand. My wife was impressed. I was amazed. I can’t believe how much natural ability these labs have. If my last dog didn’t convince me of a labs ability, this one is going to cement the fact.

She’s gonna be a good one Don!! Despite my amateur training , she’s gonna be good.

I’ll have to get some pointers from you on steadying her, if that’s the proper term, as she chased that last rooster, thankfully coming up short until I got there. But did I mention…….she’s gonna be good!

Here’s some pics. The pheasants are from a game farm, hence the hen!

Eric

WHEN has it been 35 degrees during the day? I’m a rather large in stature person and get rather warm when it’s above 40!

I’ll wait a couple weeks yet. Heck,Last year I was out on 2 of the coldest day’s there was. It was below 0 both day’s.Annnnd We did well.Keeps cooper from getting over heated.

Great report, sounds like the pup is above and beyond expectations.

Quote:

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WHEN has it been 35 degrees during the day?

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You have to get up before noon .

Don……….I used to really like you!

We must not pick on don. He is form cheese land and that is bad enough.

Cougareye,
I would keep doing what you are doing this year. Everything fun and all about birds. let Lucy become as bold as she can be on flushes. her boldness on flushes and her retrieves is the main two things this year.
You can work recall with her but I would not add alot of pressure at this time. My advice would not be worried about steadying her at this time.

I had my GSP mix out to ND a few weeks ago chasing roosters. This was her first year(my first hunting dog and attempt at training), and we spent all summer walking the fields around home, flushing the odd bird and keeping it fun in preparation for this hunt. My expectaions weren’t very high, and I said that if she flushed and retrieved just one bird I’d be happy. She’s never liked birds in her mouth, but has since gotten better. Anyway she flushed a lot of birds, and even brought a couple back to me. But it could have gone better….. Half the time she worked great, and the other half of the time she was 20 yards behind me (still with her nose to the ground though). She’s never done this around home…could it be that there was just more scent out there than she’s used to? Or, she’s a pretty timid dog, possibly she was intimidated by the other dogs around? Any ideas/solutions?

I was given(blessed) with a GSP this year too. When I first got him he would not range out to fare in a new area or in thick over. What I did was to try to take him to as many new places as I could. I also have been taking him to a Dog park by my house. There he was and is around a lot of other dog. By doing these two things he is less intimidated by new areas and other dogs. Now when we go to a new area or are where there are other dog around and he works great. The only time he will walk behine me is after a long day out in the field and can not push his way threw the cover any more. I now know when he start walking behind me it time to put him up so he can rest.
GSP are the greats dogs. Have fun and I hope your dog and you get many more birds this year.

Sounds like your problem won’t be too hard to correct, being that 50% of the time she is doing great. The next few times out in the field (training situation) follow the dog around. Don’t worry about walking a straight line, just follow her around. The important thing is do not let her get behind you. You may eand up walking in circles but keep her in front. Next take someone with you in the field. Walk about 25 to 35 yards apart and have the dog work back and forth between the two of you. When she is in front of one person, have the other get her attention and work towards him. You can keep the dog motivated by carrying a clipped wing bird and tossing it in front of you without the dog seeing it.

Another thing you can do is get her in the field with a dog that is a bit of a runner, I happen to know one that would work good for this .

My 4-year old has rounded the corner into her glory years. She has a great nose and gets it. Never stops working either. She gets a little cocky with her nose thinking she can cover an acres by sweeping downwind. Her two biggest faults are trying to hunt with every person in the field. I have about gave up on correcting this and try to hunt alone or with just one other person. Groups are bad. The other issue is chasing hot running birds and flushing ahead. This still happens and burns me up.

Got the dog out yesterday afternoon for a little hunting on my Dads land. I took a friend and his son (first year hunting). We ended up with 3, should have been 6, but we were trying to get the rookie a bird.

When the dog goes on point, the kid walks up on it, and misses the bird cleanly What do you do.

My dog did have a nice find on a bird that I wounded but ran about 59 yds before holding up. Rock was able to pin him down, give me a point, and then dig him out That is the best reason to own a dog.

Molly is doing great, just need to find some birds.

Seen lotsa hens, no roosters to knock down for her to retrieve

I’ve pushed mine pretty good so far this year, they’ve done great. They’re at the peak of the careers, it shows! Last week, my male locked up, broke point, quartered out into the cut alfalfa ran up about 150 yds getting down wind, came back around and held the spooky birds running ahead of us along the ditch. Without that they would’ve been long gone, he knew what was up! It was a proud moment, as we smacked 3 out of the batch, and all were retrieved to hand, the last one was a blind retrieve! The day before my female was on her game with about a dozen points, lots of hens though. This is the time of year all the training and work pays off! Them birds aren’t young and dumb anymore!

BIRDDOG