My young dog (1 year) is working fantastic but not smelling the birds. Is it just these dry conditions we have coupled with inexperience? I left the game farm yesterday deeply depressed. Has any one had this experience and gotten past it?
When I used to work with a trainer, we would train in the dark every once in awhile to get the dogs to use their nose instead of looking for the dummy or bird. For the last month I’ve been working my dog with some frozen birds just playing fetch after dark. The neighbor has some short grass in his yard, so I pitch the dummy in there and she has no problem finding it. Saturday morning we will be out chasing roosters! 
I, too, have used night training to gain nose strength. It works.
I bet she is smelling them fine, but may not yet know this is what you guys are there for.
My younger lab was trained on pheasants and the first time duck hunting, would ‘find’ the bird but would pass over it without retrieving.
After hunting for a day along with another dog, she got the program and realized we WANTED the ducks. Then she had no problem.
The light will go on!!
I’m with you Cougareye. As soon as she understands the game, she’ll be lights out.
I’m guessing after your Iowa hunt and your pup finding all those downed birds that your concerns here are gone?
Yes. Apparently she can smell. 
One thing I ALWAYS do is anytime I go out hunting i leave a half hour earlier then normal. We stop someplace outside of where I hunt and let the dog run around, Empty out the bladder and bowels, get all the territory marking out of the way and their running around smelling for other dogs.
By the time we hit the field, the dog is not just out for a walk in the park. He actually will start hunting.
So general rule ive noticed with all my dogs over the year, the first 15-30 minutes of hunting is actually them just walking around with you not looking for anything.
Try that sometime.
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