Game Farm Run and Dog Training

Have you been out lately, and how was the bit.

I am almost embarrassed to post about my hunting dogs because many guys here train seriously and I just dabble however I am finding that there’s no replacement for instinct. My new pointer just turned 2 and she has been a handful. The first year I almost gave up. I have never seen a worse adolescence. I obedience train her well and she takes a pretty firm hand but is also very sensitive. Anyways last year was not very great but at the end in December I thought I saw something in her that gave me hope. Yesterday was her first day back on front of pheasants and it started off a little rough. She works the ground in front of me very well but was still counting on seeing before smelling. That soon changed. She bumped the first 2 birds long out of range then started working closer and I starting respecting her lead and following a little closer. I popped one that flushed long and it came down soft but she nailed it with an excellent retrieve. We continued on then it happened. She froze. No leg up or anything of the classic stance but she would not move. I wanted to believe she was pointing but I didn’t know. Sure as hell I walk over to her and flushed the bird. Dropped it and she retrieved it. This happened 2 more times!!!! 3 birds in a row she locks up on!! She’s pointing now!!!!! I praised the hell out of her and kept her steady while on point. The only thing she does bad right now is chase flushed birds for 100 yds. I will work on that. Any suggestions would be welcome. I figure a jolt of electricity will help.

Until they understand what they can and cannot do, I like to keep a lead on them. A dog can and will drag a 50 check cord if you want them to, as long as you watch them and help if it gets tangled in anything. A jolt of electricity will sometimes cause a dog to get scared and run farther. A good come command and then get your hands on the check cord and roll her. Call her in, and when she does praise the heck out of her.

This works best in a controlled environment (game farm) with lighter cover. If they could shake a bird and mark it for you helps also. This puts you in complete control of the situation and can get the cord in hand when you know you are coming up to the bird.

Do this 2 times and she will understand she cannot chase.

I’ll try but the fields are so thick where I train and she’s a bounder. the last time I tried she kept getting tangled up and it was a problem.

I have never had a properly conditioned collar trained dog blow out on a good nic during a chase situation. Put the dog in a chase or out of range situation at the park or something (non hunting) and nic her when she is out of range do this a few times and you will never have a problem in the field.

I have a 10 month old pointer. My first pointer. I’ve been working the hell out of him with the “whoa!’ command.

I worked a bit with a trainer. He put the ecollar around the dogs belly and walked him around. on a setting of 1 he would calmly say “whoa” and the pup would stop.

After doing this for about a week I moved the collar back to his neck.

After a month I can tell him whoa when he’s out in the field and he stops until I give him the ok.

I’M hoping it transfers over when he gets in front of a bird.