Well, I was out for a few hours in the south metro for Roosters. Real tough walking out there. 18″ of snow with a crust you and your dog break through with every step. You know it is tough after about 20min your dog is walking in you foot steps! I am retired for the year, time for the ice buckets and sleds, Good luck Fish..

Just keep after it. I was really frustrated too! Keep her going and going into the field. Little steps at a time. It will be rewarding for you when the dog finally gets it!

I am an original!!!!

I agree with Zoomer. Its your dog be responsible. I to had the same problem this year with my 1yo black lab. I worked with her all summer long with wings and bringing her to the gun club. But I never shot over her head. Ist time at the game farm she hated all the shots going around her. she stopped hunting. 2nd field she went under the truck and would not come out.. I thought I was done too. I started taking her out by myself and i slowly started seeing that she liked it. The first few times I had her out we did not see a bird so I had her throwing dummy that she would have to find and each time i believe it was 3 different occasions I shot once over her head before she got to the dummy. Did she respond positive ? No but she did not quit either she would walk back to me and you could see in her demeaner that she was not sure if she liked that. But after the corn was all cut birds started showing up and the first hen she got up she jumped back the bird flew and yes I did shoot, not at the bird but a shot. and she came back to me. You no she was thinking what the heck was that. The next trip 2 hens each time I shot in the direction of the hen. You could still see she did not like the shooting but she was beginning to learn.
Then the first rooster got up, it got up behind us I shot it fell the dog came back to me like she always did. then I let her find the bird and game was on.
I though everyting was going right so back to the game farm with dad and kids day after thanksgiving, We started hunting and slowly more and more shots were fired around us and she was back in the no hunting zone again and she quit and went to the truck
Well I was not going to give up with her the kids love this dog very well behaved and comes from good blood lines so I dont know if I did something wrong. This is the way I have trained my previous dog.
So off we went again walking a strip of woods with the kids in dec. and you could see the tracks from the birds running and a rooster gets up in front of us and boom drops and the rooster runs I run to calling the dog and I try to get up in front of a dead fall were the bird was and the dog catches up to me and we see the bird running at the same time she chases it And I shot right over her head, It was like she never heard the gun. Tackles the bird , bird flapping in her mouth and she brings it right to me. Proud, Proud, Proud!! started hunting again and she goes into this clump and out pops a rooster and bam the rooster drops and she gets it and retrieves it again. Your so proud of your dog when this stuff happens, No words can describe it. Only one other trip since and shot at 1 rooster in the distance but she was sure looking for that bird after I shot.
Now did I fix the problem? Time only knows, but keep working with her she is your dog and I dont know if I just got lucky but its your dog be responsible…