How to train a young bird dog

[ELMER J. FUDD]

I don't have much experience to comment, but I did have a yellow lab that pointed and fetched the newspaper. My old man says all he did was let her play with the newspaper until she brought it inside. He wouldn't feed her until she did just that.

[mike rossi]

I take it you don't know the trainer in that vid? Dave has countless dogs trained to the highest level under his belt along with being a guide in New Hampshire every year on top of countless hunting trips on his own. He also breeds DK short hairs and tests them in the JHV system along with the Navhda tests.

That Spinone in the vid is an older dog that was never exposed to birds. I find spinonies a lost cause from years of poor breeding but that's just my opinion.

And last but not least that is a training day not a handlers clinic, two different things in the Navhda world.

Correct, never heard of Dave. And also I meant training day, not handlers clinic - the clinic is to prepare for different levels of navhda  "tests".

 

As far as the spinone, the age or experience of the dog is irrelevant to numerous issues with both the method AND how the method is being applied.  The check cord / planted bird conundrum is what I have a problem with. Later in the vid they do show a few dogs who appear to be finished and steady to wing, shot, and kill, and retrieve (at least in very controlled , canned hunt situations). However, those training styles ruin more dogs than they finish and of the ones they don't ruin the progress is delayed or tainted with a variety of issues. The "pro" will then blame the dog, the breeding, the owner, or the dogs history....

 

I would have never worked that spinone that way in the first place. (I wouldn't use that method on any dog)  The method failed and the "pro" trainer was not skilled enough to adjust so that the dog succeeded. A method that sets the dog up for failure; pressures & confuses the dog;  and a trainer who cant salvage the opportunity is a bad combination and all too common in the world of training hunting dogs...  And that's precisely what happened...

[wheelieman]

http://www.peakperformancetraining.info/  give these girls a call, they are in my opinion the best around, 

[wdswtr]

I have a GSP that is 5 years old now.  One thing I learned and was told by a few trainers when I was asking these same questions is the dog either has what it takes or doesnt.  If it does training will be fun and fairly easy compared to trying to train a dog that doesnt have what it takes.  This dog is so birdy it wll drive you nuts at times. Especially in the house when it bounces from window to window.  It even got to the point the bird feeders outside had to go lol.  One of the big things has been pointed out several times and that is getting the dog to accept the gunshot without spooking.  I started out with loud hand claps at random times of the day and slowly progressed up to different size calibers of guns during training.  Spent many days dragging a scented dummy through the woods and hiding it as she progressed through her training to get on the scent and find birds.  Commands were very important and I followed what the trainers I called told me, always always call the dogs name before the command is given so they know you are speaking to them.  This is important if you ever hunt with a buddy and there dog together so they are not confused.  A dog training collar works very well too.  I had to use it once and only once and when it goes on her neck she knows its all business.  I dont even take the controller with me.  Once you get into a routine it becomes fun and is not that hard at all.  Another thing I was told is dont let everyone in the house try to train her or shout out commands, I had a hard time of breaking the kids from randomly yelling bird cause they thought it was quite funny watching her run around the house looking for one.  Honestly she just plain had what it takes in her genes and is a natural bird dog.  Train a pointer right and they will not kick every bird up before your ready, you want them point and retrieve the bird after the shot when you give the command.  AND wait till the dog gives you that look of disappointment when you shoot and the "fetch" command never follows up the shot lmao.

[wdswtr]

One other thing is dont hunt the dog with a flushing dog, it really makes a mess of things as one is trying to point and one is busting the point.  Everyone goes home disappointed.

[gjs4]

Have spent a good number of years training and hunting over bird dogs....

 

Here is the fact; The more birds your dog sees the better it will be. Basic obedience what you need to have down. Some dogs have better abilities than others- keep your bias out of it

[RangerClay]

Thanks everyone!  Hope to have some pictures to share soon.

[Daveboone]

AS someone else mentioned, don't neglect basic obedience! It goes hand in hand with the field training. Find a local obedience class and start there (or along side) for the field. I raised pheasants for my Llewellyn Setter. Even as a pup, she had no problem. I found them easy to handle, and even as a 6 mo. old, she had no problems. As an added bonus, up in your neck of the woods, a number of the WMAs stock pheasants. Get her out in the field a lot and early, to get used to all the new signs and smells. Make sure each training session/ outing is FUN for her and you both, and nevernevernever get angry with her. Any dog problem boils down to a people problem. I am trying to remember the name of the book I got the most out of...I believe it was Delbert Smiths.

The Gundog series of books is also very helpful.