Gun Dog Forum

Wenaha

I have run dogs with, and without, dewclaws. We never had any injuries or problem because of dew claws. I used to worry about this stuff - a long time ago. No longer.

Wenaha

Grizzly Island, huh? I used to shoot for retriever trials there. We (the shooters) were abused by a couple of the trial participants… apparently it is OK to retrieve dead birds, but not to actually kill them. Go figure. :roll: If you were armed at the time, you might have visualized a more correct r...

Wenaha

Break the dog STWS. It will make a better dog, improve safety, Marking, and you'll have a dog that you can trial. Without STWS, trialing your dog is just donating entry fees.

Wenaha

And it can be right in front of you or just to the side of you :wink: The cover and terrain will govern this , but the ' Guvner ' Is the dog :wink: When you're hunting behind a wide ranging dog, the ground you're standing on has already been hunted by the dog. Any decent quality bird dog is checkin...

Wenaha

I hunt mountains and prairies and in these environments the wider ranging dog finds more birds, day in and day out. If they are usually within sight and to the front I'm happy. I am getting too old or lazy to walk a dog through every ridge top, draw and thicket in the country. I expect that, in smal...

Wenaha

Chukar12 wrote:Congratulations, those are quality placements against quality dogs and handlers.
Joe Gower

Joe - I think we met at a trial… can't remember which one?

Wenaha

Congratulations! So, is he qualified to go to the big dance, and if so, is he going? Not qualified for the National. If he had WON outright, instead of placing RU, he would be in Tennessee now. In fact, he IS in Tennessee right now, He'll be running some AA trials in the South East but not in the N...

Wenaha

Thank you all for the good thoughts!

Wenaha

"She pins more birds than a closer working dog because she covers a lot of ground. " You ARE hunting birds, right? You want your dog to hunt, right? Let the dog roll. It is often difficult for a new pointing dog owner to overcome 'distance anxiety' and 'control anxiety'. 200 yards is a close workin...

Wenaha

My setter, Wenaha Code Red, "Cody" ran in several AF AA Championships this year. He came RU-CH in the Pacific Coast AA Championship at Anderson Ranch in WAshington, and RU- CH at the California Quail Championship at Hornitos, CA. Both of these championships are National Qualifiers. Cody is 5 years o...

Wenaha

Flagging on point can be from a couple of reasons… 1. It can be hereditary - your dog MAY have inherited the tendancy to flag. 2. The dog could be communicating that he/she thinks there MIGHT be a bird, but is not certain 3. The dog scents a bird and is thinking that there is a high probability that...

Wenaha

If your dog knows what she is to do and does NOT do it, she is getting away with being disobedient. You need to enforce the rules.

Wenaha

I have seen a few rattlers in Montana, mostly south of the Yellowstone. I did bump into two big ones with minutes of each other on Mud Creek, near Sun River a couple years ago. They like to hang out near water, where there are lots of mice, gophers, etc. to feed on.

Wenaha

Vision wrote:...does anybody still live in California?

No. Most of them moved to Colorado.

Wenaha

I think the question was about introducing gunfire, not introducing bird killing over a point. Separate things. You can simply take your shotgun and puppy out, let him find and flush a bird. He will chase. When he is about 40-50 yards away, fire in the air. Watch the pup. If he flinches or stops he ...

Wenaha

Yes, and yes.

Wenaha

Wenaha

I agree with your terminalogy, except you seem to be saying a dog is only required to be steady (and stop to flush) after he has been staunch. Not true, anytime a bird is put to flight for whatever reason, he is to honor it by stopping. ...I think we have reached a point where we are arguing just t...

Wenaha

I distinguish between STAUNCH and STEADY (as in broke - steady to wing, shot, and fall). The staunch dog stands his birds without creeping or breaking to flush. The steady dog stands after the flush, shot and fall -- until released. These dogs are trained to 'stop to flush'. Stop to flush happens AF...

Wenaha

Shooting birds tells the dog nothing, correcting the dog tells him what I need him to know. This is specious. If what you say is true, we would never have to shoot a bird for a dog when training. I have a couple hundred field trial wins that says my dogs are staunch and steady to wing and shot, may...

Wenaha

Neil wrote:My point is simple... you need to look at your training program, not if unpointed birds are shot.

My point exactly, but all dogwork has a training impact. If you shoot bumped birds, you are telling your dog that you are willing to tolerate flushing.

Wenaha

It doesn't take much to turn a staunch pointing dog into a flusher - just shoot any and all bumped birds... done. Fact is, it takes some work and discipline to keep a dog staunch if you hunt them much. Have you done that? Or is it your theory, shared by many, but have you taken a well trained point...

Wenaha

Ignorance is curable, stupidity is not. If you properly instructed the new owner, you did what you could. Impatience has ruined a lot of promising young dogs.

Wenaha

If you would like to read something that will help you train your dog, learn to read the dog. I used to read a ton of doggie books going back to when I was messing with Labs. I finally realized that what I needed was simply a goal and an understanding of the individual dog I was working with. Revela...

Wenaha

It doesn't take much to turn a staunch pointing dog into a flusher - just shoot any and all bumped birds... done.

Fact is, it takes some work and discipline to keep a dog staunch if you hunt them much.

Wenaha

High tail, low tail... it's genetics at work.

Wenaha

When you approach a pointed dog from the rear, you are putting pressure on him. He may move, look back, or take a couple steps forward. Approach from one side so that you can maintain eye contact. This may help keep him steady. A helper holding a check cord and standing quietly behind the dog will a...

Wenaha

$2500 for a Vizla or golden puppy? You can buy a bird dog pup from the world's best breedings for $400 - $1000 every day. This fool preys on bigger fools. I would never buy a Vizla or Golden anyway.

Wenaha

I think you have a very young pup and a bit timid. Don't do anything with her and birds yet... if she has a bad experience (the bird frightens her, or whatever) you will have created a serious problem for no good reason. Give her time, very short walks with lots of play time on a level surface with ...

Wenaha

Multiple reasons for flagging -- some that I have seen are: 1. Sometimes a genetic trait - but I do not think that this is a common reason 2. Communicating anxiety - for instance, it may be that the dog is thinking or signaling that the birds have moved off while he is still holding point 3. Uncerta...

Wenaha

A little update on today's training. I turned the e-collar down to 6 and used the check chord. "Here" was doing well. Walking zig zags through the field. However, when the work was done and I was getting ready to leave he found a plastic bottle and he was gone his e-collar was off and the check cho...

Wenaha

My experience is that setters, even bred from trial lines, are pretty mellow in the house, hunt any bird well once the learn the ropes, and the shed can be managed with a daily brushing or a pair of clippers. Most of them are smart enough to adapt well to two handlers, fit into a family, and mine lo...

Wenaha

Some good food for thought here. The garmins look good as the handheld looks easily packable. Being that I would use it more for emergencies where the dog is lost and its getting dark etc. I would want something that has a long battery life and long range. Jagerdawg has a good question about the ap...

Wenaha

Derrick wrote:Oh well that's fine in my case. So basically even if I did breed my GSP then there would be no way to get his pups papers since he doesn't have any ? Or could I register that litter?

That's right, without a registered dam and sire you will not be able to register the litter.

Wenaha

Quill I hunt birds AND field trial. I spend more time hunting than trialing and mainly trial when my hunting season is over. For me, at least, hunting is more than trialing and I believe it is the same with my dogs. Please do not compare hunting and trialing - they are not the same and were never in...

Wenaha

sorry Sharon...West Coast Open Shooting Dog...just gotta beat Twer, Gelhaus, Robertson and a full amateur slate...with a Brittany I like our chances Enjoyed seeing you at our trial Joe. Thanks for participating. We ran Cody in the Quail CH. but no love - Richie won both CH and RU-CH. West Coast Ope...

Wenaha

Why do you want your dog to stand on a bench?

Wenaha

As a couple of people mentioned above, starting WHOA at feeding time is easy and works. And as soon as I start yard training I incorporate WHOA with HERE and HEEL then extend to WHOA with a lead, then a piggin' string, and later the check cord. I never saw any need for barrels or tables. I usually h...

Wenaha

My pups always start dragging a short CC from the first walk in the field. I let my dogs trail a check cord for quite a while after they are broke. Of course, I leave no knot in it and it is a short, slick CC. I want them to be reminded of control and if they start to break on a bird, I can step on ...

Wenaha

Does anyone have experience with rigging a longe line throught the collar and up through a pulley perhaps and back to a collar at the rear of the dog. Saw it done once and can't remember how to rig it. Dog is raised off the ground if it breaks whoa...apparently dogs don't like losing contact with t...

Wenaha

Jax Jabba is campaigned in AFTCA Region 11 (CA & NV). I see him a couple times a year at least. Hang with pointers? Well, the question might be, Can pointers hang with him? He wins quite a few trails with top caliber pointers running and against handlers like Richie Robertson and Sheldon Twer. He wo...

Wenaha

I think pigeons are much easier to handle. Doves are a game bird (or a song bird - depending on where you live), so they cannot be legally trapped or 'harassed' in most places. Higgins' 'Magic Brush Pile' is not a pointing drill - it is a steadying drill - and a good one. It teaches you dog to stand...

Wenaha

I congratulate you on offering guidelines to new owners. Many breeders do not offer much information, and their customers end up getting advice on the Internet - some of which is actually helpful. I did not read every word - but I am going to make a few random comments. - I have never been to a fiel...

Wenaha

You cannot judge a bird dog based on anybody's 'conformation standards'. It's so much BS that is carried over from bench people obsessing over what looks good and has little practical application when looking at a bird dog. There is much more to the equation that a tape measure and geometrical calcu...

Wenaha

For $300 bucks you can check out Collar Clinic they sell re-builds if you are intrested in that route You may not need an e-collar at all if your dogs pay attention and take training well. But if you want one, you do NOT need a multi-function unit with lots of buttons. You just need something that ...

Wenaha

For the past couple of weeks both of my dogs have this green goop in their eyes, especially in the morning. Because both of them have it and it's in both eyes I think I can rule out injury. I suspect it's some sort of infection but I'm trying to decide how long I should wait to see a vet. Is this s...

Wenaha

The most important training tool is between your ears. Equipment needed to start - stout collar and lead, check cord (I like a 25' CC), and maybe a piggin' string (aka Wonderlead). I would not advise you to get an e-collar until your pup is over a year old, and you have a little experience working w...

Wenaha

No, I'm just thinking out loud. Wondering if a deeper chest would allow for more frontal pull. It seems gsp's have deeper chests than pointers, and that's just a general observation. Could they have more front end pulling power?? I'm not talking speed here, just pulling strength. You don't want a d...

Wenaha

Possible, not probable. The Ames course calls for a Shooting Dog type race, qualifying requires traditional AA wins at very competitive qualifying trials. This means beating maybe 100 or more of the best pointers and setters. But assuming that is done, I don't see why another breed (extraordinarily ...

Wenaha

The dog needs to learn to keep track of the handler. I do this at an early age by BEING QUIET when the dog is running. With young pups, this works, since they usually don't want to get separated from the security of the handler. With an older dog like yours, you need yardwork and the BENDING trainin...

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