Gun Dog Forum

Nick Miles

Scenting has more to to with the barometer than wind direction. Wind direction though is linked to frontal systems and pressure changes, so certain wind direction will be more favourable than others. Once the barometer gets above about 950/1000 things improve.

Nick Miles

An E-Collar comes before an F-Collar and after a D-Collar.

Nick Miles

An avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a pointer advertised that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he purchased the young pointer and he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him. He decided to try to bre...

Nick Miles

Looks to me more like an visual acknowledgement rather than a (scent) point. A good thing in my book.

Nick Miles

ultracarry wrote:Blinking is acceptable if they hide it.

Nick Miles

Nic cometo the HPR Trials you will see them sit on backing ........ I can imagine it can happen - and I think it may be better than ignoring a pointing dog completely and either pressurising the pointing dog into breaking or putting up the birds, but I would consider a dog that does that to be lack...

Nick Miles

Nice. Out of interest, what is considered good range out there? I notice 305yds (or m? can't see)

Nick Miles

A fair jump Francois? Why? Certainly in a South African context. They don't have a lot to choose from and there are far more good GSP's and EP's about there than Llewellyns or Brits. Irish Setters have better genetics in South Africa than those two IMO. Where/Who would you get a dog from? Nic there...

Nick Miles

A fair jump Francois? Why? Certainly in a South African context. They don't have a lot to choose from and there are far more good GSP's and EP's about there than Llewellyns or Brits. Irish Setters have better genetics in South Africa than those two IMO. Where/Who would you get a dog from?

Nick Miles

Some dogs just don't back here in our country they will get trained to sit when they see another dog on point ! Same goes for gun shot or rising your closed gun to walk up the dogs that have done it enough know they must honor. Never seen dogs sitting on backing before. Sitting or dropping to flush...

Nick Miles

I will also go with genetic, the dogs that don't back naturaly and are trained normaly sit and does nit point the piunting dog. To me that's a training and exposure issue. The dog does not recognise the pointing dog if you have to sit the dog in that situation - hunting exposure with other (staunch...

Nick Miles

How close do your dog hunt that they can hear the gun close? Seriously?? - My dogs hunt plenty far enough thanks. Most good dogs back within reasonable view. I expect mine to do the same. And by the way, backing is a sight issue not a hearing issue... unless of course you're command backing your do...

Nick Miles

A seasoned smart shooting dog will soon start backing when you close your gun. :?: :? Brad. To explain, I know it seems odd; Obviously one dog only will make my statement seem crazy. You're hunting over two or three dogs. One slams into a point and is unseen by the other dog, now coming into view. ...

Nick Miles

To me there is a difference between trained and learned. I have seen pups that that stop when another dog is having a pee, but I would not call this backing - my wife's maltese poodle stops and watches my dogs have a pee. Backing for me is the acknowledgement of birds in the area in an effort to not...

Nick Miles

Interesting question. I think it is a learned behaviour and not genetic at all. Once a dog starts hunting and pointing it's own birds, it will recognise a pointing dog on birds. I believe it has everything to do with timing and introduction to the requirement of backing and should not be forced on a...

Nick Miles

If it was easy to recognise talent and train the best into them, we'd all be running HOF multiple champions and hunting machines that don't put a foot wrong, and then what a boring pursuit this would be.

Nick Miles

This thread has developed into an interesting one indeed. One could conclude that each individual has different requirements as far as how finished his/her dog is? We all have different expectations and requirements, and I guess the reason for field trialling is found here somewhere. We all want to ...

Nick Miles

If the dog is doing what you want correctly in the field surely that's all that counts? Let's think logically for a moment, shall we? If your dog is not coming when called, is that what you want? If the dog won't bring you a bird it has fetched, is that okay? If yes to those questions, then I imagi...

Nick Miles

If the dog is doing what you want correctly in the field surely that's all that counts?

Nick Miles

After looking into Hog Hunting and the peripheral issues, the raging debate about Hog Hunting and the acquisition of a dog leaves me with the following thought. Generally, Guys (and gals) who hunt or trial their dogs do so because they share a passion for watching the dog work and value the importan...

Nick Miles

Anyone ever tried Rhodesian Ridgebacks for this type of work? Work pretty well on dangerous game out these parts... I think and hope that my experience is not normal, but the only ridgeback I've known was such a scaredy-dog that she couldn't go to the bathroom by herself and let herself get her but...

Nick Miles

Anyone ever tried Rhodesian Ridgebacks for this type of work? Work pretty well on dangerous game out these parts...

Nick Miles

IMO trials are the best comparison we have to judge to a standard. However trials can be won by average dogs with good bird manners. A lot of good bird dogs don't win trials.

Nick Miles

What a tragic story. Don't know you man, but my heartfelt sympathies. All the best.

Nick Miles

nikegundog wrote:Hold on for a second when I get the popcorn. :roll:

What he said. I'm not even going to answer... but I want to watch.

Nick Miles

IMO the show ring killed off any and all of the Wiem's true ability. haven't seen any good ones. The ability of Pointers and GSP that are available why would anyone want a Wiem other than for a pet?

Nick Miles

.22 rounds are very cheap where I live...

Nick Miles

reba wrote:The best and the finest died in the 2nd WW, leaving the idiots to breed.

That's a bit rough I'd say...

Nick Miles

They say a dog is a man's best friend, but to John Unger, a Wisconsin resident, his dog, Schoep, means everything. Unger adopted Schoep, named after the famous Wisconsin ice cream, when he was just a puppy, and the two have been together ever since. Now, at 19 years old, Schoep has arthritis and ha...

Nick Miles

During the morning's run, my brittany caught a baby rabbit. Before I could get it away from her, she gulped it whole. It was about the size of a baseball, maybe slightly larger. Will she crap it out, or will I have to keep her outside and wait for her to puke it up? Also, what's the nutritional val...

Nick Miles

Brilliant. I can see the mixed emotion of a vegan with his vegan GSP hunting Brinjals in the spring. The world has gone nuts.

Nick Miles

Just an observation, but I was always of the opinion that a GSP that wasn't stubborn wasn't bred well enough.

Nick Miles

I find that the best ones are old wine barrels. They are extremely cozy and warm as well as comfortable. They also look great near the house.

Nick Miles

Agree with gotpointers - get him a little twenty gauge. It can be kept in the family, it's a great addition to a wingshooting armoury.

Nick Miles

Our dogs retrieve rabbits, spurfowl in our country get up to 15kg and are much more of a challenge to retrieve .... Sure. My dogs will retrieve rabbits as well. But what about in a trial Francois. 15kg Spurfowl - !!! - Show me one? Spurfowl are no challenge for any birddog. You mean SpurWING Goose?...

Nick Miles

What happens in a S.A. trial if a GSP points on fur ? In Britain , the dog is credited with the point and will be required to retrieve it if the rabbit or hare is shot. In Britain rabbits and hares are to be pointed by HPR breeds but in pointer/setter trials it is greatly preferred if the dogs do n...

Nick Miles

Tom likes his big running dogs to also be good at dealing with and handling in what he calls in his Scottish accent .... "The wee ticht corners !" He claims that the ability to do that is a trial winner and I agree with him...... it is. The dog that can do that is truly versatile. Bill T. Apologies...

Nick Miles

Isn't it about time you lads in S.A. stopped calling this a British field trial however ? In Britain Hunt-point- retrievers have not been allowed to compete in trials against pointers and setters for many years ....... maybe about half a century ? I'm not sure but it has certainly been a long time....

Nick Miles

Francois P vd Walt wrote:now we to get out to a mile or two !

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A mile or two!! - That's impressive. Congrats on the win.

Nick Miles

This is not the first time this has happened in South Africa. GSP's are regularly placed in British Breed Field Trials in South Africa. Certainly not the first time A GSP has won a Championship event in SA. A lot of terrain in South Africa is more suited to GSP's that EP's, hence the results.

Nick Miles

That's sad stuff man. Snares are also a bit of an issue in this part of the world. Further north people still actively poach in private reserves. This is pretty graphic and apologies for off topic: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... zania.html

Nick Miles

In my part of the world we have Jackal. They are not a huge danger to the dogs, but what is a worry in some areas is that some farmers or farmers neighbors put poison down to control the predators as they can decimate sheep stocks. Not sure if you guys will have the same uncontrolled poisoning going...

Nick Miles

TM79 wrote:I try to put a piece of hope on her

Sorry can't resist. I try this with all my pups, sometimes just before a trial I put a large piece of hope on 'em.

Nick Miles

The dogs that are driven with more than a sprinkling of ability and hunting nous are always on the edge and usually, when it comes to trials, they are the first to be shown the door . You can win a trial with a mediocre dog that has good manners . This is just the opposite of how dogs are judged ar...

Nick Miles

I once had a pointer that thought it was a spaniel... does that count?

Nick Miles

Francois, the thing is that as many breeds you have and as many braces as you run, you are going to have differing opinions. What one man likes another may not. My opinion of style, range and pace may be counter to yours, and so on and so on. The dogs that are driven with more than a sprinkling of a...

Nick Miles

Out here we feed 'em food.

Nick Miles

Francois P vd Walt wrote:7–9 hours normally 40–50 days a year, for the rest we train them for a avarage of a hour a day.

You're a lucky chap! I dream of 50 days a year shooting over my dogs!

Nick Miles

A pointless competition I would think. However, when it comes to the fact that "hunters don't care how well their (or others) dogs are trained, I beg to differ. I seriously get jumpy when I'm hunting with someone who has an undisciplined dog and makes no effort to stop it running through points, cha...

Nick Miles

4 hours in the morning and another 4 in the afternoon, usually over 3 or 4 days.

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