Gun Dog Forum

Thanks for all the help! getting him on wild birds has been a struggle because there very few and far between here in southern Maine.
But I haven't changed anything and hes been holding birds a lot better. (put him on 5 since I posted).

My 6 month old GSP is pointing to close to birds, and often times flushes them. He points 3-5 feet from them and the birds in heavy cover usually flush after 5-10 seconds of being pointed. there was a professional dog trainer were I was hunting so I asked him, he said, get the dog on more birds and ...

The gun needs to be the reward for pointing not the bird. Make sure the dog does not break on the bird but on the gun. If you can do this you will have a lot less problems in later training. Steady to flush becomes much easier. You said the dog just got it's first bird but he is really comfortable ...

There is not time to get him steady and at that age I would not worry about it. If you do not want to hunt him start a real training program. Myself, I like the dog to get some lessons from the wild ones. Then do my program. Put a bell on him. Put a check cord on him and have no knots. Good stiff c...

How old is he? I'm letting my pup hunt this year but she will only be 6 months old on opener. She's steady to flush with launchers so we are going huning untill she is a bit older. There are others here that can answer your question better but I'm sure they will want to know how old the pup is. He ...

After a month or so of contemplating, I finally got my dog on a bird! http://i.imgur.com/ZMLLwnS.jpg He walked right by the quail that was about 10 feet away. I was a little discouraged, but out of nowhere something clicks in his brain and he gets real "birdy"" as his nose and his tail are going abo...

I have a 16 week Gsp puppy that I would like to introduce to birds, I have read methods on how to introduce birds. But what method do you use?
And What do i do if my dog doesn't point?

Remember when he gets out more then you like call him in towards you. But don't be so redundant that your keeping him in so close that you wouldn't need a dog to hunt with. Give him some free roam. A 100 yards is not far at all ever.. Yeah I know what you mean, If I hear the bell getting to far off...

Recently I asked how to Get my German Shorthair to stay in range, and everyone told me that's not what they were bred for and to get a Flushing dog. But I already have a German shorthair, hes 10 weeks old. I wanted a GSP because of their ability to find birds. here in southern Maine the grouse are p...

roaniecowpony wrote:To the OP...it sounds like a pointing Lab might be a good fit. Especially given the Lab's enthusiasm for tracking/retrieving in heavy cover.

I wanted a pointing lab but there's none around here that I could find. So I got a gsp.

How far away will a bell be heard from?, I don't really want to spend the money on a beeper.

So if the dog hunts out of sight and is on point, How am I supposed to know where he is?
I know I can buy a gps for my dog, But how did people find they're dogs on point before gps's?

I have a 10 week old Gsp and I've been attempting to train him for a week and a half. Nothing too complex just his name and sit. But it seems like he forgets it the next day, I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, I'm doing the same things I did with all my other dogs (mostly Labs). Is it to early ...

The reason I asked how to keep the dog in range, is because when I was a kid my dad had a gsp and it stayed within 30 yards. another reason is because the grouse especially in southern Maine where I live don't hold well. so if the dog goes on point 200 yards away, The bird flushes it will keep hunti...

How do I train a dog to stay in range?
I don't want the dog to quarter, I just want him to stay within 20 yards or so.
Can someone Give me some tips?
or a good book about teaching a dog to hunt in range?

Thanks, Bird hunting isn't big in southern Maine. and most places up Maine you just use the guides dog.

When is to late to start a puppy on birds? The book I have says to start them as early as possible. But the thing is I can't find any birds. my friend just got bobwhite quail but they're only week old chicks. and they wont be full grown until august. IS that to late to start? Because For the life of...

I read online somewhere that its a good idea to "wing and rod" or "wing Train" your dog (not sure of the name but I'm pretty sure some of you have heard of it). pretty much tying a wing to a fishing pole and having the puppy point the wing. It seems like its more of a natural ability test than anyth...

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to teach my dog to be steady to wing and shot by getting a "dokken's deadfowl" and using bird scent around the launcher and when the bird is launched i shoot a blank and do the normal procedures of training for steady to wing and shot. I will have a friend ...

I'm getting a GSP in June (planned breeding anyways), and everyone around here uses a E-collar. but they also say that a e-collar will mess a dog up if you don't know what your doing with them (which I don't). so I decided to just not get a E-collar. will I be at any disadvantage when training if I ...

My friend is getting a Hound/Lab mix and he was wondering if he could hunt birds with it?
he mostly wants it to retrieve ducks, will a lab/hound mix do that?

Thanks I did a google search but i got different answers such as a anti bark collar, a containment collar and somehow i ended up on yahoo answers where someone said a E-collar was one of those cone collars to stop a dog from biting itself.

thanks for clearing this up for me.

Whats a E-collar? i know its a electronic collar but is that all it is or does a electronic collar need something to be qualified as a "E-Collar"?

I heard a rumor today and i was wondering if this is true. that if you HAVE to keep a bird dog outside, or they wont hunt or wont hunt as good or something along those lines. is this true? how many people keep their bird dogs inside? I'm just a little worried because i put a deposit down on a GSP, a...

So I put a deposit down a a GSP! :D . Not being bred for a while and I wont have it until June which is kind of a bummer. I have a few questions What are some good dog training books? And can i do multiple things with my dog or is it not a good idea? (example) I would like to Bird hunt, duck hunt an...

I've been looking at bird dogs, and I think I want a Lab.
But do labs hunt well? the breeder hunts upland birds and waterfowl with the sire and dam.
and I know they're "flushing" dogs so how would I train a flushing dog?

I think I'm going to just bite the bullet and put a deposit on a dog from here: http://autumnkennelgermanshorthairedpointers.com/
The only thing is I won't be able to see the sire or dam (not soon anyways), they won 6 NAVHDA Breeder's awards so I'll take a chance and just risk not seeing the parents.

I probably will buy a dog from a Ad. Most breeders that i have contacted are saying $1200 per dog, and they aren't sure if they are even breeding in 2013. I did get someone else who contacted me back that are $900 per dog, And they are already taking deposits for a spring 2013 litter and half are al...

a few monthes ago back when there were more pointers for sale alot of the ads were like this one: "Labrador retriever puppies 3 puppies left. Reserve your puppies early. 5 are already spoken for. Sire is AKC Black block head labrador retriever waterfowl & upland bird hunter, Mom: English Chocolate b...

I am certainly going to visit the breeder to look at the dog before I buy the dog. I am also willing to spend more money on a "better" dog. I saw a ad for a "NAVHDA"Registered litter.But they came at a prices $1000 for males $1200 for females,If i had the money (and the time) right now I would have ...

I live in the State of Maine.

I am looking to buy a Bird hunting dog in 2013 (I'm short on cash right now). I have decided on getting a German short haired pointer or a English setter, maybe a English pointer I have contacted many breeders but only a few emailed me back, so i think I'm going to buy one from the classifieds. I've...