Gun Dog Forum

Worth remembering you should also be verbally reinforcing when the dog does it right, which just means making progress. Force fetching for retrievers was started and is implemented by professionals who have to get very quick results for their clients. It is much more pleasant for the dog and reward...

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap. After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy ...

Sounds like you're handling this all really well. With my springer if she's tracking a bird (it gets to be obvious at times) I whistle her to a hup until I can catch back up or get in a more comfortable range depending on the type of bird and cover, then release her. It works well. And with the wind...

I'll keep the revived thread going since I haven't been active in a while. My story is a little different because I am really the first generation of bird hunters in my family, or at least serious bird hunter. I grew up in a family that almost exclusively hunter deer, but sometime around age 10 I st...

Just an update here: I tried a bag of diamond performance, it's crap. After that I went to inukshuk 30/26 and I love it. He's been on it since may-June-ish and he eats two cups a day compared to four cups on PPP. One bag last eight weeks so it's roughly $30 a month for just him. I get it off chewy ...

Hard to beat a Springer for pheasants!

It would be ..if nether is trained to be steady to flush/shot/fall . Add in honor whilst the other is handled. Neither dog is steady to flush/shot/fall. My pup is real young only about 10 months. How old do you start steadiness training? I’m worried if I start too soon I could affect his drive. Her...

If your in SW Washington I might be able to help you with a few birds. Have 23 unflown birds right now. Friend is going to get some to start a loft of his own and I could spare a few more if you want them. generally get $7 for them but just give you 5 or 6 if you want to come get them. About 60mi s...

This thread is incredibly fun to scroll through!

Congrats on the fantastic pup!

I think this is great! The state wildlife agencies usually have a better finger on the pulse when it comes to local wildlife. Hopefully a healthy population can be maintained through our North American conservation model.

shags wrote: ↑
Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:52 pm
Wait til next year. Go Tribe.

Oh wow! I feel sorry for you!

I wish they'd eat more of the geese on my lakeshore. Goose poop everywhere.

FF, well there are some black bears where I'm at in MN, but I don't see those much in the fall. I do happen to see a wolf or two each fall.

I've tried bells on my pointer and on my springer for ruffed grouse/woodcock and I have a few observations. I really don't like the sound of the bells. It is irritating to me and takes away from the solace of getting away from it all and getting into the woods. I've found that with my pointer if I u...

And we'll end this one here. I know it's a current event that could have major impacts on our little corner of the world (the gun dog corner), but as seen with this thread, it's been impossible to untangle from the political world, unfortunately. Thank you for keeping it as civil as possible. Wish I...

It's going to go state by state I'm sure.

Welcome to the forum! Dogs really shouldn't like the word "No." That's kind of the point! :mrgreen: But what did with my pups is pinch that lower jaw/tongue and give it a gentle wiggle when they would nibble and say "No Bite." It wasn't enough to hurt them but they did not like the feeling of me con...

Welcome aboard!

I never got a picture of it, but one of my favorite points is when my Sammy was jumping over a log and locked up on a woodcock before she even hit the ground!

Pretty similar. My pointer will give me a sideways glance and her intensity is not the same on a bird that has moved out or is old scent. I know that her head high, but very intense means it's a grouse and it's there. Head low with intensity usually is a woodcock. If she's all twisted in knots I kno...

I'd wait and FF in the spring. That way you can enjoy the hunting season and maybe some fun, low pressure retrieves builds the dogs enthusiasm for the game. The only exception in my opinion is if the dog starts eating birds. To FeatherFinder's point, I think your dog has already learned the "unaccep...

I'm a little different that you Rise! This would be no conundrum for me as I hate sitting and waiting. I get impatient. I've been known to get down my stand part way through the morning to stir up the action. I much prefer to chase the dogs in the grouse woods or pheasant fields. I don't mind sittin...

This is awesome! Was it your design or the taxidermist's?

Pheasants are tough on young pointers. They don't hold and can run circles around even the best dogs. It takes practice.

You won't get any definitive answers here based on the pictures. It'll all be guesses. They do make DNA kits you could use to get a more exact answer.

I have never seen a GSP like that! That is really odd.

I wonder how that changes as the pups age into adulthood.

Welcome to the Forum! There are a lot of good groups in MN that train together that could help you out if you'd like! Thanks for the welcome! I am waiting on an email back from the retriever club that I pass on the way to and from work every day. I'm not sure how much I will hang around this form, ...

Welcome to the Forum!

There are a lot of good groups in MN that train together that could help you out if you'd like!

My yard was completely cleared of snow. It was fantastic. Ducks, geese, and swans had moved back in and were hanging out on rivers and small potholes that opened up. I hadn't been out to find any woodcock, but I assume they made it up. Now there's a bunch of snow and it's still snowing. Also, there ...

There's still plenty of snow on the forest floor where I'm at in MN. Plus it has a hard crust on it, so it's making life difficult for those ground birds, although I think there are enough open spots for any woodcock that moved in. The bummer is I like to work my pointer on the migrating birds in th...

She looks nearly identical to my EP.

We’re supposed to get another 8 inches of snow here tonight. I doubt I’ll ever get a chance to run the dogs on wild birds before the nesting season closure.

Shellotome, I don’t think guys post because they need to. I think it’s because they are proud, or at least I am. There’s nothing wrong with that. Having a defensible answer for the anti’s is way more important than moderating pictures online. For example, with this proposed law in Oregon, I think a ...

I feed Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 all year to all stages (other than retired old dogs). But what did the breeder feed? Are you feeding the same or did you make a sudden switch? You'll get a ton of different recommendations for specific food, and there are more qualified people to answer this partic...

DO NOT LET YOUR WIFE OR GIRLFRIEND BE INVOLVED WITH THE REGISTERED NAME!!! If you win awards that is the name they use and you'll be embarrassed every time. I am only semi-joking. My springer has the worst, worst, registered name and she kills it at hunt tests so I get to hear it a lot. Conventional...

You haven't lived until you've seen a really fast dog hit a bird close at about a 90* angle, whamo! My old Thea hit one that way one time and rolled completely over and came up on a super hard point, it was stunning. Stormy did one like that and flipped sideways so quick he was on point with no fee...

Is there a question in here for the group? Considering nearly all of us live in different areas, this will be different for each individual here.

Posing a question to the group may be more productive.

The extremely vague nature in which this is written is the most concern part. If two guys in WI were to make a bet on who shoots the biggest buck, and the loser owns the other $10, would that be prohibited? It has all the elements: a designated prize, it's an organized competition, they're taking a ...

Shags, when something passes 92-8 in the senate, it hardly seems political! Fingers crossed I didn’t jinx this!

averageguy, I may be reading into things differently than you, but I think that most on here do not oppose limiting out or assume that guys who do limit out waste birds. What I've been gather from this discussion is that we should be aware of how we are portrayed to, or perceived by, the general non...

The mobile version now compared to the past is much better. I personally am using my phone 60-70% of the time on this site so that's important for me. At first glance there are some things that could use improvement in this version but I'm not sure if that's because I'm still getting used to it or i...

If we need to define words, the discussion has gone way off track. You two have had the opportunity to address each other’s comments so now let’s get back on topic. This is an important topic and I personally would love to see it continue in a civil manner.

I think it is important to have these conversations without our own communities while avoiding personal attacks on our own. Obviously, differing opinions are good. They allow us to see multiple perspectives. I, for one, don’t care for “grip and grin” pictures post-hunt. I take plenty of pictures but...

Averageguy, The only caveat that I’d add to this thread is that FF is not for everyone. A lot of people should not even attempt it. It takes commitment and the ability to read a dog. The same would appear to apply to Hillman’s technique. But for those who can do it, either method, may well see benef...

Trekmoor, I won't speak for others here, but the bond I experience via FF comes in numerous ways, none of which have to do directly with force. One I mentioned is how I learned how my dog learns. Another way is it provides clear expectations in a measurable way for the dogs. If there's one thing I'v...

I'll start the circus off. I FF every dog I own and every dog I've ever trained.i have for over 40 years and I always will. FF has little to do with retrieving but everything to do with bonding, compliance and delivery. It installs in the dog knowledge that he must perform like it or not and the do...

I don't give my dogs squeaky toys either. For me, it's mostly about the noise. I've gone so far as to cut out the squeaker, then sew them back up when we've gotten them as gifts. At first I also had the thinking that it may cause hard-mouth, but the more I thought about it, the more I think that it ...

I definitely agree that a lot of dogs are DQ due to mis-handling. I've witnessed it in every MH and SH pointing dog test that I've gunned in. In a different venue, when I run my springer in hunt tests, I mostly try to stay out of her way, because I am more likely to mess up and than she is, at leas...

I hope the mods will allow a response to the above post. If not I am good with that. Average Guy.It is note worthy that you failed to mention that I said sometimes I failed and sometimes my dogs did. There are many ways to fail a Master test that have nothing to do with the training of the dog. ! d...

I'm a bit new, so I'll ask a question. Why would you want to stop a flusher? Isn't that what they do? If a flusher is chasing a running pheasant (or grouse, etc.) and you stop the dog, then the bird will run into the next county. A flusher's job is to catch or at least make the running bird think i...

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