Gun Dog Forum

birddogger2

Buckeyesteve - I haven't hunted wild birds in a rather long time and not many grouse to be honest, so I really can't say with any certainty. I would however, expect to lose some grouse to the actuation of a point only mode type beeper, especially if they have been pressured. Lovett's has a mode call...

birddogger2

BuckeyeSteve - Regarding locating a dog in heavy cover... There are several beeper options you might consider for your dog. Like everything else in this world, the more options, the higher the price. A straight up beeper with a point only alert mode option might be all you need. They are in the $100...

birddogger2

Reap what You Sow . If you allow and condition a Hunt close ,then that is what you will get . If You allow and condition a Hunt wide ,the that is what you will get . If You allow and condition a free hunting Dog ,then that is what you will get . ...... Try reading the dog in front of you in the ter...

birddogger2

BuckeyeSteve - I just remembered a drill you might try. For our members across the pond...I got the idea from a book by a respected British trainer, Derry Argue. When I wanted my pointers to put their noses down and vacuum the ground, I would take some puppy treats, throw a half dozen or so on the g...

birddogger2

BuckeyeSteve(and others) - I do not know why this thread went sideways and if my posts had anything to do with that, I apologize. What I was TRYING to get across, was that it is crucial for the hunter/handler to develop a trust in their dog and not incidentally, for the dog to develop that same trus...

birddogger2

:wink: My Brittany just hit one year old. He's doing really well on hunt drive, finding birds, and most commands I've trained. He's not doing well at quartering a field and hunting in the range I'd like him to....but that is because of my lack of training effort/knowledge in this area, not that he's...

birddogger2

Steve - There is a technique called "bending" whereby you teach a dog to turn on command. You can search this and other gundog sites for a more thorough explanation, but here is my thumbnail version: I don't do this with my dogs any longer, because I mostly field trial them. But when I mostly hunted...

birddogger2

Garrison - Here is the deal. Forget the .32. The blanks cost about a buck a shot. The only real reason for the .32 was because it was required for high end field trials. Not so anymore. A 209 primer pistol is fine for just about any field trial except a couple that neither you nor me will be attendi...

birddogger2

Ezzy - I want to add my thanks for all you have contributed. Your knowledge and experience, so freely shared, is a treasured gift to all who have benefitted from it in the past and a true legacy to those who will benefit from it in the future. You have truly paid it forward. Well done my friend. RayG

birddogger2

As mentioned previously, What I have heard referred to as "undershot jaw" where the lower jaw sticks out beyond the upper, has been an issue in FDSB(American Field) pointers for some time. It is my understanding that the failure of the teeth to mesh properly can have effect on the dog's ability to e...

birddogger2

Keeping with 30/20 vs 26/16 foods no matter who's brand I'm trying to put weight on a 9 y.o. 16 lb. house dog. Is there any truth that 30/20 food can cause a dog to loose weight due to the higher protein. This dog has been free fed all her life as she only eats when she's hungry. She mostly sleeps ...

birddogger2

Right here. http://germanwirehair.blogspot.com/ Bernee Brawn is thoroughly wired in :wink: to the best breeders in the country -- she being one of them -- and will absolutely connect you with a top-flight person who has quality wirehairs if she has nothing available. I own two of her dogs -- both w...

birddogger2

Ray- you have one of the best memories in the history of man!!! Every time I see you post that story- I smile. Thanks!!! No Bernee - I is I who should thank you. I thought I knew what a Gun Dog was supposed to do, but found out different...that day. You showed me, up close and personal...what a Gun...

birddogger2

Without any oversite you can register any dog with registered parents. So, basically AF and AKC are only a way to track bloodlines. Both do a good pretty good job of that. It does take some breeder discretion, DNA helps with that. We can all see bite problems and other faults on very young puppies....

birddogger2

Sounds great out your way, Ray. I've been to Petersburg and Three Rivers, and is it Fairview, the horse competition venue? several times, and the competition is loads of fun. At one of my club's trials, we had the AKC National Champions Gordons, Irish, Brittany, GSP, Vizsla, Weim, and GWP. This was...

birddogger2

Shags - That is interesting. It shows there are real regional differences. In my area, there is a healthy NGSPA(American Field GSP) contingent. There are several NGSPA championships run at Wye Island in MD. They are, of course, for GSP's only, but they are run under American Field rules. There is al...

birddogger2

Shags - I am on fairly good terms with a fair bunch of Brittany folks who are serious FT competitors. Many do both AKC and dual AF/AKC sanctioned field trials. There are a couple that also show their dogs. I know a few Pointer folks that both trial and show. I know an AKC Irish setter couple who jus...

birddogger2

So, basically AF and AKC are only a way to track bloodlines. Both do a good pretty good job of that. We can all see bite problems and other faults on very young puppies. The only thing that would disqualify a dog in a AKC show ring would be very obvious faults. The NAVHDA conformation inspection is...

birddogger2

IMO, the AKC is, in essence, a studbook for member breed clubs. The member breed clubs set the requirements and the standards for their particular breed. The fact is that the preponderance of the membership of the breed clubs and the control of those breed clubs...including the sporting breeds and h...

birddogger2

I know RayG's field trial heart will infarct at this, but I'm really happy I taught "DOWN!" in a big way. I taught it for duck hunting and other small game pursuits, but use it most often out and about. If I have him at the park I can blow him down from 40 yards away and let kids or bikers or jogge...

birddogger2

For a dog in the yard or around the home I think for me the #1 command is HERE or COME, and as previously mentioned by others, that command is NON- negotiable and must be obeyed instantaneously. The #2 command in the yard for me is NO or LEAVE IT. #3 in the yard for me is probably KENNEL UP if the d...

birddogger2

Novice123 -

45 years without a dog is waaaaaay too long, but at least you are going to remedy the situation. Good for you.

Brittanys are fun dogs to be around and I understand that FB's can be even more dialed in to their human partners than the American version.

Have fun together.

RayG

birddogger2

Novice I don't think the Choice of sex makes a lot of difference. I do generally recommend females for first dogs. We sell the males quicker than the females. The research on spaying and neutering is generally slanted one way or the other. Your best bet is to talk with the vet you plan to use. I re...

birddogger2

What about a male dog? The reason I was staying away from a male is that I plan to have my dog inside at night and don't want any issues of 'marking' or 'spraying' to mark territory inside our home. How would you contrast a male versus a female strictly for hunting, not for breeding? I might still ...

birddogger2

I did a little searching and found this: For female dogs, the situation is more complex. The number of health benefits associated with spaying may exceed the associated health problems in some (not all) cases. On balance, whether spaying improves the odds of overall good health or degrades them prob...

birddogger2

Novice - The only downside I have observed with spayed females is the tendency of some(not all) to pick up and retain extra weight. There are a LOT of upsides to spaying a working female which you have no intention of breeding and chief among them is the absence of heats during hunting season. My un...

birddogger2

As an admitted "Old Timer", I've never understood why people strive to make dog training so complicated. Everything has to have a label which only serves to complicate and confuse more. I have never understood people's needs to do that. It all boils down to when a behavior is rewarded, it's positiv...

birddogger2

I think folks that have hunted any amount over dogs, will have had the same experience. It was fairly common for me to tag a pheasant and have it fly off and die in midair. I never said I was the world's best wingshot. Most of the time it was not a big deal but if the bird fell in the middle of a st...

birddogger2

[quote="polmaise Got to disagree... They (Dogs) .....Will and Do have a perception of right and wrong ! ..If they did not ...We " ... as trainers /handlers would have nothing ...but ? [/quote] Not to be pedantic, but then I can't help it... As I understand it, the concepts of right and wrong are hum...

birddogger2

Properly bred and trained dogs never cheat. They may make a mistake but they don't purposely cheat when they know you aren't watching. Cj I call BS on that observation. I have seen dogs deliberately do things they knew full well that they were not supposed to do both when they thought I couldn't se...

birddogger2

Iso - I am not a setter guy, but I have seen a bunch of different types in competitions over the years. And you bet... there are wide variations between the performances I have seen. I am quite sure that some portion of the differences is in the breeding , but some is also in the training and experi...

birddogger2

This might be a dumb question but do you guys train your dogs all year long? What I do and which dogs I do it with varies with the age of the dog, where it is in its training and what my goals are for that dog. I wouldn't say "train' all year long, but I do try to keep the dogs active and in some s...

birddogger2

jHawk - There are a LOT of very nice bird dogs out there. There are multiple breeds that can get the job done in the pointing dog world. The big four are English Pointer, German Shorthaired Pointer, English Setter and Brittany. The reason why I say big four is because the dogs in these four breeds v...

birddogger2

Thank you everyone for the time spent replying to my post. Greg, this is exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you. I live in central KS and hunt pheasants and quail. Quail numbers have been much better than quail the past few years, but I will always chase pheasants. I will not send thi...

birddogger2

Gt shorthairs wrote:][/img[img] Here is my little girl at 10 months.

That's pretty fancy all right.

Nicely put together, but the tail is a tad short for my taste. Just teasing...I run pointers.

Good luck with your new project and looking forward to hearing about your adventures with her.\

RayG

birddogger2

Welcome aboard.

This is a very diverse community of sportsmen with a wide, and fairly deep knowledge base. The reason most are on here is for fellowship and the opportunity to share what they know with the community. So... if you have questions ...ASK.

RayG

birddogger2

jHawk - I think the absolute key to your puppy search is to clearly define what you want to have in an adult dog...at least in your own mind. Once you have a clear picture of what your wants and needs are, you can start looking for that in the various breeders. As far as breeds go, there is a HUGE v...

birddogger2

As far as field trials go, there are two organizations that sanction them. One is American Kennel Club(AKC) and the other is American Field(AF). Since you are apparently looking at Brittanys, the AKC trials are the ones you would want to know about, I think. The exact rules are somewhat complicated,...

birddogger2

I was wondering if anyone uses supplements along with there regular feed. I am happy with my food but when we are working harder they seem to need more and don't want to mix foods. Just wondering what others may use. Any input is always appreciated.... Back when I was hunting my dogs( one usually a...

birddogger2

Can't help you much, but I did do a search on "Fancy White Trash GSP" and came up with 2 GSP breeders that appear to have some of that in their kennels. Since the dog was a hugely successful NSTRA competitor, you might want to look to NSTRA breeders of GSP's. I suspect, based on the dog's winning re...

birddogger2

birds- A small(5X12), secure kennel, on concrete, inside your back yard will be a better choice for several reasons. Dogs WILL find a way to escape from just about any fencing system, especially if they are given enough time and bird dogs roaming free will learn bad things...if they survive out ther...

birddogger2

I honestly don't know what is the best dog breed for a given bird species. Jon - There is a whole lot you do not know. You ask questions which reveal the chasm between real dog and hunting knowledge and your perceptions ... and in the next breath you state your opinion as if it were fact, which it ...

birddogger2

JonBailey wrote:
polmaise wrote:
Hounds with child.jpg
When the Op ever actually gets a dog of any kind ..ever.
All I can do is... impart some of my wisdom to others as a kind soul....

Now THAT is truly humorous. A tad pretentious and borderline ridiculous...but funny nonetheless.

Good one... Jon.

RayG

birddogger2

Anyhow, with the new collar, I decided to overlay the tone as a recall command, in addition to the others on my two most recent pupils. It has worked EXTREMELY well for me. The dogs come in quickly and happily to check back in. And no noise. Hope this is of some use. RayG Apologies ! I thought the ...

birddogger2

I just recently purchased a replacement e-collar. It came with vibrate and tone features. I typically train my dogs to recall on voice and on whistle but only use the whistle command VERY sparingly, and enforce it fairly vigorously, because when I do hit the whistle, I want the dog to respond immedi...

birddogger2

Not to be pedantic...BUT... Golden retrievers and Labradors are not considered to be "bird dogs", in the traditional sense. They are retrievers. While they unquestionably, are very often used to hunt upland game, especially pheasant, they are...principally...retrievers and not commonly referred to a...

birddogger2

I have the Astro 320 and DC40 on my Brittany. She weights 27 pounds. She also runs with the E-Collar as well. As much as she still runs I am considering tying a brick to her tail. The issue with location is there are 5 sec updates. Some newer collar update more frequently. As fast as mine runs it c...

birddogger2

kstater - Any location method has some drawbacks. Bells help to keep tabs on a dog...but for a pointing dog, they fall silent when you need them the most. Also, the noise can alert wary wild birds well before the dog can get an opportunity to scent them. Beepers, while more versatile and often , lou...

birddogger2

First let me say that I believe the choice depends, to a large degree on what the owner wishers for the "end product", AND on the ability/willingness of the owner as trainer. There is no question that Polmaise's description of the process to discover and develop a top flight performer, capable of wi...

birddogger2

When hunting my dog pretty much ignores treats though. He's usually food motivated but when hunting he won't respond to treats until we're back at the truck. Sorry. To clarify I do this in yard work not while hunting. What you really are trying to do is get the dogs nose to the ground and this is a...

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