Gun Dog Forum

birddogger2

What are your thoughts on the barrel/board/bench? Candidly I haven't used a bench or anything and haven't taught him whoa, instead letting the birds break him. Can the bench just be another tool to help you get your hands on them any get them styled up? Everyone does it a little different and that ...

birddogger2

First - I have to tell you that anyone who knocks a dog for having a happy tail AFTER the bird has flown is not a good judge. As long as the dog has not moved its feet in the direction of the flight of the bird after the shot is fired...that is a completed piece of birdwork. Collar the dog and walk ...

birddogger2

Polmaise - Yes it is a different way of going about it than the American field trial version. Not better, certainly not worse...just different. One could say...more utilitarian, more useful to the typical hunter. Buddy was intent and intense on his game, with very nice style, responded perfectly to ...

birddogger2

FWIW -

I have noticed that if I use the dremel and get close to the quick...it recedes...slowly over time and repeated close sandings. I think it is the heat generated which causes the quick to retreat.

RayG

birddogger2

If you go to a training session and the dog is out of control...put it back in the box until it stops being out of control or take it on a lead with a half hitch around its waist and heel it away from the group and work with it on the rope until it calms down. The heel it back toward the group and ...

birddogger2

Art - If a Petco or wherever was giving out free one, two or five pound bags of the product for folks to try...that is one thing. Companies do indeed give out free samples. All sorts of companies give out all sorts of free samples. It is called "marketing". If they wanted me to try a bag and they ga...

birddogger2

Sharon wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:26 pm

"I would bet that if you give him a good run BEFORE you show up at NAVDA that his behaviour would improve."

I'd bet that would be the case also.

RayG

birddogger2

BigK - PATIENCE is a virtue that I for one...do not have enough of. And for what it is worth, i have been messing with pretty high octane dogs for just this side of sixty years. They WILL test you. Sometimes, when you start to lose it, the very best thing you can do is quit for a while. If you are l...

birddogger2

Sharon - I read it on the AF site. Thank you for importing it here. It is something we all go through, I have a 4 yr. old pointer who I thought...might be my last one. Then... Blue passed at 14 1/2. I gave Blue to my son when he moved into his first house. That was about 9 years ago. He needed a bir...

birddogger2

I have been adding bleach to my dogs' water for many years. A splash of 5 1/2 -6% Sodium Hypochlorite, which is what liquid bleach actually is, into a 4-5 gal bucket, is quite safe to drink. A splash(1-2 fl.oz.) will keep the green algae down for several days. I also add a few ounces to my 100 gallo...

birddogger2

Polmaise - Your post was an absolute tutorial on the subject. Very thorough and complete. I typically go about the task somewhat differently, but your post gave me several things to think about doing things differently. Your experience and perspective is much appreciated. Always something to learn. ...

birddogger2

You are so very lucky. I am still waiting. We had one child, a son, who has been and still is my best hunting partner...BUT... My granddaughter is just five and not quite ready yet. My grandson is coming on 10, so he may join the fray soon. Had him out fishing for striped bass, or Rockfish, as they ...

birddogger2

hears something if you havent tried yet, let the dog out and run for some time no commands just fun time for the dog when the dog starts getting a little tired then call the dog in the point is a tired dog will comply better than a excited dog mayby you just got out of the kennel or house with enou...

birddogger2

Claude - I agree completely with Shags on this. Come is NOT optional and come means "RIGHT NOW!" Anything less and..."you ain't got it yet". The dog needs to stop what it is doing, hightail it to you...on the run and stop right in front of you, or you have more work to do. My wife and I start with a...

birddogger2

Welcome aboard.

Nice looking youngster. Have fun and keep us updated on your progress.

RayG

birddogger2

When I had one dog and was hunting the poor .... 4 days a week...pretty much 6 hours a day...I supplemented with beef fat. Even so, he got awful thin by Christmas. I would go to the supermarket during a beef sale and ask for fat trimmings, which they had by the barrel full. Most times they gave it t...

birddogger2

marketing, marketing, marketing. All natural, no antibiotics EVER, grain free, non GMO,first ingredient is real meat etc, etc. It is all marketing BS. PPP is indeed an excellent feed, complete and absolutely uniform. One of the ways dogfood companies control their costs is to vary the formula, depen...

birddogger2

Veggie - Excellent news...for BOTH of you. Well done sir! Patience is a virtue I do not have enough of. Persistence I have to the point of stubbornness. Being consistent is something I need to work on all the time. Patience, persistence and consistency are three things that will serve you well. Keep...

birddogger2

Veggie - Excellent news...for BOTH of you. Well done sir! Patience is a virtue I do not have enough of. Persistence I have to the point of stubbornness. Being consistent is something I need to work on all the time. Patience, persistence and consistency are three things that will serve you well. Keep...

birddogger2

Back in the day I transported my dogs in a pickup bed with a top. It had a slide window in front which I would open when it was hot to facilitate flow through ventilation. I bought and tried two different battery operated fans for the uninsulated aluminum skin dog box and both were a useless POS. As...

birddogger2

Can't help you with the potty training...all my dogs are outside dogs...not permitted in the house unless they are recuperating from surgery or something similar. As far as the nipping is concerned...I will share a comment : "What you allow, you encourage." If a puppy was being a PIA to its momma, w...

birddogger2

BigK75 - Welcome aboard. As Sharon said, there are lots of folks on here that want to help you to be successful in the field. It is why we are here. Hunting behind dogs for upland game has it own, very special rewards. You will find that out for yourself. I am excited for you. I also think it is awe...

birddogger2

KahlessDg - The short answer is NO. Booting a dog will NOT cause it to overheat. The blood vessels in a dog's legs go straight up and down, carrying the heat from the dog's core to its extremities. THAT(along with fur) is what allows a dog to run in subzero weather without its toes falling off from ...

birddogger2

SOB puppies are cheap because they arent worth squat on the circuit. Not sure if you are allowed SOB ,Ryan, maybe you are ? :roll: He meant Shadow Oak Bo . Hmmm- I wonder what Polmaise was alluding to?? I could hazard a guess... but I believe I should not, but rather leave that to each reader. More...

birddogger2

Joe, It all depends on the dog. I think this is the first time I've taken exception to something Ray had posted, but here goes...he said that a properly conditioned dog can run an hour in 80* heat. Maybe some can, but many cannot. You can do your best to condition a dog to the heat, but if he can't...

birddogger2

Joe - Nothing much to add about the signs of overheating. Prevention is the goal and one of the best ways to do that is to GRADUALLY increase the dog's heat tolerance level. You do this by pushing the dog a little at a time, in the heat. You would be surprised at just how heat tolerant a dog can bec...

birddogger2

First things first...Congratulations on the new pup. Brittanys are fun dogs. If you want the puppy to run around unfettered, you need to find a safe place to let it run. Your pup is VERY young and quite probably has not had its final shots, so anywhere you take the dog outside of your own yard, it s...

birddogger2

I agree with Garrison. I do not care if my pup chases starlings, meadow larks or any kind of "bleep" birds. They will not catch them and will grow out of it when they are worked on the real thing. i do not allow them to mess with fur of any kind, but they are pointers, not versatiles. I suggest you ...

birddogger2

I have never had a perfect dog but have had several that were much closer to it than I am. I try to keep that in mind always when working with my dogs. AG - Now THAT is a great statement. I give you fair notice that since it is out on a public domain, I am going to steal it!! :lol: I will say that ...

birddogger2

WOW!!

Nice looking pup.

I'd say you are about to have some fun.

Axe is a beautiful dog and is probably worth the wait...but 3 years is a looooooong time.

Enjoy.

RayG

birddogger2

Hard to say, but it kinda looks like it might be some sort of infection underneath the skin. Since it is on a paw,it is also possible that something thin and small got stuck up in there. Look real close, even with a magnifying glass to see if there is any kind of evidence of foreign body entry. My s...

birddogger2

Hard to say, but it kinda looks like it might be some sort of infection underneath the skin. Since it is on a paw,it is also possible that something thin and small got stuck up in there. Look real close, even with a magnifying glass to see if there is any kind of evidence of foreign body entry. My s...

birddogger2

Garrison- To broaden that perspective a bit... one needs to consider this: In a field trial there is ONE winner. In a championship stake, there is ONE champion selected. You may have 20, and sometimes as many as 50 dogs in any competition..with only ONE winner. Each and every one of the owners of th...

birddogger2

The top handlers have the ability to run the genetics that they desire. I would be curious to know how many don’t make it to worthy of competing, and how many make to CH out of the pool that they start with. This is just a slightly educated guess, so take it for what it is worth. In the open horseb...

birddogger2

Well between featherfinder, mask and the two aforementioned Hall of Famers, that is give or take, 400 years of experience. :D Its interesting that the winningest guys in the game seem to have proven that the type of dog they seek will get it done no matter the venue. While at the same time certain ...

birddogger2

I have had pretty good luck with the following regimen: When I get the birds home, I medicate their water with LS 50 for about a week. I may also add some electrolytes to the water if it is hot and the birds were heavily stressed due to transport. After the initial dosing with LS 50 antibiotic, they...

birddogger2

I bought a CZ O/U in 28 ga. for my grandson's first birthday some years back. I really liked how it handled for me and it was a nice looking little wand. I tried a few 28's before I bought this one and the balance with 28" barrels seemed just right. I tried ones with shorter and longer barrels and t...

birddogger2

IDhunter - Very young. Very normal. What you may consider light cover might be quite an obstacle or such a little guy. Remember, at that age, their legs are only about 8 inches long, so an uncut lawn will wear them out. Just keep exposing the pup to different situations and conditions. The fact that...

birddogger2

I have been around a half dozen or so different V's and the one thing they all seem to share is a very close relationship to their owner. For a couple of them it was almost a "velcro" thing. A local lady had a V that was exceptional, IMO. He could have been a competitive horseback field trial dog. I...

birddogger2

Sharon - Thank you. As most on this board know I have been walking behind, riding behind and occasionally chasing pointers all my life and will continue to. That is just me. If I were in central Florida I would probably have a short haired breed that was light in color...but again... that is just me...

birddogger2

Sattelite Beach - \ Seeing that you are in Florida, I have a suggestion for you. One of the more serious versatile breeders that I know retired to FL from PA. She had some serious dogs and would undoubtedly be a wealth of information on the breed. She bred Wires that could compete in AKC Gundog sta...

birddogger2

Sattelite Beach - \ Seeing that you are in Florida, I have a suggestion for you. One of the more serious versatile breeders that I know retired to FL from PA. She had some serious dogs and would undoubtedly be a wealth of information on the breed. She bred Wires that could compete in AKC Gundog stak...

birddogger2

Guys - It is truly unfortunate that one's enthusiasm for their breed of choice can sometimes lead to disparagement of another's breed of choice. We do not need that here. Not trying to be internet police...just asking that we respect each other's choices, because the choices we make tend to define t...

birddogger2

To add to what ckirsch wrote: A number of years ago, NSTRA trials were recognized under the FDSB /American Field umbrella and their results were reported in the American Field magazine. In an effort to respond to one of those "which is better" questions I tabulated all of the NSTRA trials reported i...

birddogger2

Very well said. There vary degrees of the pointer activity. A novice hunter if directly put to a breeder of foot hunting pointers will be quite pleased with their pointer. I done my research when I first had interest in pointers to find that breeder. I eventually evolved into field trial pointers t...

birddogger2

I have had pointers all my life and will never have another breed. I love what they do and how they do it... but I grew up with them. Pointers have indeed changed over the decades, in terms of their temperament, Whele and his Elhew dogs saw to that. But some things have not changed. Pointers ain't p...

birddogger2

I register all of mine because I MAY compete with them and I get a 5 gen pedigree because I think it is cool to see where they came from.

But,honestly, if you are not going to compete with, test, or breed the dog then it makes little sense to register.

RayG

birddogger2

GnM- I agree with cJ on waiting to spay your female, whether or not she turns out to be fantastic. I would say one year old...at a minimum... to allow the youngster to attain full growth. That is just my own opinion. Five feet high is NOT high for a male that wants to breed, so a top is a must. Ther...

birddogger2

Joe - As has been said, when the dog is actively searching for game and hesitates before engaging in chase, it is sending a message. One of the reasons I do heel/whoa drills from the time a pup is 4 months old is to "encourage" that "hesitation". The pup, some times, will go to the stopped position ...

birddogger2

First time trainer, got pup at 7weeks, female pup now 1yr1mth old. Pup points, but sometimes moves to see bird release. I first used pheasant size release and tried to hide but pup may have got used to seeing release at least 50% of the time. Pup creeped, usually around to see release. I probably l...

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