Puppy problems

[Mnpheasanthunter33]

I have a 8 month old German wire haired pointer who went to a 10 week training program but she is still having some trouble with scenting birds. I've been using scent trainers for a while and put her on some pigeons but she still doesn't seem to smell the birds. She walks right over them sometimes. Does anyone have any exercises to help her start using her nose or does she just learn over time to use it?

[ezzy333]

If scent trainers are artificial scents you are buying in a bottle, get rid of them and just let the pup figure it out.

ezzy

[hettmoe]

If scent trainers are artificial scents you are buying in a bottle, get rid of them and just let the pup figure it out.

ezzy

Yes!

[Timewise65]

I had one dog that had the same problem, but only with doves. We took her on one of our early dove hunts when she was aound 6 months. She marked the fall perfectly, yet actually stood over the fallen bird and could not scent of see the darn thing layer at her feet. I found out later that dove and pigeon have a weak scent compared to all other game birds.

As this girl matured she became a top dog and SH! But compared to my many other dogs since her, she was the worst scent dog. She compensated for it with sight marking extremely well and displaying tons of drive on blind falls.

Good Luck

[ezzy333]

I had one dog that had the same problem, but only with doves. We took her on one of our early dove hunts when she was aound 6 months. She marked the fall perfectly, yet actually stood over the fallen bird and could not scent of see the darn thing layer at her feet. I found out later that dove and pigeon have a weak scent compared to all other game birds.

As this girl matured she became a top dog and SH! But compared to my many other dogs since her, she was the worst scent dog. She compensated for it with sight marking extremely well and displaying tons of drive on blind falls.

Good Luck

This has happened with practically every dog I have owned or worked with and it makes you wonder why. Something we will never know in all likelihood. I have never found it was related at all to specie of bird but more likely to scenting conditions at that time and place.

[Mnpheasanthunter33]

So should I just take her out to the field and have her figure out on her own?