Will this "ruin" a bird dog?

[dougroch]

Years ago when I was in my early teens, my uncle chastised me for shooting a rabbit (in season) in front of his bird dogs while we were grouse hunting. His argument was that his dogs seeing me shoot a rabbit would make them think we were hunting rabbits and not birds and thus ruin them as bird dogs. Now that I have my own bird dogs I wonder if there is any truth to this?

[Sharon]

Highly unlikely.

[Mountaineer]

Depends upon what the birddog was doing regarding the rabbit.

[Neil]

It won't ruin him, but do it often enough and is going to start hunting them, and perhaps pointing them, but if your shooting them, why would you care? It is not like he will give up on grouse.

I shoot them for my Boylins, but not over my Britts, I am with your uncle, it is not seemly. And although a nonevent in field trails, if he is standing around pointing rabbits he is not winning anything.

You decide.

[Legband]

I run GSPs and they were used on small game of all kind , my pups have always tried to point little critters , they are easily discouraged at a very young age but unless you want varmints why confuse the dog.

[41magsnub]

I won't do it to my dog. Right now when she sees a rabbit or deer, she reacts to the movement, stares for a sec, then gets back to bird business. I've heard stories of folks that screwed that up and it took a fair bit of work to get the dog to stop going after non-birds. No personal experience there, but I'd rather not test it.

[jimbo&rooster]

When my dogs are working well to the front I will occasionally whack a bunny that I bump but never in front of or around the dog. I just pick it up and act like its a non issue.

Jim

[aulrich]

Folks do it all the time in Europe, fur is part of the German V-dog hunt test after all, so it depends on your goals.

[CDN_Cocker]

If ya got yourself a proper spaniel you wouldn't have to worry about this. Fur and feather is all fair game

[markj]

Shucks, I once had a shorthair would catch them bunnies and kill em. Leave them there and move on. musta hated them bunnies for some reason..

[walkos5]

My Britt will point a rabbit now and then, even chase them down but not when there are birds hanging around. I have to admit though there aren't a lot of rabbits in my bird hunting areas, and I guess it could be a problem in areas with a better rabbit population.

[Del Lolo]

Bunnies are good to eat.
Why not do both ?

[TXShooter]

Years ago a friend and I shot a few rabbits while hunting quail with a Britt I had at the time (Best dog I've ever had).

We did not shoot any of the rabbits in front of him. He never saw any of the kills. But I believe he smelled them in our vests and after that he became a rabbit hunting machine. It took a lot of work to get him to stop. I will never do it again.

[Trekmoor]

I never used to think a rabbit interested hunting/pointing dog would be much of a problem. I am now beginning to wonder just what I have created with my present 10-11 months old Brittany pup. I allowed her to hunt and point rabbits because I don't hunt birds during their nesting season. Twice now while hunting her and a vizsla at the same time I have seen both dogs go onto simultaneous points towards the same area. I sent the Brittany in to make the flush which turned out to be a rabbit each time . That was O.K. but the vizsla had remained a few yards back on point. I told her to "get in" and on the first occasion two pheasants the Brittany had to have moved right past on her way to flush the rabbit erupted from the grassy cover. Same thing happened the second time the Brittany pointed except that this time the vizsla only flushed one pheasant behind her.

The Brittany does point pheasants but at the moment she seems to prefer rabbits. She is the first pointing dog I have "started" on rabbits instead of birds and she may be the last one.

Bill T.