breaking your dogs

[jstpnt1]

New to the GDF, but just curious, how many out there hunt with broke dogs? The full out steady to wing & shot type of broke?

[Ruffshooter]

Meeeee!!!

[Chukar12]

3 that are

...and 1 that breaks at the shot and I let her...she is too old and I am too soft to stop it...

[topher40]

All the dogs that I have that are old enough and ready to be broke are. Unfortunately at the moment I only have a bunch of derbies and puppies and one Sh Dog.

[Dave Quindt]

All of mine are, as are the pointing dogs of most of the folks I hunt with. It makes it easy as everyone knows what to expect the dogs will do

I hate to see game lost, especially those pesky pheasants, so I prefer to keep my dogs fully broke as it makes for a more accurate retrieving dog. The waterfowlers have figured out that keeping a broke retriever makes for more accurate retrieves of geese that can sail for hundreds of yards; shouldn't be too hard for a pointing dog to follow the flight of a wounded pheasant and make an accurate mark and retrieve.

Here's a rather grainy video clip I shot of a buddy of mine shooting a woodcock over my older dog a few years ago. If you look hard, you can briefly see the bird in the air before the shot. (hit the full screen button next to the volume control) Didn't catch the retrieve on this one; she ended up pointing another bird on the way to the dead one so things got rather interesting rather quickly. Sorry for the sound; the camera picks up the beeper tone a bit too well.

http://vimeo.com/channels/175728

FWIW,
Dave

[northern cajun]

All of mine are, as are the pointing dogs of most of the folks I hunt with. It makes it easy as everyone knows what to expect the dogs will do

I hate to see game lost, especially those pesky pheasants, so I prefer to keep my dogs fully broke as it makes for a more accurate retrieving dog. The waterfowlers have figured out that keeping a broke retriever makes for more accurate retrieves of geese that can sail for hundreds of yards; shouldn't be too hard for a pointing dog to follow the flight of a wounded pheasant and make an accurate mark and retrieve.

Here's a rather grainy video clip I shot of a buddy of mine shooting a woodcock over my older dog a few years ago. If you look hard, you can briefly see the bird in the air before the shot. (hit the full screen button next to the volume control) Didn't catch the retrieve on this one; she ended up pointing another bird on the way to the dead one so things got rather interesting rather quickly. Sorry for the sound; the camera picks up the beeper tone a bit too well.

http://vimeo.com/channels/175728

FWIW,
Dave

Thats the way I like to do it as well. By my count if I didnt have a broke dog I would have missed out on 22 extra woodcock shots this year.

[djloder]

All of mine are, as are the pointing dogs of most of the folks I hunt with. It makes it easy as everyone knows what to expect the dogs will do

I hate to see game lost, especially those pesky pheasants, so I prefer to keep my dogs fully broke as it makes for a more accurate retrieving dog. The waterfowlers have figured out that keeping a broke retriever makes for more accurate retrieves of geese that can sail for hundreds of yards; shouldn't be too hard for a pointing dog to follow the flight of a wounded pheasant and make an accurate mark and retrieve.

Here's a rather grainy video clip I shot of a buddy of mine shooting a woodcock over my older dog a few years ago. If you look hard, you can briefly see the bird in the air before the shot. (hit the full screen button next to the volume control) Didn't catch the retrieve on this one; she ended up pointing another bird on the way to the dead one so things got rather interesting rather quickly. Sorry for the sound; the camera picks up the beeper tone a bit too well.

http://vimeo.com/channels/175728

FWIW,
Dave

Very cool video!

[topher40]

All of mine are, as are the pointing dogs of most of the folks I hunt with. It makes it easy as everyone knows what to expect the dogs will do

I hate to see game lost, especially those pesky pheasants, so I prefer to keep my dogs fully broke as it makes for a more accurate retrieving dog. The waterfowlers have figured out that keeping a broke retriever makes for more accurate retrieves of geese that can sail for hundreds of yards; shouldn't be too hard for a pointing dog to follow the flight of a wounded pheasant and make an accurate mark and retrieve.

Here's a rather grainy video clip I shot of a buddy of mine shooting a woodcock over my older dog a few years ago. If you look hard, you can briefly see the bird in the air before the shot. (hit the full screen button next to the volume control) Didn't catch the retrieve on this one; she ended up pointing another bird on the way to the dead one so things got rather interesting rather quickly. Sorry for the sound; the camera picks up the beeper tone a bit too well.

http://vimeo.com/channels/175728

FWIW,
Dave

Welcome to the jungle!!!! I know why you need the beeper, you wouldnt ever find a dog in that stuff without it.

[Buckeye_V]

I broke and one not broke and one junior dog who will be broke eventually.

I prefer hunting over broke dogs myself. Less chance of accident as well.

[crazyboy]

That's the plan.

[kensfishing]

New to the GDF, but just curious, how many out there hunt with broke dogs? The full out steady to wing & shot type of broke?

The only way to play the game. No two ways around it.

[Tall Boy]

All of my dogs are completley steady, too great of a chance of a guest shooting a low flying bird.

[prairiefirepointers]

My dogs are not Steady to shot and fall. I don't want them that way. I prefer my dogs to be on top of that rooster the second it hits the ground. Too many times I've seen Roosters get pummeled like they were smacked out of the air with a tennis racket and take off high tailing.

Just my preference.

[helpful_cub]

My dogs are not Steady to shot and fall. I don't want them that way. I prefer my dogs to be on top of that rooster the second it hits the ground. Too many times I've seen Roosters get pummeled like they were smacked out of the air with a tennis racket and take off high tailing.

Just my preference.

Sounds like Chukar, its not unusual to need need both barrels to kill one. I prefer steady to wing and shot. My dog and I have invested a lot in training and I'd really hate for an accident to occur and mess all of our hard work up. He has a nose and I'm sure he can track them down.

[nikegundog]

My dogs are not Steady to shot and fall. I don't want them that way. I prefer my dogs to be on top of that rooster the second it hits the ground. Too many times I've seen Roosters get pummeled like they were smacked out of the air with a tennis racket and take off high tailing.

+1, I have never worried about shooting my dog or anyone's dog. If its low flying you just let it go.

[AZ Brittany Guy]

Meeeee!!!

Meeee too

[slistoe]

broke dogs for me. The arguments put forth to justify unbroke dogs are unfounded in my experience. The benefits to hunting over broke dogs in terms of shooting and opportunities have proven out to be very real. But... the real reason I hunt over broke dogs is - I enjoy it more.

[prairiefirepointers]

My dogs are not Steady to shot and fall. I don't want them that way. I prefer my dogs to be on top of that rooster the second it hits the ground. Too many times I've seen Roosters get pummeled like they were smacked out of the air with a tennis racket and take off high tailing.

+1, I have never worried about shooting my dog or anyone's dog. If its low flying you just let it go.

If I have to worry about some Hack shooting at a low flying bird and run the possibility of shooting my dog, I simply go afield with different people.

I understand its different strokes for different folks.. Some want broke dogs for FTing. I completely understand that. My dogs don't, so that's never an issue. They're wild bird dogs. My dogs are tuned to my style, just as Dave Q's & Tallboy's are to theirs.

[ezzy333]

My birddogs are wild sometimes too. We do hunt pheasants mostly so I have never tried to train STW&S as it hasn't been important and I do see them getting to a bird quicker when it drops. I think I would train it though if I was hunting covey type birds as it would lessen the possibility of flushing more birds when it reacts to the bird that is shot.

Ezzy

[cmc274]

I am in favor of a broke dog as it allows me to control the situation (most of the time). I miss enough birds that a broke dog saves a lot of energy by not chasing birds (funny, laugh). Also, if you ever want to guide or teach a youngster, I think it is essential for the safety of the dog (or at least for my nerves). I would have turned down an invitation to guide a preserve hunt for some military personnel & their children this upcoming weekend if I didn't have a broke dog.

If I hunted pheasants or grouse solo or with a couple of buddies on a regular basis and didn't train my dog to play in the various games available, I could see why it would not be necessary to train and maintain that level.

[madmurph]

"But... the real reason I hunt over broke dogs is - I enjoy it more."

Slistoe, I agree 100% with that statement. It is just plain awesome to just watch a broke dog.

Now having said that, I hunt over one dog that is fully broke and one dog that is not. I don't enjoy hunting with one over the other, but..........wow, that broke dog is sure great to watch!!

[jarbo03]

While waterfowl hunting my lab and britt were both broke. When upland hunting they would not take after a bird when flushed, would move in that direction but wait for bird to be hit before going into retrieve mode.

[birddogger]

I think, with the exception of a few, people do not want to admit they don't break STWS. It is a personal preference and the type of terrain and birds hunted, but I will bet that the vast majority of hunting dogs are not broke all the way through. I don't do it myself, just because I haven't found the need for it. However, I see no down side to it either if you are willing to put in the time and work to maintain it and maintain the dog's style.

Charlie

[gonehuntin']

I don't. I want mine on that pheasant as soon as possible. No distractions. When I use her in a duck blind, she's steady.

[Tall Boy]

I don't have the luxury of choosing everybody who gets to shoot over my dogs, and I have a lab on the wagon for retrieving. When I judge an "operation" I must say that I dislike dogs that are not broke, just means less training for whatever reason. If I'm watchin a TV show and the dogs aren't broke I automatically look down on the handler....that only really pertains to quail.

[gonehuntin']

You know, Tall Boy, I think it depends a lot on the birds. If I hunted quail, I wouldn't consider having a dog that wasn't broke. For grouse and woodcock, it doesn't make much difference. Pheasant, I want the dog on those tough, running, buggers, fast.

I hunt a lot of grouse and woodcock, but my passion is pheasant. When I was hunting grouse and woodcock only, my dog's were rock steady to wsf. I tried it on pheasant and just flat lost too darn many birds so "un-broke" them.

You can't have it both ways.

[slistoe]

I tried it on pheasant and just flat lost too darn many birds so "un-broke" them.

Pure fallacy IME.

[ezzy333]

You know, Tall Boy, I think it depends a lot on the birds. If I hunted quail, I wouldn't consider having a dog that wasn't broke. For grouse and woodcock, it doesn't make much difference. Pheasant, I want the dog on those tough, running, buggers, fast.

I hunt a lot of grouse and woodcock, but my passion is pheasant. When I was hunting grouse and woodcock only, my dog's were rock steady to wsf. I tried it on pheasant and just flat lost too darn many birds so "un-broke" them.

You can't have it both ways.

Another think is I hunt with hunters that have never seen a trial and aren't interested in them and we all hunt pheasants. There is not a single one of them that have a dog broke to be steady after the shot. I agree wih the pheasant hunting that the quicker the dogs get there the better and I also cherish my time with friends in the field and it is hard to keep a dog broke when none of the others are. If there is a choice, hunting wih friends wins everytime. And I am always going to do everything I can to recover every bird that is shot.

Hunting covey birds is a whole nother ball game.

Ezzy

[jstpnt1]

I have a professional trainer friend that keeps his trial dogs broke during the trial season(s), but lets them break at the shot during the hunting season. He claims it just isn't that hard to bring them back to being broke, especially since they'll know the difference between hunting and trialing. I, personally, found it pretty difficult. I just didn't know how others looked at keeping them broke during the hunting season.

[Tall Boy]

You know, Tall Boy, I think it depends a lot on the birds. If I hunted quail, I wouldn't consider having a dog that wasn't broke. For grouse and woodcock, it doesn't make much difference. Pheasant, I want the dog on those tough, running, buggers, fast.

I hunt a lot of grouse and woodcock, but my passion is pheasant. When I was hunting grouse and woodcock only, my dog's were rock steady to wsf. I tried it on pheasant and just flat lost too darn many birds so "un-broke" them.

You can't have it both ways.

My only experience is on quail, and the occasional woodcock.. but the way pheasants run and how big they are I can believe that a dog flashpointing can be beneficial. Do you require your dogs to hold until you try flush, or do you let them flush the bird?

P.S. Bird dogs and flyrods...you sound like me! I have a 17' flats boat that I use to throw flies at redfish around the bays and flats down here.