Too much dog?

[AHGSP]

AH you don't train range in a dog. God either gives them a big motor or he doesn't.

Bigsugar,
I would whole heartedly agree, they either have a motor or they don't, but it's up to us to train them when to idle it and when to rev it, is it not? You can teach a big going dog to hunt short by training in small fields with more birds than they can possibly run by. Conversely, you can make them stretch it out there(IF they have the motor and desire), before they're given their first contact somewhere down the edge. No motor, no go.... What we can't do, is take a dog with a 4 cylinder and make him run 800 yards on an edge, at least without whip running them.

Just my thoughts. Not necessarily right and not necessarily wrong.

[northern cajun]

AH you don't train range in a dog. God either gives them a big motor or he doesn't.

Bigsugar,
I would whole heartedly agree, they either have a motor or they don't, but it's up to us to train them when to idle it and when to rev it, is it not? You can teach a big going dog to hunt short by training in small fields with more birds than they can possibly run by. Conversely, you can make them stretch it out there(IF they have the motor and desire), before they're given their first contact somewhere down the edge. No motor, no go.... What we can't do, is take a dog with a 4 cylinder and make him run 800 yards on an edge, at least without whip running them.

Just my thoughts. Not necessarily right and not necessarily wrong.

Good post. I agree its not that complicated really.

Give me the hot ones "too much dog" every day of the week.

[jcbuttry8]

This is turning out to be a nice discussion. Everything I have seen so far with these dogs is they will range as they are bred to until they get into birds. It is real hard to fight breeding or natural instinct. More so getting them to go bigger not shorter. I think that most forget that when you take out the run in the discussion they are all expected to still perform the basics. They need to point and hold. Then it is up to us to determine how far from there. Those who trial need to take the full distance. I myself would only train to the flush, but back then I wasn't worried about trials, i cared more about not losing birds. My dogs left at the flush. Now, I have to fight my own instincts and change the way I train for what my new expectations are. Neither way is right or wrong, it is just a matter of choice and game. I only have a pup but still see it. I can run her in a wide open field that is not planted and she will go 300 to 500 even bigger if I give her an older dog to pull her out. I have taken her hunting several times in small fields that were loaded with planted birds and she won't range out 6o yards. If there is scent around they will stay close. If they have nothing they will range.

My first big running dog was a GSP pup out of Rawhide's clown. I played heck getting myself used to a dog that ran that far, but with time I got better at it and once I learned how to handle him, he was the best quail dog i ever owned. It was alot less work on my part. I agree with the fact that you should start with the most you can get in a dog. I don't believe there is too much dog, but you as a handler no matter what your game is, must be comfortable with what you have and comfortable in handling and refining the dog into what you want. I would much rather start with more than I need then not enough. Generally, those who end up with more than they can handle either was talked into that dog or didn't do enough homework. Again, it is dificult to determine that in a pup, but if you have a breeder that consistantly has pups that run big and you want a foot hunter that has short range, that is not the pup for you. Unless you have the experience to maintain and cut appropriately.


M2C,

Joe

[Buckeye_V]

Amen brothers in bird dogs! Sing it! uh -huh mmmmmm...........