Gun Dog Forum

I posted a while back about my pup not responding to pigoens in the launcher and got some good feedback.So I went back to basics. My issue is my pup 6 month britt is not using her nose to find birds. when she see's or hears a songbird or a pigoen she gets exited and sometimes points naturaly. I have let her chase birds and she has a good prey drive but when it comes to dizzy birds or launcher birds there is no response she shows no interest mostly in launcher birds "when it comes to smell". I know I am using the right training methods when working with the launcher or a dizzy bird in the brush. It's almost like she is not connecting the dots. Some have told me she just as not started using her nose yet or that she is just not going to be a good hunting dog. I have been patient and have stuck to the same mothod with no results.

She's only six month's old, don't give up on her. PM Gertie and ask her about it. She was here with her pup at about 5 or 6 months and Gertie, the pup, wasn'[t using her's either. Then she met some of us over near French Glenn, Oregon the end of chukar season and we took her out happy timing, no guns. Well Gertie had a ball and ran into some birds and she came to life. Don't give up on your pup. If it's from anyking od decent blood it will turn on its nose.

Here's a photo og Gertie's first point ever over by French Glenn. She managed several more before we left for home. Holly, Gerties owner, took the photo.




Don't give up, don't get discouraged. She'll turn it on when the time is right for her.

I was thinking of getting her on some wild birds. thought that might spark something.

Don't get discouraged. It is too early to give up. Dogs mature at their own individual rate. Just had a foster kid learn to ride a bike at age 10. Never say never.

Keep the pup going and let her find herself, they develop stages of their hunting based on the exposure you give them. They to learn by trial and error, IMO do some work in grassland were she has to use her nose. Just a enough so you can still see the pup, hide some birds in there she will use her nose .....

Good luck and never give up she will never give up on you !

Not sure how much you have been working with her but she might just be due for a break or reset. I agree with the some of the other comments about them all maturing at different rates. You might try removing the bird piece altogether as she may be sensing your frustration. Stay positive and she will come around!

Did you do a lot of "Wing on a String" training? Something I would do is try planting birds in very light cover or short grass where the bird can see the dog coming and I would do away with the launchers until she is using her nose.

TraditionsGSPs2010 wrote:Not sure how much you have been working with her but she might just be due for a break or reset. I agree with the some of the other comments about them all maturing at different rates. You might try removing the bird piece altogether as she may be sensing your frustration. Stay positive and she will come around!

+1 , take a month off even....

I'd give her that first year to have fun and be a pup, she'll figure things out. Dogs seem to react differently to planted birds compared to wild birds. One day the light will come on and the rest will be history. She's only a kid.

I'll give you two tricks to either test or introduce more nose usage.
1) Take a wing on a string, or rag for that matter, and apply a few drops of bottled quail scent on it. Then work your pup on it at night. You will most likely see that your pup is using it's nose just fine, if not, work it some on the wing to build up some enthusiasm. The reason this takes place at night is to take a substantial amount of the sight pointing out of the equation.
2) Feed your pup at night and divide his feed into small portions, and hide them around the yard. In no time your pup will be hunting for it's meal by scent, and kickin' butt doing it. He will even be hunting long after he has found all of his food.
I do both of these procedures with every pup I get as part of my 'puppy development' program. I think they go a long way to making a pup use and trust their nose from 8 weeks on.

#1 - Take the launchers and put them away. There will be time for those later.

#2 - Take some time off

#3 - Get her into LOTS of bird contact without launchers. Wild, planted, etc. You might find a local club putting on a trial, test or event where there will be lots of birds. Run the pup afterwards in likely spots and let her fill he rnose with all of that good scent.

#4 - Don't give up.

Start hiding her toys and treats, make her seek em out with the nose. She will transfer that to field work when she is older. I let 6 month olds run around, teach em come, sit, stay just little things like that. Obedience is key when moving to field training.

Sniperjon,

You just got tons of really good advise here. My advice is hang in there, don't rush things. I had two Britt pups, same father, different mothers, born two weeks apart. The male would track, point and retrieve naturally at 6 months. The female was the complete opposite. She even stepped on a poor flying pen raised quail once and didn't realize it. When she was a year old, I told the wife she needed to be a family pet, not a bird dog. By the second grouse season, it was like a light bulb turned on inside her, and she wound up being in the top 3 dogs I have ever owned. Patience, my man, patience.

Love your pup establish a bond and teach it to come when called. Trust the bloodline and be patient you have many more years with the dog.

Take one pigeon and put it in a small wire cage. Get your pup on a 20ft check cord and let it go towards the caged bird and if the interest is there hold her back about five foot. If she wants it, pick up the pup and put her back in the pen. Just start by giving her a taste of it again. Just reintroduce the whole idea to her again.