Gun Dog Forum

Question.

Sometimes on running roosters our dog gets too far ahead and flushes the bird out of gun range.

How do you keep a flushing dog from getting too far ahead when a bird is running?

I would guess this is something that the dog will learn with experience since there is no reward for flushing out of gun range. The dog will just have to figure out how far out he can be while still staying close enough to get the reward of a downed bird.

"sometimes"?

That's what they do.... all of em. Flushers, pointers, they all want to chase running birds. You have to control them with commands and the collar. That is, unless you can run right along with them. Try to push the birds into good cover with bare-ground border. Or better yet, use a blocker, preferably with a dog, up wind and tell him to keep moving, along with the dog. Back and forth... back and forth. The only way to get running birds to stick is to flank them or chase them into each other. If you have a bootlicker (dog that doesn't cover ground), you have to keep moving laterally. If there's any cover, those birds are going to run right back through you when they get to the blockers.

whistle sit.

Not really sure, mine do it naturally. The little black dog will run hard and cut the bird off, turning it back towards us and the big yellow dog usually will watch his line, and then they pinch the bird. Before i had two, we ran ALOT. If you dont want to run, teach the dog a whistle stop, then just stop him when he gets close to getting out of range.

rkappes wrote:Question.

Sometimes on running roosters our dog gets too far ahead and flushes the bird out of gun range.

How do you keep a flushing dog from getting too far ahead when a bird is running?

SIT or recall (HERE). Simple as that.



.

Doc E wrote:

rkappes wrote:Question.

Sometimes on running roosters our dog gets too far ahead and flushes the bird out of gun range.

How do you keep a flushing dog from getting too far ahead when a bird is running?

SIT or recall (HERE). Simple as that.



.

Thats how I do it. When my lab gets too far out she gets a "here" command and she will come back in then work her way back out. I refuse to go anyfaster than I would normally walk to shoot a bird. The thicker the cover the closer my dog, but I dont EVER want my dog anyfurther away than where they will push a bird up and my shot will be 30-35yds, that usually puts the dog at 20yds to my front. I miss a couple shots a year due to a wound up dog, but thats the breaks.

Jim

Thanks everyone for the input. This is her third season of hunting.

I think she covers a decent amount of ground.

I like the idea of the whistle sit command. How does it work in thick stuff?

Would a person want to recall the dog all the way back if the dog is working a bird or have a command so the dog turns and works back towards you but not all the way back?

When I use ‘HERE’ I want her to come all the way back to me and stay at my side until released. Sooo maybe I could use a ‘WORK IN’ or similar command?

here is what most do in my area. say there is 2 of you.
one goes with dog,other stands out in field ahead of dog.
dog works toward the hunter standing in field ahead.
up comes pheasant out to far for the dog hunter and his buddy gets it.

hunting yourself,try to stay real close to your flusher, if you see tail wagging, start hoofing it closer.

rkappes wrote:I like the idea of the whistle sit command. How does it work in thick stuff?

Would a person want to recall the dog all the way back if the dog is working a bird or have a command so the dog turns and works back towards you but not all the way back?

When I use ‘HERE’ I want her to come all the way back to me and stay at my side until released. Sooo maybe I could use a ‘WORK IN’ or similar command?

You could do that, but why call the dog back away from the bird?

I had this conversation with a spaniel field trial judge on a training day a few weeks back, watching a guy chase his dog as it went after a runner. What do you do? What do you expect handlers to do? Answer: whistle sit. It's the right answer in a hunting context, too, because stopping the dog hot on the bird's trail is a better move than calling it back off the bird's trail. Any flushing dog should have a 100% stop to whistle.

Not sure what you mean about thick stuff. I pretty much only have to stop my dog when I'm tangled up in the thick stuff ... but that may be because I'm always in the thick stuff.

My dog , two whistles means to come back by and check in, any more and he is to come to me, a single long whislte is sit and stay till i catch up.

Welsh, I agree, I didn’t think calling the dog all the way back when she’s hot on the trail would be useful but that’s just me. I like the idea of the whistle sit. Right now when I give two toots on the whistle it means here and stay by my side until released. We’ll have to start with some yard work and the whistle sit.

Haha, true, thick stuff as in cattails, red willows, brush, etc…so the whistle sit would work quite well in this situation. She loves bustin’ through the thick stuff!

This little gal has been a work in progress. Being a GSP/Springer mutt she likes to get out and run like a GSP but flushes hard like a springer. She will point from time to time but just doesn't seem to have a real great pointing instinct but flushes real hard. We attempted to bring the pointing instinct out of her a little more with launchers and pigeons but just didn't seem to help any.

She’s a fun little dog, I just want to give her the best chance to succeed and train her to be the best that I can, I don’t know much about flushing dogs so this is all very helpful.

My 5yr old springer had the same issue, he is now collar conditioned and with a beep of the collar he stops and starts back to me. I haven't had to correct him so far. He is on the soft side so the beep is all that is needed.

well if my lab gets too far out ahead I just call her back or use the tone on the ecollar and she comes back.
however, if i think she is on a bird i will just run to catch up.
thats how i do it but i am a hunter only, no tests or field trials

Northwoods wrote:however, if i think she is on a bird i will just run to catch up.
thats how i do it but i am a hunter only, no tests or field trials

If you hunt anything in thick cover, you will need to be able to stop the dog. Nothing worse than seeing that bird go up when you are hung up in cover with no kind of shot.

With young dogs I enforce come withe e-collar. With older dogs hup. I don't run with a loaded gun. Actually I don't run, ever.

I have heard others say not to use an e-collar around birds. I don't when else i need it.

I am glad this thread opened

Corry

I whistle turn a spaniel pushing a bird out of gun shot. I then have the dog continue to quarter the ground. Sometimes you can walk past game hiding in the cover to either side of the line the dog is following.

Bill T.

I agree with Trekmoor. I usually hunt alone so I pick thick covers. (I hardly see the dog, but folow him with my ears) I don't want him to line out, but keep him casting, figuring the runner will hold when it finds a good hiding spot, and where there was one there is often another.
Kinda like when the sober guy leaves the bar driving wild to lure the police away so the drunks can make a break far it.

I suppose that depends on how thick the birds are on the ground. If numbers are sparse, I wouldn't want the dog to keep casting but if there are lots of birds then it certainly makes sense.