quartering cue for pointing dogs

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khaselow
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quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by khaselow » Sun Sep 06, 2015 7:07 pm

Hi,

Wondering what you use to cue your pointing dog to quarter generally. Whistle? Voice command? What voice command and why?

thanks

Kent

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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Runningdog » Sun Sep 06, 2015 7:17 pm

Here and working with vibration on my 1225 sportdog collar...

RayGubernat
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by RayGubernat » Sun Sep 06, 2015 8:27 pm

I generally use a combination of verbal and visual to turn a dog. I don't want my dogs to quarter in the classic sense, but I do want them to hunt out in front of me.

When hunting I usually just change direction without verbalizing. The dog will see me heading in a different direction and then turn toward me. Over time, the dogs have learned, though cues with an e-collar, how far out from me I want them to operate. That obviously varies with the terrain and the situation.

When trialing, I turn the horse in the direction I want the dog to go and holler "HUT", because it barks out nice and strong and carries well. The dog looks up, see the horse's direction and cues off that(at least that is the theory). Sometimes it even works.

RayG

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Sharon
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Sharon » Sun Sep 06, 2015 8:35 pm

LOL

verbal command( one that carries well), hand signal used here

Neil
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Neil » Sun Sep 06, 2015 8:50 pm

Ray,

I once watched Doc Nitchman ride to the top of a small hill in Nebraska and run Sue all the way around two sections without saying a word to her, like you say by turning his horse. He did it clockwise, I asked if she could run counter clockwise, he responded with a humpth.

I have no need for a quartering dog, I use "whoop" to turn one. Start with the Buddy Stick, then the e-collar. The whistle means go, and go faster.

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Grange
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Grange » Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:40 pm

I'm a voice guy. I started with the whistle and tried using the same commands that I did when I trained my lab, but found out in my first season trialing that a whistle can be a recipe for disaster. I was braced with a pro who used two toots to send his dog out. Two toots was my signal to call in my dog. Needless to say that didn't work out well for me. We still got third place, but probably could have done better had I not had issues with the whistle. I can still use the whistle if needed, but my voice is often all I need.

For handling I don't like a quartering pattern with my setter especially when grouse hunting. My lab does quarter, but that is her natural pattern. My setter doesn't quarter, but wants to be out front. To handle my setter I just call toward the direction I want my dog to go. We generally hunt in heavier cover so my dog can't see me very often so taking visual clues doesn't work much. When I make a big direction turn I have a specific call that I use and it will let my dog know that we are turning. This actually works really well.

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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Trekmoor » Mon Sep 07, 2015 3:59 am

I use body language including an arm signal when the dog can see me and use a turn whistle when it cannot see me or when it is moving directly away from me. On open ground it is mainly body language, in woodlands it is mainly whistle.

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Big bloc
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Big bloc » Mon Sep 07, 2015 5:19 am

When pup was young at 6 months I ran her on 50ft CC. When she would get out to the edge I would whistle and hand signal and tug the rope in the way I was turning. At almost 4 years now I hardly say a word she will turn automatic. Nothing better than have a good train dog in the field. Good luck

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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by RayGubernat » Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:27 am

Neil wrote:Ray,

I once watched Doc Nitchman ride to the top of a small hill in Nebraska and run Sue all the way around two sections without saying a word to her, like you say by turning his horse. He did it clockwise, I asked if she could run counter clockwise, he responded with a humpth.

I have no need for a quartering dog, I use "whoop" to turn one. Start with the Buddy Stick, then the e-collar. The whistle means go, and go faster.
Neil -

Doc Nitchman was running dog in central NJ before I got into trials, but I knew a bunch of folks who competed with him and saw his dogs work in training on a regular basis. I personally never met or spoke to him. The story goes that when the subject of handling came up, Doc was known to say that he could put a doorway anywhere in the middle of an open field and he could then handle Smart through that doorway, from any direction.

RayG

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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Neil » Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:08 am

Ray,

I knew Doc before I spent the Summer with him, liked and respected him. Being with him everyday had its challenges, crusty does not go down well before your first cup of coffee. He taught me a lot, some of it about bird dogs.

Rather than hijack this thread, we ought to start one on "What old farts taught me".

Neil

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Tooling
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Tooling » Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:29 am

Body language as others described.

A beep tone on dogs Alpha when dog is far out in front in order for him to check in for my next cue (recall if I would like or start heading the direction I am going, whatever.)

And the occasional “hup”

…haven’t heard anyone mention “hup”…not fashionable any longer?

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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by shags » Mon Sep 07, 2015 9:40 am

Tooling wrote:Body language as others described.
And the occasional “hup"
…haven’t heard anyone mention “hup”…not fashionable any longer?
I use it...but then again I've been known to wear socks with sandals :lol:

jfwhit
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by jfwhit » Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:45 am

I use "Hup" when needed. He was trained by Ronnie Smith. "Hup" was used for quartering drills. In th field, he mainly just goes with me. If I turn, he turns. Without really saying anything. I use "Hup" or vibrate on Alpha to get his head back in the game if he is distracted. I think any noise, etc. will do that though.

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Sharon
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Sharon » Mon Sep 07, 2015 11:26 am

Neil wrote:Ray,

I knew Doc before I spent the Summer with him, liked and respected him. Being with him everyday had its challenges, crusty does not go down well before your first cup of coffee. He taught me a lot, some of it about bird dogs.

Rather than hijack this thread, we ought to start one on "What old farts taught me".

Neil

All right . Do it! :)( I learned lots from Joe Willer.)

khaselow
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by khaselow » Mon Sep 07, 2015 2:43 pm

thanks everyone

have a great labor day

Kent

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Rik
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Re: quartering cue for pointing dogs

Post by Rik » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:56 pm

The advent of the GPS for dogs and vibration and tone on ecollars has changed everything for my Setters. Now I let them hunt the cover where their nose takes them pretty much at any distance. I use the GPS to find them on point and the hunt is on.I turn them with a tone primarily if they are headed toward something I don't want them to get to. I use the vibration to have them come to me at best possible speed.

I still use a whistle to turn and recall as a back up to the electronics. Pups had no problem learning two signals for the same command.

The only exception to this approach is when I put the dogs down in one of those 3,000 acre patches of short grass prarie. There I turn the dogs several times as they head out. This shortens them where I can see them ( or least their tails) to 100 yards or so. That's as close as I come to quartering.

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