duck hunting

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birdhuntw/brittanys
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duck hunting

Post by birdhuntw/brittanys » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:55 am

has anyone tried brittanys as duck dogs? im a new britt owner and i was curious at how versatile these dogs are.

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Ruffshooter
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Re: duck hunting

Post by Ruffshooter » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:00 pm

Yep! I have one finished working on two more. Mine are "French Brits" But they handle cold well, fit nicely in canoe or blind, love doing it. even Geese. :D ImageImage
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.

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birdhuntw/brittanys
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Re: duck hunting

Post by birdhuntw/brittanys » Wed Sep 01, 2010 5:24 pm

thanks, what age did you start your dogs? my britt is 5 months and will sit, stay, and do the basics. she will retrieve a dummy but only 5 or 6 times then something clicks in her brain and she wont do anymore. am i starting her to early you think?

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ezzy333
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Re: duck hunting

Post by ezzy333 » Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:51 pm

Not too young but just too long. Only do it a couple of times and quit while she wants more.

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Ruffshooter
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Re: duck hunting

Post by Ruffshooter » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:01 am

Buster has never liked dummies. Especially when it misses birds. :wink:

I had him in water right from a pup. Using bumpers, dead birds and on occasion a live quail.
I did a little NAVHDA dead duck drags, some live duck and dead duck marks, and I did not hold him steady for the first year. I wanted him to really want it. My thought right or wrong is they are not labs and not wired quite the same so build the desire to want to be duck hunting and understand the difference. Also put decoys on the ground and just left them hanging around so he was used to them and not wanting to pick them up. Also put dead birds in amongst them for some of his retrieves. Just don't push the bumpers, in fact every so often, just give him a couple that he is excited about and stop for a few days or even a week. Make him want it. Any way that is my way with my brits.

Mostly I started the duck hunting around 1.5 years. But I would not go out for 4 or five hours just for a couple. In fact the first few hunts were jump shooting on streams. He got plenty of regular bird work and hunting. By his second season he was FF trained and pretty well finished on all gun dog stuff. once you have ff done you can do simple hand signals. All of the intracate, lab hand signal stuff is not needed. You just need to get your dog down wind of the bird and out to the area.

Remember that ducks are birds and britts are bird dogs they just smell different and the dog needs to swim, so let pup do puppy stuff. Let pup learn to be independent, confident, explore, chase and learn basic manners for now. Let that pup teach itself some stuff. Get it swimming for fun. That is your biggest hurdle that and wanting to pick up a wounded or dead duck.

Enjoy. They are good companions in the canoe or blind, and they most generally won't tip you over. :wink:
Rick
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.

Rick

fishvik
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Re: duck hunting

Post by fishvik » Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:19 am

Ruff, You said you hunt out of canoes. Being an old New Englander myself (that almost sounds like and oxymoron) I like to hunt out of one too. Are your dogs small enough to just grab and pull over the gunnel or do you have some sort of ladder/step that you use? I have a pup that is 8 mos old and already 50+ pounds and I can get him in without tipping using the paws on gunnel, grab head and push down method, but I've also made a light weight ramp out of 1/4 pvc pipe covered with oudoor carpet to make the job a little easier.

birdhuntw/brittanys
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Re: duck hunting

Post by birdhuntw/brittanys » Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:22 am

thanks ruff, im a 20 year old college student who loves the outdoors and loves to hunt. im just going into this bird dog thinkg kinda blind. my dad has always had beagles for rabbit hunting, but i love bird hunting. i thought i could read some books to learn but everyone seems to have a different way of starting dogs.

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Ruffshooter
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Re: duck hunting

Post by Ruffshooter » Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:37 am

I just pull em up. Buster is around 55 pounds. The others are smaller, and can do the head thing most of the time. Much of the time we are up against the Cat tails or Marsh bush that they can walk on and into the canoe.

Bhw/Brit: First year I think it is important for the dog to get bold, birdy, independent and confident, with good manners of the general house training and basic whoa training. I believe, If you have those things you can get through most anything.

Remember that retriever guys and gals are very strict in the obedience right from young puppy hood because most of their work is directly related to what the handler tells them. They to have to have independence but they are more disiplined in the obedience for the complex work that many will do in trials and tests. Non trial or test dogs, pure hunting may go to the same level, but probably will do simple blinds and the ability to do tripple marks and that will be it execpt for the obedience and manners in the blind. (depends on the person and what they want).

You have a pointing dog and it should be trained and started as such and add the other training as is appropriate. Join NAVHDA, you will learn a lot right there. Birds, ducks and tracking all in one package with the little brit. Plenty of training opportunities, plenty of help and knowledge.

You will love it.
Rick
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.

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Rick Hall
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Re: duck hunting

Post by Rick Hall » Fri Sep 03, 2010 5:30 am

My Brittanys (and setters) have hunted waterfowl, as well as upland stuff, and the current one has done so at a pretty advanced level working for a commercial lodge. Had to vest him when it was cold, but that was his only concession.

It's important that my dogs be calm and steady and handle well enough to recover long fly-offs they didn't see go down, so the "upland" dogs have had the same sort of training in those regards that my retrievers have from early puppyhood, while also wanting them to have serious wheels in the uplands, and there's a "trick" to it. That being to compartmentalize handler oriented training like OB and retrieving work from independent search time, where they need no more focus on me than that necessary to keep tabs on me while learning things only the field and birds can teach them.

Separating the two, in terms of time and place, makes it easy for Pup to apply his focus properly. As in "training" situations, he'll know that you are running "the only game in town," and not be distracted from his lessons by hope of checking out a distant fence row. And in "exposure" situations, he'll not be distracted from exploration by whether you're apt to require something else of him. Later, once both training and independent search have been well established separately, they can be integrated without stepping on each other's toes.

Have fun with that pup!
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Ruffshooter
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Re: duck hunting

Post by Ruffshooter » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:35 am

Rick: Thanks, You said what was in my head but could not get out properly.

Rick
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.

Rick

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