steady to flush

[Firstdog]

After spending the entire day thinking about my dog chasing birds all over the country, I realize need to teach her steady to flush. I have done some research and I think I want her to be steady to flush. Up until now, that is what she has been. I did not teach her that, she just did it. Through this I have learned on thing, if you can, always train on wild birds. I have the next five days for bird hunting. Here is my plan.

I plan on putting her on a cc and tying it to me. When the birds flush, I will tell her to sit. If she doesn't comply, I will give her a little tug on the cc to focus her. If that doesn't work, I plan on walking to her while using the cc to keep her from moving towards the where the birds went, then make her sit. I think she will get this with in the first hour or so. If not, I have an entire week to help her understand. Basically, when the bird flushes, I want her to sit, and watch the bird until I release.

Now please understand I have only had a hunting dog 6 months, and up until now, everything has been pretty easy. She has just done everything after the first couple of tries. I have feeling I'm in for a long road on this one, so any advice would be awesome. How far off base am I.

[Sharon]

I'm no expert but that isn't what I do and it works well.
( Is she 6 months or have you had her 6 months?)

6 month pup ( pointing breed?)- let her teach herself that if she breaks the bird will be gone. She will start to creep and eventually staunch up herself and let you get in front to flush. At 6 months , I'd give it a couple months like this before I intervened in any way. Let her learn; don't teach her.
jmo

PS Teaching her to sit on the flush is going to make it more difficult for her to mark the fall of the bird for that eventual retrieve someday.

Then again maybe she is a flushing breed and I'm totally off base.

[Firstdog]

sorry she is a griffon mix. The issue is her running off when a bird flushes and I was lead to believe sitting would help her mark.

[BirdieBoiler]

I let my dog teach herself. When she was first getting started I would put the birds in cover where they would easily see her coming so when she would creep too close or bust in they would flush BUT do not shoot the bird. If you are wanting the dog to stay steady to flush don't shoot the bird unless they do stay steady. It should be a reward for the dog to have the bird shot to it. Then once she got further along and would just slighty creep before she lock up, I started using remote launchers. As soon as she got birdie and started to move in that direction and slow down as though she was about to go on point or slowly creep, release the bird. I could be wrong in my method but its my first time around and it has worked very well. I didn't start working my GSP on birds until she was about 10 months. I gave her time to mature, bond, and get some of the yard work down. Now that she has seen around 10-15 birds a week for 3 months she steady to flush.

[natetnc]

it is common practice never to teach a pointing breed to sit around birds like that, you could very easily end up with a sitting griffon instead of a pointing griffon. in other words she might associate the two and start sitting on point or when she gets excited.

if you have a good many wild birds for her to find, you really don't need to try so hard, she will learn on her own and there are few controlled situations that will teach her any better. let her learn, let her grow, it takes some dogs longer to figure it out as is the case with my dog. us newbies try to rush our dogs, something very easy to do but not so great for the dog, ease up and have fun.

[Dennmor]

I have a question, what exactly is the advantage to "steady to flush/shot"?
In most hunting situations isn't it an advantage to get to the bird as quickly as possible?
Of course its not good for your dog to chase flushed birds any distance if they are not downed. But the idea that your dog must wait for your command to go after a bird seems a bit perverse.
If the bird was wounded it might have the chance to put enough distance betwen its self and the dog so as to make a find and retrieve more difficult or, in sme cases, impossible.
Of course I'm sure that y'all kill every bird you shoot at with one clean shot.

Except for following rules in artificial testing conditions, wouldn't you want your dog breaking toward a flushed bird?
Again, I'm talking about day to day hunting situations.
I've been woking alot with my Munsterlander to have him steady to flush. He's learning this and I'm sure that he would even become quite good at it in time. I'm just not sure that I see the benefit.

I guess it has the most to do with what you want out of hunting, how structured you want it to be.
My Grandfather surely would have laughed at a dog that waited for someone to tell it to go get the bird!
I'm starting to think that "less" in hunting (as in most things in life)is better.
Later,
Dennmor

[Ditch__Parrot]

I have a question, what exactly is the advantage to "steady to flush/shot"?

IMO Steady to flush is a matter of safety for your dog. Have you ever seen a dog break for a bird that flushes low and someone doesn't see the dog when they shoot the bird ? I have, wasn't even my dog, it was the shooters dog and it still made my stomach contents curdle. If the dog would have jumped for the bird or the shooter had missed just a little behind and low it would have been a very very bad day. Lucky dog in my opinion. Doubt I'll ever hunt with him again. low bird = no bird. But it does happen. I don't do trials. I don't demand the absolute perfection that alot of people do. I was cussing a bit because Sadie creeped in trying to steal point on that bird. But I was darn glad when she took her usual 2 steps and stood there on the flush as she was well away from the near carnage.

Steady to shot would be nice for when there is muliple birds. Unfortunately I've seen this too many times. Dog on point, flush the bird and shoot, Dog breaks on shot tearing off in the direction of the bird rather you hit it or not and 2 or 3 more birds flush. Maybe I'll get around to steady to shot by next year

[R-Middleton]

Steady to flush means standing until the bird is flushed, Steady through flush means standing and letting the bird fly away. Steady to shot means going to retrieve at the shot. Wing, Shot and Fall means standing until being sent for the retrieve. That is the way I see it anyway. Most hunters are happy if the dog stands until the handler flushes the bird. I like the dog to stand until I shoot the bird at least. You should be able to call your dog back if you should "heaven forbid" miss the bird. To keep a dog steady through the fall requires a lot of training and the handler must be very self disciplined in order to keep the dog at that level of training. It doesn't take many times of shooting the bird when the dog is moving to set back a lot of training. A broke hunting dog is a joy to hunt with, but you have to pick your hunting partners very carefully. A broke dog will let some cripples get away because of the loss of time of being sent. After a dog is used to standing broke he will learn to mark falling birds much better, rather than chasing the rest of the birds over the hill.
Just my opinion!!!

Ray Middleton

[Dennmor]

IMO Steady to flush is a matter of safety for your dog. Have you ever seen a dog break for a bird that flushes low and someone doesn't see the dog when they shoot the bird ? I have, wasn't even my dog, it was the shooters dog and it still made my stomach contents curdle. If the dog would have jumped for the bird or the shooter had missed just a little behind and low it would have been a very very bad day. Lucky dog in my opinion. Doubt I'll ever hunt with him again. low bird = no bird. But it does happen. I don't do trials. I don't demand the absolute perfection that alot of people do. I was cussing a bit because Sadie creeped in trying to steal point on that bird. But I was darn glad when she took her usual 2 steps and stood there on the flush as she was well away from the near carnage.

Steady to shot would be nice for when there is muliple birds. Unfortunately I've seen this too many times. Dog on point, flush the bird and shoot, Dog breaks on shot tearing off in the direction of the bird rather you hit it or not and 2 or 3 more birds flush. Maybe I'll get around to steady to shot by next year

Good points.
My dog isn't so aggressive as to try to get to and grab a flushing bird, 'course he's only 9 mos.
But I agee with 100% with your "low bird-no bird" philosophy. I was taught, "Never shoot down at a bird".
dennmor