Doves for bird intro?

[mudpuppy1299]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever used doves to introduce their pups to birds? Unfortunately there aren't any wild birds in my area and I am in the process of building a quail pen, but won't have the birds until early summer. Has any ever introduced their young pup to a dead dove for bird intro?

[AzDoggin]

For me it would be a last resort. Reportedly, there are even some trained dogs who hate doves. Seem's like the feathers dislodge easier than other birds and the dog always ends up with a mouthful of feathers.

I'll bet there is somebody on here who has done it successfully, tho

Edit - you'd be fine with live doves as teasers and flyaways for a pup. I just wouldn't use dead ones - may just be me, though.

[kensfishing]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever used doves to introduce their pups to birds? Unfortunately there aren't any wild birds in my area and I am in the process of building a quail pen, but won't have the birds until early summer. Has any ever introduced their young pup to a dead dove for bird intro?

Was stated before, most states doves are federally protected. That's why some states have a dove season and some don't. Check you regs before you start.

[ezzy333]

For me it would be a last resort. Reportedly, there are even some trained dogs who hate doves. Seem's like the feathers dislodge easier than other birds and the dog always ends up with a mouthful of feathers.

I'll bet there is somebody on here who has done it successfully, tho

Edit - you'd be fine with live doves as teasers and flyaways for a pup. I just wouldn't use dead ones - may just be me, though.

Plus I think it would be illegal in most states to use a migratory bird for training.

Ezzy

[Ron R]

I like to run pups in dove fields and let them chase when ever possible.

Edit - you'd be fine with live doves as teasers and flyaways for a pup. I just wouldn't use dead ones - may just be me, though.

I also see no use for a dead one.

[GUNDOGS]

Here in ontario, canada you cant hunt them OR use them for training..i would check regulations..ive heard dogs dont like to mouth them anyway, try pigeons until you can get quail..jmo....ruth

[mudpuppy1299]

Thanks for the info guys. Good point on the legality issue; I was just eyeing the flock of doves in my back yard and thinking they would be easy to access! I mentioned introducing a dead bird because it is what Huntsmith recommends in their puppy development video.

[AzDoggin]

Thanks for the info guys. Good point on the legality issue; I was just eyeing the flock of doves in my back yard and thinking they would be easy to access! I mentioned introducing a dead bird because it is what Huntsmith recommends in their puppy development video.

Many many years ago I had my .22 on a family camping trip with our very young pup (maybe 10-11 weeks). Shot a tweeter for my pup - she grabbed it and ran off and hid down in some laydown logs next to a creek. I was scared sh**less because I couldn't find her for the longest time. When I finally did, the bird was basically shredded. I'll say it served the purpose to stoke the fires in my pup, but wasn't executed quite the way I had it planned.

[birddogger]

I have never used a dead bird of any kind for intro. I want live birds to get them fired up.

Charlie

[kninebirddog]

Thanks for the info guys. Good point on the legality issue; I was just eyeing the flock of doves in my back yard and thinking they would be easy to access! I mentioned introducing a dead bird because it is what Huntsmith recommends in their puppy development video.

They use a smothered quail to intro a very young puppy to smelling and mouthing a bird and build up the interest in the bird and it is basically one time depending on the pups interest after that it is live birds

[PrairieGoat]

Legality depends on the type of dove......some of the states that have the invasive Eurasian Collared Dove allow shooting them yearround. That being said.....as the previous posters have said, and for all the same reasons, I would not use a dove (dead or otherwise) to introduce a dog to birds...

[Soignie]

Get yourself a pigeon and clip the wing feathers so it can move around but not fly away, turn the pup loose with the bird and stand back.

[tommyboy72]

The first real hunting my 13 month old EP pup did last year at 8 months was dove hunting in Sept. He retrieved every dove I shot all season before moving on to quail and pheasant. The dove is just the "bleep" cousin of the pigeon that so many use for training anyway. That being said the feathers do come out easily in the mouth of a hardmouth dog much easier than some other types of birds. If you want to use dead birds for bird intro I would use a frozen quail it helps keep a dog from becoming hardmouth since they do not really want to bite down on the frozen bird. Good luck.