hey everyone im new here. I am currently hunting for my prefect dog, and hoping to find a great yellow lab.
my question is this, aside from basic obedience, how do i go about starting a dog on learning how to flush birds? now keep in mind im looking for a lab, which i will use in hte blind for geese and ducks, but i would also like to use him/her for grouse. so how do i "teach" a lab to effectively flush?
tips for a rookie
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sudiegirl
when my husband used our lab to flush grouse, he had a problem getting him to leave his heel (since he had only hunted him in dove fields and duck blinds for the first 5 years of his life) so he would take him out into the woods and throw rocks and tell him to fetch or cast him and tell him to "hunt dead".... using commands he understood and just sort of hoping that he would get a facefull of feathers along the way(which he did). after that bo knew what he was looking for and loved it.
labs are great dogs (dont get me wrong, i love mine), but we hoped to find more of an upland specialist in the gsp and DK. we now have a gsp and a DK that are much more effective in the grouse woods than the old lab, and the dk has proved to be a great retriever, quite a pleasure in the dove field, and can swim circles around lab (who is a pretty powerful swimmer). it is nice to have a dog that will hunt with you in all your hunting venues. but most importantly, go with a dog that will suit you the best!! good luck to you and have a fun search!!
labs are great dogs (dont get me wrong, i love mine), but we hoped to find more of an upland specialist in the gsp and DK. we now have a gsp and a DK that are much more effective in the grouse woods than the old lab, and the dk has proved to be a great retriever, quite a pleasure in the dove field, and can swim circles around lab (who is a pretty powerful swimmer). it is nice to have a dog that will hunt with you in all your hunting venues. but most importantly, go with a dog that will suit you the best!! good luck to you and have a fun search!!