What if you didn't have traiing birds
What if you didn't have traiing birds
I'm sure I'm no the only person out there who doesn't have access or the ability to raise or keep birds for training. But I still want to train my dog as good as I can. So my question is what would i use for training?
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Ruffshooter
- GDF Junkie
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- Location: Maine
Re: What if you didn't have traiing birds
You do your yard work and obedience just the same. Field work, you go to your hunting grounds even if it can only be every couple weeks. Fi nd wild birds. Best thing anyway. Training birds make wild bird training events easier.
Rick
Rick
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.
Rick
Rick
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Big Dave
- Rank: 2X Champion
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- Location: Northwest Missouri
Re: What if you didn't have traiing birds
You are going to have to have birds to have a birddog. You can try and find wild birds in the off season for training, find a birddog club that has training days, go to a hunting preserve or find a trainer.
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Prairie Hunter
- Rank: Master Hunter
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- Location: Overland Park, KS
Re: What if you didn't have traiing birds
There is no substitute for birds when training a dog. Do you have any place near you where you can buy birds the day before you plan to go training. They will keep for a day in a cage in your garage, backyard, etc. Of, buy birds on the way to the field.
Re: What if you didn't have traiing birds
Contact your local pest control specialist and see if he has any pigeons you can get cheap. Give him 2 bucks a bird and tie a piece of cardborad to the birds leg with some yarn. Next you plant the birds and get to training.
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RayGubernat
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Re: What if you didn't have traiing birds
Jason -
You only need training birds, of any kind, in any number, when you are getting a dog staunch or steady(your choice). Once the dog is steady or staunch, you only need a bird here and there to let them know that the rules have not changed. Other than that... hunt the dog.
As mentioned above pigeons can be used very effectively and pigeons are available from many different sources including area farms, underpasses, business building roofs, homing pigeon fanciers. Pigeons work the best with remote launchers(I think), but manual launchers or a five sided wire basket works fine too.
You can keep birds in a surplus medium dogcrate. I made a drop in floor out of a sheet of luan for the bottom, a half dozen 1/2 X 3/4" slats as spacers and a layer of 1/2 hardware cloth on top. I cut a hole in the upper half of the back of the crate and fashioned a swinging door big enough to put in a feeder and waterer. I can keep a dozen to fifteen quail or 8 pigeons in it for 2 weeks with no problem. Once empty of birds, I pop out the floor, wash out the accumulated poop, clean upo the inside of the crate and let it dry, then pp the foloor back in and ...ready to go again.
The Post Ofice will not tell you this because they hate it...but you can order birds...live adult quail, from suppliers and have them delivered through the US Mail to your local Post Office. You have to go to the Post Office to pick them up. That they do not deliver.
RayG
You only need training birds, of any kind, in any number, when you are getting a dog staunch or steady(your choice). Once the dog is steady or staunch, you only need a bird here and there to let them know that the rules have not changed. Other than that... hunt the dog.
As mentioned above pigeons can be used very effectively and pigeons are available from many different sources including area farms, underpasses, business building roofs, homing pigeon fanciers. Pigeons work the best with remote launchers(I think), but manual launchers or a five sided wire basket works fine too.
You can keep birds in a surplus medium dogcrate. I made a drop in floor out of a sheet of luan for the bottom, a half dozen 1/2 X 3/4" slats as spacers and a layer of 1/2 hardware cloth on top. I cut a hole in the upper half of the back of the crate and fashioned a swinging door big enough to put in a feeder and waterer. I can keep a dozen to fifteen quail or 8 pigeons in it for 2 weeks with no problem. Once empty of birds, I pop out the floor, wash out the accumulated poop, clean upo the inside of the crate and let it dry, then pp the foloor back in and ...ready to go again.
The Post Ofice will not tell you this because they hate it...but you can order birds...live adult quail, from suppliers and have them delivered through the US Mail to your local Post Office. You have to go to the Post Office to pick them up. That they do not deliver.
RayG