Gun Dog Forum

how many use a release command when training a dog to point and what kind do you use....I think a big part of teaching a dog to be steady is to teach it a release command..... i took another video today to illustrate what i mean. http://sprigkennelsandsupply.com/dog-tr ... int-1.html

I use a tap on the head along with the call name. If I say her name she will stay. Tap and she will but use both and she is glue. Only if it were that easy to teach her to stay on the shot.

I don't train my dogs to point - they do that on their own. But once I train them to be steady they NEED a release to move on. Allright or gone away depending on how well I shoot.

I only give a release command for the retrieve or if I have a dog on whoa. I don't touch the dog to release it, just a simple "alright".

Spring,
Training a dog to be steady to wing and shot I believe is what you are trying to accomplish, if you are trying to teach your dog to point you have purchased the wrong
dog breed. Lots of different methods for training steady to wing and shot, all come down to repetition. However depending on what birds you are hunting you may not want to train your dog to be steady to wing and shot. Most Quail dogs on plantations are steady to wing and shot and another dog is used to flush and retrieve the Quail. Further if you are playing FT games, by all means make your dog steady to wing and shot.
However many Grouse dog, especially those in Pa where we have spooky Grouse, who reset their safety zone 3 or 4 times, before the dog is able to set the bird for gunning, a steady to wing and shot dog, who needs to be released each time before he relocates, can be very frustrating to hunt behind. So a lot depends on what birds you are hunting or what games you play, when you want your dog trained steady to wing and shot.
RGD/Dave

I use two whistles when I run my dogs. The first is loud with a lower tone. Double blast means to come. The other is a higher pitch. I blow it once to release dogs after wing and shot. I also make my dogs stand when I first turn them loose and wait on the whistle for release. Once the dogs are trained to the higher pitch, if I want them to hunt further out, a single blast will push them out.