FLUSHER WITH POINTER

[travis@hedgehollow]

I just bought a finished pointer.He is awesome but have been hunting the past few years with my yellow lab and i love to hunt with him also.The lab listens very well and was wondering how hard is it on my pointer to hunt them together?If I can make my lab sit and stay while pointer is on point I dont think it would matter and my lab is a far better retreiver than the pointer so I would love to hunt them together but just dont know???? any ideas???

[jcbuttry8]

Go for it. I know of a few guys that use a lab with a pointer. There pointers are broke and trial and they don't allow them to retrieve. They do exactly what you are talking about. They keep the lab with them until it is time to flush and then they release the lab, shoot, and the lab retrieves. I haven't seen it but I would imagine it is a great way to hunt if you have the dogs. Good luck.

Joe

[dead mike]

I hunt with both. Use the lab for close work and flushing and retrieving. Great combo

[rkappes]

I hunt with both. Use the lab for close work and flushing and retrieving. Great combo

Same here

[Neil]

I have been doing it for years, and it works better in theory than in practice. My dogs are well trained with manners. The pointing dogs will stop to flush. The flushing dogs honor the point or flight. But it takes a lot of training and most times it doesn't work as well as planned. I have found it just easier to hunt the flushers in tight cover and the pointers in more open ground. And I have 3 of each, were I to only have two dogs, no question I would hunt them seperately, so one is fresh.

But try it for yourself.

[travis@hedgehollow]

Thanks for all the input i agree i do think it will or would be a chalange but we will see i guide alot of hunts here so it is good to keep one fresh

[jimbo&rooster]

Thanks for all the input i agree i do think it will or would be a chalange but we will see i guide alot of hunts here so it is good to keep one fresh

I would be leary about running a pointer and flusher together in front of clients untill both dogs were 100%. I have found that if the pointing dog will stand his birds, and is steady to the fall (mine is not) even with another dog breaking (it will happen) then the biggest issue will be with the lab. It took me along time to get my lab to "honor" the pointing dog and let me go in for the flush. She had a tendency to want to run past the GSP and knock birds. The other issue I had was that my lab had a tendency to want to be out on the fuzzy edge of gun range when the GSP was out working. The same lab works at a very comfortable range when alone or with another close working flusher.

I have gotten to the point where it is easier for me to run one or the other. I enjoyed working both dogs together and it was very productive. But watching the pointing dog work, and keeping an eye on the flusher all the time made hunting feel like work. I dont hunt with anyone else most of the time so that might make a difference, but after 3 seasons of it, I just decided I will run one or the other.

I can see using the lab as a non slip retriever that heeled around the field with me to flush and pick up birds, but all of my pointing dogs will retrieve so i dont really see the point.

Jim

[travis@hedgehollow]

I agree thats my biggest concern is the lab messing up the pointer.The lab will heel and whoo but keeping him away for pointer would be hard and the pointer does reterive well also so maybe seperate is still the best and have a fresh dog ready to go is best.

[tdhusker]

I agree thats my biggest concern is the lab messing up the pointer.The lab will heel and whoo but keeping him away for pointer would be hard and the pointer does reterive well also so maybe seperate is still the best and have a fresh dog ready to go is best.

Who flushes the bird when your pointer locks up? In my experience, people don't think twice about flushing a pointed bird but think it is abhorrent for another dog to do the flushing. I've been hunting flushers with pointers for years. Can't say I've ever seen it hurt the pointing dog's performance... but I am not a trialer.

[Springer]

I hunted my springer with my GSP who has always been solid on her points. My springer would come in and flush the bird which is nice if you are hunting pheasants because they are usually running away. However if my pointer was not solid on her points I would not hunt them together.