When is your dog ready to hunt

czeger · Post by **czeger** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:52 pm

When can you tell when your dog is ready to hunt. I have a 1 year old gsp that does great in pigeons holds point works close covers the field well when do you know when your dog is ready

rinker · Post by **rinker** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:58 pm

Take your dog hunting, just keep your expectations at a realistic level.

polmaise · Post by **polmaise** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:11 pm

czeger wrote:When can you tell when your dog is ready to hunt. I have a 1 year old gsp that does great in pigeons holds point works close covers the field well when do you know when your dog is ready

If the breeding is right ,then it's ready from the first day it can see and scent and move.
When it is ready to Hunt for you is when the training has been proofed . That may be quicker or longer for some than others .
If you are questioning it ,then I suggest it's not ready and neither are you.
Tough crowd. Get used to it

gundogguy · Post by **gundogguy** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:19 pm

polmaise wrote:
czeger wrote:When can you tell when your dog is ready to hunt. I have a 1 year old gsp that does great in pigeons holds point works close covers the field well when do you know when your dog is ready
If the breeding is right ,then it's ready from the first day it can see and scent and move.
When it is ready to Hunt for you is when the training has been proofed . That may be quicker or longer for some than others .
If you are questioning it ,then I suggest it's not ready and neither are you.
Tough crowd. Get used to it

Yeah, That!

aulrich · Post by **aulrich** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:00 pm

I am not sure I follow the last two answers correctly, but personally I would say it’s important to hunt the dog now, as often as possible and in as many different field conditions as possible, but, with limitations.

Hunt mostly alone, the dog may have had gun exposure but it won’t be ready for salvos in a crowded duck blind.

Shoot only pointed birds and where the dog lets you get at least even, or in front.

After a pointed bird or two jump shoot him a duck or two . and make sure to freeze them up and safe them for training next year (collect 6 if you can)

Have fun, and that is mostly done by having realistic expectations from the dog this first season , it will look more like walking with a dog carrying a gun, but it will develop the dogs genetic tool kit, exposure is fundamental to that process.

The only OB thing for a year old dog is e-collar conditioned to here, for the dogs safety

Trekmoor · Post by **Trekmoor** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:38 am

I think your dog has already "told" you it is ready to hunt .....but maybe only to self-hunt. You now have to get the dog to hunt for you and with you. As is usual with gundog training there are varying ways of achieving this. Since you live on the other side of the pond what I could tell you might not suit you . There are lots of training programmes and lots of versatile dog trainers on your side of the pond , either a training video(s) or a few visits to a pro trainer might be the best way for you to go from here.

Bill T.

diplomat019 · Post by **diplomat019** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 5:56 am

im assuming this is your first dog? if it is i was in the same boat last year. i took him out and had a great time. i kept my expectations low and he exceeded them. i bought a dog to hunt with and thats what i did. go have fun and let the dog do what its supposed to do. i know some people want a finished dog before they bring them out. for my specific situation, i enjoy to hunt and don't do competitions. yeah my dog creeped a little and bumped some birds, but thats something i tried to fix this summer and will work on in the future. i had a blast hunting with him last year and the reason you bought the dog was to hunt, so go hunt with him.

diplomat019 · Post by **diplomat019** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 5:57 am

and like someone said before. he is ready to hunt when he is born. let his instincts take over and trust your dog. have fun and good luck!

hettmoe · Post by **hettmoe** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:47 am

diplomat019 wrote:and like someone said before. he is ready to hunt when he is born. let his instincts take over and trust your dog. have fun and good luck!

Go out and have a good time with your dog. Or did someone already say that?

High Voltage · Post by **High Voltage** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:08 pm

We had our GSP out at 4 months. Was he a finished dog, by no means, but he got to learn from wild birds.

czeger · Post by **czeger** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:37 pm

Ok I took her out last weekend to the local preserve she did pretty good for her first time out had 2 really good points and 2 ok points but retrieved all the birds her retrieves were better than the points bumped a lot of birds but overall a good day

Pepper · Post by **Pepper** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:10 pm

Your pup will tell you when he or she is ready.

Elkhunter · Post by **Elkhunter** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:28 pm

I hunt them as soon as they are gun conditioned and wont run away. Irregardless of how far along they are.

czeger · Post by **czeger** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 3:57 am

I think this has been asked on here but do you shoot birds that they flush tho dog is to hunt only no trials or anything

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:26 pm

You will be told by knowledgeable people to never shoot an unpointed birds, I do and train to finished levels. I have found it takes no longer, and it is more fun for me and the dogs.

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 7:44 pm

I want to add for future reference if someone is researching this thread, this is good advice for a pointer, but not a retriever. A pointer can learn a lot by a simulated hunt early on. For a retriever, hunting too early is likely to cause issues. Wait longer in age and training for a retriever.

fowl · Post by **fowl** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 8:58 pm

No easy answers here u have to read the dog. Every one is different. Shooting unpointed birds rewards and reinforces flushing/ bumping birds. The reward for a good point is feathers in his mouth. Be patient with a young dog. Let them develop. Have the control to pass on a shot if the situations not right. Establish the basics and foundation in training, show him as many wild birds as u can, they will teach a good dog the skills needed. After a few seasons u will have a fire breathing bird dog that will make your friends jealous. Have fun.

Post by **mnaj_springer** » Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:51 pm

Bluesky2012 wrote:I want to add for future reference if someone is researching this thread, this is good advice for a pointer, but not a retriever. A pointer can learn a lot by a simulated hunt early on. For a retriever, hunting too early is likely to cause issues. Wait longer in age and training for a retriever.

And what say you to the spaniel folk?

gundogguy · Post by **gundogguy** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 5:38 am

mnaj_springer wrote:
Bluesky2012 wrote:I want to add for future reference if someone is researching this thread, this is good advice for a pointer, but not a retriever. A pointer can learn a lot by a simulated hunt early on. For a retriever, hunting too early is likely to cause issues. Wait longer in age and training for a retriever.
And what say you to the spaniel folk?

Bluesky2012 may answer this question if feels like it. And this thread has been mostly about the pointy types and that is fine.
Concerning when to hunt a flushing dog and or Spaniel. It really depends on the individuals own standards. For me and these are not debatable.
The my own dog must have a retrieve to hand, be focus on the whistle and be steady to wing and shot. Untrained or even part trained spaniels can lead to battles over control issues that I would just as soon, with my own dogs, not have. In my practice I see these kind of battles all the time. In fact usually by the time some one comes to me with these issues they are at their wits end. They are long past training and now need serious rehabilitation.

Stoneface · Post by **Stoneface** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 12:58 pm

Your dog is ready as soon as he's old enough to handle the cover and won't be intimidated by the birds. If you just want a meat dog and he'll come when you call, you can turn him out at four months and follow him around. If I just wanted to hunt wild birds and not run events, I'd only ever teach my dog to come and would get him in the field as soon as practically possible. There's nothing any man can teach the dog about hunting that Mr. Bird and mother nature can't do a better job of.

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