Training Plan Suggestions

[bmumph]

I have an 8 month old GSP. She has not scent pointed a bird yet, but will sight point everything else (butterflies, bugs, squirrels,etc. ). There is not enough wild bird in my area, so I spent the better part of the first 5 months of having her trying to find a supply of flight conditioned birds or pigeons in my area. So I feel like I'm off to a late start with her. I have finally found a person selling feral pigeons that I can use to train her and I've also purchased a launcher. I am new to this so I wanted to get some suggestions on a training plan. I live in the city, so daily field training is not an option. But I will be able to get her into the field on the weekend. My plan was to have one or two session a weekend where I planted 4 or 5 birds/session, walk her to the bird (check cord or no check cord???) , launch the bird when she hits the scent cone. When/If she starts pointing, I will try to walk in front of her to flush the bird. Any movement and I launch the bird.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Is there anything I should change? I am worried about whether or not she will start scent pointing the birds. What is a reasonable expectation on when I should see her starting to get it and pointing? I know every dog is different, but I was just wondering what others experienced with their dogs. I don't want to have unreasonable expectations and get frustrated. I've read a few books and looked at numerous videos, but they all make it look simple and I know that's not going to be the case.

Any help on this is appreciated.

Thanks,

[bonasa]

Which book are you following?

[Tia]

I followed the Perfect Start Perfect Finish program. These videos will answer most of your questions and give you step by step instruction on how to train your pup. I'm a first time GSP owner and never trained a bird dog before. Here is a pic of my PUP at 1 year old. The program works and is well worth the $$.

[Fun dog]

I followed the Perfect Start Perfect Finish program. These videos will answer most of your questions and give you step by step instruction on how to train your pup. I'm a first time GSP owner and never trained a bird dog before. Here is a pic of my PUP at 1 year old. The program works and is well worth the $$.

+100

[MGIII]

With the perfect start perfect finish program what items do you need to buy to successfully train a dog? Do you need live birds and bird launcher? What kind of training collars do you need? Etc etc.

[Bluesky2012]

With the perfect start perfect finish program what items do you need to buy to successfully train a dog? Do you need live birds and bird launcher? What kind of training collars do you need? Etc etc.

Check cord, choke chain, e-collar, birds, launcher. Nothing else is really needed to train a pointer.

[Tooling]

You might also need patience, a gun, probably should have a blank gun, and a bumper or two..a mentor may not hurt either. LOTS of birds..it's not quite THAT simple.

Look up your local NAVHDA chapter - lots of help/mentoring there for you.

Good luck

[RayGubernat]

4-5 birds may be waaaaay too many birds for a session. Three is about the maximum for a training session for me.

One of the MOST difficult things for the single dog owner to learn is ...when to quit. This is especially true when the owner works all week and then does all their chores caught up on Saturday so they can work the dog on Sunday, and then gets all set up for a Sunday morning training session. Birds gotten, traps charged up collar charged up, reservations at the training facility made, car gassed up, crate put in back, etc, etc. You get up, load up and drive an hour, sometimes farther to your training area, set out your traps and birds and then go back and get your dog. Yes I have been there.

It is the first or second time the dog is in the field with planted birds. You checkcord the dog into the first bird and he locks up a good distance away form the release trap. You launch the bird and the dog does not move. You fire the gun and the dog does not move. You walk to the dog, style it up, stroke it up...and the dog does not move.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO???

The answer is...QUIT A WINNER. Physically pick the dog up and get the H out of the field. Right then...right there. Once away from the area, put the dog down, give it a couple pats on the flank and an attaboy and heel it back to the car/truck and put it in its crate... for at least a half hour. Longer is probably better.

Put the dog up and let it think about what just happened. Let the positive experience get etched into the dog's brain.

But you have three more birds out there and you have all this time and effort invested, so what DO you do? You heel the dog away and head toward the second planted bird. The dog locks up, but this time when you launch the bird the dog takes a powerful lunge, rips the checkcord out of your hand and chases down the bird and pounces on it.

You just went backwards. A bunch. Now you may have to spend all the rest of the day, or two or three training days... just to get close to where you were in the first place.

It happens all the time. I have done it myself...more times than I care to admit.

The temptation to "see just one more" is very strong.

Learn to quit a winner. It is often a very hard thing to do. I know.

RayG

[Tooling]

The temptation to "see just one more" is very strong.

Learn to quit a winner. It is often a very hard thing to do. I know.

RayG

Yep

Seem to be back on track now but we took an unnecessary detour - hard to resist the temptation <sigh>

[Pepper]

I am finding with my pup is to expose her to the environment. Sights, sounds, smells of the their world in the real world. Let them enjoy what is out there and then introduce the candy. JMO