First season checklist?

[Jonjhawk]

What all do you have done before you take your dog for their first season? For upland trainers, do you hunt your dog on pheasant for their first season? I have heard some trainers say not to.

[ruffbritt4]

The only thing you will need to do is gun break the dog and have a solid here command. The dog will learn the rest while hunting. If you can go into the season with a dog that's steady on birds in a launcher, great. If not I'm sure the dog will pick up on it. I'd say go ahead and hunt pheasants if it will be a pheasant dog. Trainers suggest to stay away from them because it can make a dog that mainly hunts other birds unsteady.

[Sharon]

Depends on the age of the dog and how far it has come in training. A very young dog doesn't need a pheasant bursting in its face. Also depends on where you live.
We normally start out on woodcock and grouse up here.

[mnaj_springer]

Gun conditioning, an introduction to birds, and a recall command would be the very least for a pointy-type dog. And as for pheasants, that depends on your dog and its past experience. Some young dogs are ok with a bigger bird and more explosive flush, others aren't. You get to make that call. Keep in mind pheasants run, and although it may result in some unsteadiness, it also can teach them about moving birds... The issue is those birds are so good at slinking away that some dogs become conditioned to not follow a track because they are unsuccessful.

What I did with my dog last fall, in an area that pretty much had only pheasants, was to let her loose with her Astro on and keep my mouth shut. I made up my mind I would only shoot birds she pointed. She busted a lot of birds and pointed some hens, but by the end of the season she would track, point, track, re-establish point, track, point again. It was fun to see. When the season started last year she was steady to flush, and that's it. Now she's steady to WSF and in her second season this fall I will shoot any birds she has worked honestly.

You may also want to contact your breeder and find out what has worked with the other dogs in this line. But ultimately this is your dog. You decide.