6 month old ep

[tailcracken pointer]

I have a aimost 6 month old ep that is pointing planted quail really nice for her age , so on one of the birds I shot that she held good on she ran and picked it up and ran all around the field with it in her mouth and then sat down and ate it lol, it really didn't bother me that she did this at her age I just wondering what you guys would do or I should do? Don F, and Ezzy your comments greatly appreciated thanks

[greg jacobs]

Switch to pheasants, they are a lot harder to swallow. Lol.

Hunting dogs especially young ones can get overly excited and that can override instinct. Try using a frozen quail as a transition. In the yard with a checkcord where you can control it work on retrieving it. Don't instantly take it away. Lots of praise first, let the pup hold his prize. Short sessions, 2 or 3 retrieves. Leave the pup wanting more. Don't burn the pup out on this. Even out in the field don't instantly take a bird away. Get a hold of the collar and praise the pup. When he is ready to go back to hunting he will give the bird up easier.

IMG_20131012_083256-1.jpg

[RayGubernat]

Tailcrackin -

I think you may well be pushing the envelope, as far as training is concerned. No... I take that back. I am POSITIVE you are moving too fast.

FWIW, I have broken several pointers both staunch and steady to W & S at a very young age,, but NEVER that young. Just one man's opinion...but I think you are trying to do too many things at the same time and moving far too quickly.

I certainly would not have the dog running free at this age... without a 20 ft checkcord attached. puppies need direction, and limits and boundaries. Trainers need a way to provide that direction and enforce those limits and boundaries.

If that were my dog, I would back off on the birds entirely...until the pup was rock steady and rock solid...in the yard....with distractions.

I might do some stop to flush training in the field...but the dog would be on a checkcord and I would be somewhere that I could step on the checkcord, when the bird was flushed.
For the time being, I would run the pup in birdless fields to establish good patterns and work on establishing the range you are comfortable with and a solid recall in the field. You may proceed at whatever pace you see fit... but I encourage you to make sure the pup is truly solid in its understanding and compliance with each step before you move to the next step. Every dog is different and every dog learns at a different pace,

BUT,

it is up to the trainer to make sure each and every successive lesson is truly learned AND that the dog understands that compliance...every single time... is mandatory, not optional.

When the pup (and yes, it is still very much a baby...mentally... if not physically) is rock steady and solid in the yard, I would break it steady to wing and shot in the field and then steady to wing shot and fall.

If you do not want the dog steady to wing shot(and fall), because you plan to just hunt the dog, you can always let the steady part slip when hunting. But for training purposes, keeping the youngster steady to wing shot and fall initially, makes it a lot easier on both you and the dog. You can keep the retrieving thing separate...as it should be, and work on it at a later stage in the dog's training.

RayG

[ezzy333]

I see nothing that would worry me this once, but she showed you an area you now need to work on, and it isn't about eating the bird. It is time to back up and do the obedience training all dogs need to learn as puppies, the command "COME" is one of the things. And as Ray pointed out a CC needs to be part of the training just like the area he pointed to. Back to the yard and go over your obedience program, what ever it is, till the pup is bullet proof.

Try to insure both you and the pup are having fun, especially the pup.

[tailcracken pointer]

She just loves to go hunting!I mean what do I do take my 2 older dogs and just leave her home lol It would be like telling a friend who got up at 5 in the morning waiting in your driveway he cant go hunting with me lol , I just let her run with my older staunch dogs and hopefully she gets in some birds , heck sometimes I think I am better off just taking her as pitiful as my worthless dogs are , I have had some great eps but these have to be the worst I have ever had ,

[SouthernTied]

I took my choc lab out with my gsp this past weekend dove hunting.... 10 birds down. 3 consumed by the lab on the retrieve.... My GSP was so confused on where the doves went. It was pretty hilarious.