Puppy Video

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Higgins
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Puppy Video

Post by Higgins » Sat Jul 22, 2017 10:10 pm

Just put up a new video of the black European Pointer pups. Hope you enjoy it.

Here is the link

https://youtu.be/awZz-St-t54

Higgins Gundogs

mask
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Re: Puppy Video

Post by mask » Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:02 pm

Another really cool video thanks for sharing. Neat pups too.

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Sharon
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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Sharon » Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:04 pm

Saw your recent video and found it interesting/ enjoyable. Wonderful pup.
Definitely you are more experienced than me, but may I ask some questions without offending?

Why do you let the dog get rewarded by catching the bird?
Does that not make steadying more difficult?
I followed the same plan as you, but used hard flying pigeons that the dog can't catch. The bird taught pup that jumping in didn't work. When pup started to creep/hesitate steadying started.

Just trying to sort out different methods. Thanks.
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Higgins » Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:07 am

Hello Sharon,

Before a pup can be steadied, he has to know his role in the predator/prey dynamic. Think of wolves, coyotes, etc. Mom brings live prey back to the pups so they can learn their role. They need to learn what prey smells like, how it moves, how scent travels with the wind, the differences between air scent and ground scent, etc. With the young pups I start by giving them field experience with loose, wild acting birds. The birds teach them how to hunt. At this time, I also introduce the gun. I associate the gun by firing a shot just before they catch the bird. I need to build the association that the "bang" is a good thing.

Once the pups know how to hunt and manage their birds, I simply change their hunting strategy. Success no longer comes from chasing but from being steady. I begin checkcording them on loose, wild acting birds. When they point, I send a shooter out front and tell the dog "alright". That means they are given permission to flush the bird. They are not allowed to chase. Instead, the shooter brings the bird back and gives it to the dog. In doing it this way, I can have the dogs understanding the "flush/stop" cue as well as steady to wing shot and fall in just a few birds. I then begin dropping the checkcord, giving them more freedom. They will demonstrate steadiness to scent first, then steady to flush, shot and fall. From field and bird introduction to understanding and reliably demonstrating steadiness on birds usually takes between 5 and 10 hours of training. It happens fast because it all makes sense to them and there is no pressure from the handler, no commands to learn and no ecollars used. The birds teach the dogs. As it should be.

Brad Higgins
www.HigginsGundogs.com

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Sharon
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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Sharon » Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:58 pm

Thanks very much for taking the time to write all that out. I'm going to think on that. :)
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Higgins » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:42 pm

Hello Sharon,

Here is a video I did a while ago showing how I train the "flush/stop" cue. It's a big part of our training. Allowing the dogs to flush the birds (no chasing) on cue has made all the dogs much steadier overall. It's a lot more fun for the handlers and shooters too.

https://youtu.be/sfuScQrMtDc

Enjoy.

Brad Higgins
www.HigginsGundogs.com

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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Trekmoor » Fri Jul 28, 2017 4:20 am

With very few differences that film showed much the same end result to the way I train pointing/retrieving dogs .... I liked the film.

If you are interested Brad I only use wild , hard flying birds when training pups so the pups never get a capture but do get a chase. It is hard to say for sure since I never use quail and because the partridge, grouse and pheasants I train on do not behave like quail but I think my pups point from a good bit further back ?

My pups are trained initially ,to sit after the commanded flush and they flush fast and hard ....a requirement for this countries field trials with the Hunt-point-retrieve breeds. Sometimes I use a check cord to achieve the steadiness to flush but normally I do not....the pups are free of any physical restraints. A well trained "Sit" command is used to get the sit to begin with but that is dispensed with quite quickly and the pups command to sit becomes the rise of the bird(s.)

I also separately teach a sit to shot which is then added to the flush ......so the pup has had two commands to sit. I leave the pup in it's sit after the first bird or two are shot over it while I walk out to the fallen bird and pick it up to "claim it as mine." I don't take it back to the pup though. Then , after a good long pause.....I often take the time to get a cigar out and light it and have a few puffs.....I send the pup for the bird.

The pup will have been encouraged prior to this to retrieve cold game, obviously with my scent on it, so when sent for it's first fresh shot bird that bird will also have my scent on it from when I picked it up making the pup more likely to do a good, clean, delivery.

Not too far different from what you are doing ?

Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !

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Re: Puppy Video

Post by polmaise » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:44 pm

Trekmoor wrote:With very few differences that film showed much the same end result to the way I train pointing/retrieving dogs ....


Not too far different from what you are doing ?

Bill T.
But not the 'Higgins way' . :lol:

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Re: Puppy Video

Post by Trekmoor » Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:59 am

True....true ! :lol:

Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !

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