How to properly introduce live birds.

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cusedell

How to properly introduce live birds.

Post by cusedell » Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:54 pm

I'm looking for an advice/ opinions on this. I know there are many different ideas/views on the topic but I am open to all ideas. I have a 9 month old Weim pup who has been doing excellent in training thus far. He is rock solid on the come command, whoa, fetching to hand with dead birds and training dummies. He has no problem with gunfire and is indifferent to it. My question is I am introducing him to live chukars this weekend and want to know how to properly do it. Should I walk him into planted birds with a cc? Then what make sure he points it or let him catch it? Or toss a live bird out and have him kill it and fetch it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Jason

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CherrystoneWeims
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Post by CherrystoneWeims » Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:54 pm

Should I walk him into planted birds with a cc? Then what make sure he points it or let him catch it? Or toss a live bird out and have him kill it and fetch it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
At this point I would just let him chase. very LIGHTLY plant some quail so that they will fly off very easily. He will soon learn to point them so they don't fly off. Let him have fun and chase this first season. Don't rush him. Let him have fun! I would also suggest that you get together with a local pointing breed club to work with.

Jason, where are you located? Who did you get your pup from?
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cusedell

Post by cusedell » Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:01 pm

I am from the Syracuse NY area. I got my pup from a breeder out of RI. It is very tough to get a Weim with a decent hunting background in this area. My pup has about 20% show blood and 80% field/hunting blood. I am thus far very pleased but was initially very hesitant about Weims and almost went with a GSP. My Weim I have found is extremely loyal and wants to please. Stubborn at times he is always ready and willing for training or the field. Any tips on Weim or pointing breed training, as this is my first pointer, would be greatly appreciated.

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Post by parshal » Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:47 pm

I'm surprised you waited until he was this old to let him see live birds. I'd plant a quail/chukar in an area and take the dog out. Basically, let him think he's out for a run and run him in the vicinity of the bird. If he points it great. If not, no big deal. If he does point, try to walk in and flush it. Don't whoa him. If he breaks and takes it out that's fine, too. Basically, see how he reacts to the live bird. How he deals with that will determine how you should proceed next. If he's got high desire to catch it then you'll want to work on pointing and make sure he doesn't catch any more. If he shows no interest then put out a bird with the wing feathers pullled and let him play with it. If he points it and lets you flush then you've got yourself a fun hunting season. If he points it and takes it out before you can flush it then don't shoot them.

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Post by CherrystoneWeims » Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:59 pm

cusedell wrote:I am from the Syracuse NY area. I got my pup from a breeder out of RI. It is very tough to get a Weim with a decent hunting background in this area. My pup has about 20% show blood and 80% field/hunting blood. I am thus far very pleased but was initially very hesitant about Weims and almost went with a GSP. My Weim I have found is extremely loyal and wants to please. Stubborn at times he is always ready and willing for training or the field. Any tips on Weim or pointing breed training, as this is my first pointer, would be greatly appreciated.
Is your pup from Sue T. of Camelot?

Yes you will find that Weims are VERY loyal to their boss. They can be stubborn at times and have "selective" hearing. Just take it slow. Weims tend to mature a little slower. Especially the males. I don't typically put the screws to them (formal whoa training, steady to wing and shot, etc.) until they are about two years old. They just don't seem to be able to take the pressure at a younger age. And they aren't mentally mature enough. I do a lot of bird exposure and let them have lots of fun though. I think that the bitches can be steadied up at a younger age than the males. At least my bitches are more mature from what I have seen in all of my litters!

It is hard to find a good Weim who has good conformation AND field ability. There aren't many breeders who do a lot of field work AND show their dogs. I am one of the few who do both.

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Cherrystone Weimaraners
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cusedell

Post by cusedell » Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:22 am

Pam
My Weim is from Sue T. in RI. Do you know of her dogs and if so what can you say about their fieldcraft? I agree with what you said about Weims esp. males taking longer to mature. This year towards the end I hope to be able to shoot a few birds over him after a lot of bird exposure. He has a great desire to please and loves the birds when I expose him to them. I work with a kennel in Northern PA that has been training bird dogs for 30 years. I am very pleased thus far but know I have a long way to go. Any tips or further advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Jason

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