3 1/2 year old guide dog quit hunting

beaglebob1

beaglebob1

New member
I have a 3 1/2 year old EP that was a guide dog in Kansas for 2 years that seen tons of birds hit the ground. I got him june 2009 and never got much time to get him out.We hunted him twice last year and he pissed me off so much I put him in the truck. I have 6 pointers and did not give him the time a field after those two times.
Worked him some this summer and fall and he just quit pointing birds. He is forced broke to fetch and will do that.
Took him out to a preserve 3 times so far with plenty of birds and he has yet to point a bird and goes back to the truck.
I got him from Shawn at Shady Meadows and he swears the dog is a well seasoned dog that came from one of his trainers.
So what could be some of the reasons that have caused this dog to not want to point birds or hunt for them?
:mad:
 
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beaglebob1 said:
I have a 3 1/2 year old EP that was a guide dog in Kansas for 2 years that seen tons of birds hit the ground. I got him june 2009 and never got much time to get him out.We hunted him twice last year and he pissed me off so much I put him in the truck. I have 6 pointers and did not give him the time a field after those two times.
Worked him some this summer and fall and he just quit pointing birds. He is forced broke to fetch and will do that.
Took him out to a preserve 3 times so far with plenty of birds and he has yet to point a bird and goes back to the truck.
I got him from Shawn at Shady Meadows and he swears the dog is a well seasoned dog that came from one of his trainers.
So what could be some of the reasons that have caused this dog to not want to point birds or hunt for them?
:mad:
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I have had him in the house for some US time away from other dogs. He handles fine as long as there is no hunting pressure on him.:confused:
 
I dont have an answer for you, but I do feel your pain.

I once had a Yellow Lab that was a tree-hugging, bunny-loving, full member of PETA! I kid you not! Dog wouldnt hunt for anything...he loved animals!. He could sit around all day and just watch the birds and rabbits in the backyard. My friends still laugh and tell people about the time I was running thru a CRP field to flush Pheasants while my Lab trotted aimlessly behind me. He was a real good looking dog and a great family pet. He was our first dog and the agreement was that he had to hunt or we wouldnt have a dog. We ended up giving him to a family that lives on a farm and has a house full of young kids. Sounds like he's the happiest dog in the country! This is how we ended up with the GSP we have now, which is our second dog, and a good one at that. Sorry to hyjack your thread, I got a little long winded.

I hope you get your dog figured out.
 
I'm no wizard but obviously you have been around and the same has occured to you, the dog associates birds with something catastrophically bad! What we don't know. I am guessing he's blinking birds, because at his level of training, he must know the birds are there, and avoids them on purpose. I might suggest you try to regress the dog back to puppy play training, using the old chain gang with noisy pigeons or quail, and lots of positive encouragement and demonstration by solid dogs to redevelope the point. Iwill also tell you that certain lines within the pointer breed, are suseptible to producing dogs which are not mentally stable, and I have heard this before with no solution. I would avoid any electronic trainer in the effort and really concentrate on happy time. I have seen it work. It's sure a long way back, if ever ! If you're interested in the pointer lines with instability, PM me and I'll tell you what I know.
 
Reading this one question comes to my mind. "Why did the Guide get rid of a 3 1/2 year old dog? The dog had several years of hunting life left. There had to be something wrong beween the dog and the guide. I would not have touched the dog even if it was free...........Bob
 
Natty Bumpo said:
Okey, Dokey then.

So this dog came to you from a "guide" who got him from a "trainer" who got him from who knows who?? Who know how many hands this dog has been through??

This dog was FREE, right??:rolleyes:

NB
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He was not free. Steve the guide got into a money problem when his wife divorced him. He was also the trainer. I have gotten 5 dogs from these folks with this one being retarded, the rest have been the best I have ever owned.
I think I may start him from scratch like a pup and see where that leads. Thx Bob
 
beaglebob1 said:
He was not free. Steve the guide got into a money problem when his wife divorced him. He was also the trainer. I have gotten 5 dogs from these folks with this one being retarded, the rest have been the best I have ever owned.
I think I may start him from scratch like a pup and see where that leads. Thx Bob
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Here is his pedigree
Sport
Guard Rail Spirit

Erin's Southern Dixie
(HOF) Ch Guard Rail
Kraftman's Ko Kane
4x Shooting Ch Erin's Southern Justice
Erin's Lacy J
(HOF) Ch Smart
(HOF) Nell's Rambling On
NC 8x Ch Miller's White Powder
Wiggins Miss Sammie
Ch Bryant's Spy Man
Tokeena Bayou's Lady
(HOF)Ch Addition's Go Boy
Matador's Rebel Nell
 
There is nothing in that pedigree which would indicate mental instability. Quite the opposite, as the Guard Rails, Nells Rambling On are usually strong individuals. Good Luck with the regressive training. I keep thinking something major weird happened to make this dog break form so badly.
 
Bob do you know if anybody used an E-collar on him. You stated quote. "We hunted him twice last year and he pissed me off so much I put him in the truck". Could he have done that before and got a strong zap from a e-collar? It has been known to happen, one strong zap and they quit. If you can check into it. The trainer/guide should stand behind the dog. He has more at stake with a mad you, than a happy you.........Bob
 
bobeyerite said:
Bob do you know if anybody used an E-collar on him. You stated quote. "We hunted him twice last year and he pissed me off so much I put him in the truck". Could he have done that before and got a strong zap from a e-collar? It has been known to happen, one strong zap and they quit. If you can check into it. The trainer/guide should stand behind the dog. He has more at stake with a mad you, than a happy you.........Bob
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Bob
Shawn sold him to me for his X trainer that has been fired or moved on.
I am going to work one on one with him.
 
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Good deal they are taking him back. That is the way it should be. You didn't give the dog the problem then why should it be yours to correct.......Bob
 
beaglebob1 said:
up date shawn is going to take him back.:)
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Good to Hear! :10sign:

That is a VERY stong pedigree and I know some of the dogs in there, multple CHs Smart and Guard Rail. Saw them both when we lived in the East. Both were foundation type studs. And I think both are in the HOF now.

There is absolutely no reason a dog bred like that shouldnt be pointing any thing and everything, forever. Glad there is a resolution to this - this isnt your problem to correct.

NB
 
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