6 month GSP seems lazy

S

Scooter

New member
Hi all, my second GSP is almost 6 months, and will not go far in chasing balls, or really anything, and does not seem to have much interest in using his nose. A wing on a pole he goes nuts for, but not enough to really go hunting for it, and rarely stops to point it.

When we take them both out (our other is 3 years old), he always stops and lets the older one keep running for the ball or dummy, and then tries to get it from her when she comes back. Even if I work with him along, he is too lazy to fetch anything further than about 20'.

He is just like any other GSP in that he is still wired and active, just seems uninterested in being a bird dog.
 
Have you done anything with him and live birds? I would quit with the wing and string and use birds to build his drive. As far as wanting to fetch, I would just keep that to short games right now anyway. 6 months is too young to worry but the right time to get him started in the right direction.
 
has the other dog always been around during any sort of play or training. Maybe the younger dog is just always waiting for the older one to do the work because it just thinks that's the way its supposed to be ??
 
I haven't tried him on birds yet, but he did run up on some baby Killdeer and parents, and stalked one. I thought he was still too young to worry, just wanted to make sure.

Mmelton, not during training but definitely playing and running at the park. He may just be waiting to see what she does before doing anything.
 
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I would train/work this dog by himself...at 6 months I probably had 60-70 birds in front of my pup.....it takes birds to make a bird dog, forget about the ball and fetch, show him something that stimulates his prey drive.
 
doesn't retrieving come after pointing in the pointing dog training protocol?
live birds, ramping up prey drive, steadying. then pointers are force fetched at the end
 
pointshoot said:
doesn't retrieving come after pointing in the pointing dog training protocol?
live birds, ramping up prey drive, steadying. then pointers are force fetched at the end
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Probably depends on the trainer. Mine was adamant that I work with mine on retrieving as soon as possible.

I wouldn't worry too much about not wanting to get a ball, but I would instead focus on live birds. My dog became an animal after his first live bird session.

Also, it may sound crazy, but I found that the type of ball I used when he was young made a difference in how he reacted. He hated tennis balls, actually, to this day, he doesn't care for playing with a tennis ball. Per the trainer I switched to a racquetball, and that made a huge difference. Noisy, bouncy, not fuzzy, and fit his small mouth better. Those and T-ball balls are his favorite balls, but now I use dummies most the time.
 
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I would train separately. If your older dog is getting all the retrieves, then the pup is learning that he doesn't have to.
 
HolyMoses said:
Probably depends on the trainer. Mine was adamant that I work with mine on retrieving as soon as possible.

I wouldn't worry too much about not wanting to get a ball, but I would instead focus on live birds. My dog became an animal after his first live bird session.

Also, it may sound crazy, but I found that the type of ball I used when he was young made a difference in how he reacted. He hated tennis balls, actually, to this day, he doesn't care for playing with a tennis ball. Per the trainer I switched to a racquetball, and that made a huge difference. Noisy, bouncy, not fuzzy, and fit his small mouth better. Those and T-ball balls are his favorite balls, but now I use dummies most the time.
Click to expand...

Getting him on live bird is so hard right now, they are hard to get for us city boys :mad:, but I can see he has the live animal drive.

My older one is the same with balls, won't touch a tennis ball, it has to be the bright orange chuckit balls or she has no interest. Ruger (my pup) has a lot of interest in the balls, and in chasing his older sister, but not much in bringing them back.

I need to get him on some live birds it sounds, and get that prey drive going.
 
if you cant put your dog on birds of any kind & train him for what you want him to do how will he ever learn what you want him to do??? witch is hunt i assume??? the dog needs to get practice in doing what you want him to do & thats find birds for you & bring them back once you shoot them...

if you want a great couch/family dog take him to the dog park & play fetch with a ball & never join a club to help train him or get any wild birds for him to learn to hunt...

B4 pointing or retrieving or whoa should come general obedience in my eyes it helps so much... i mean my dogs even the bulldog will pick up what ever i throw or say get it get it get it to they understand im saying get that & bring it her just a routine... many say dont teach sit to a pointer? IMO but if your dog cant figure out sit & pointing a bird is different hes doomed lo

pretty sure my pup had birds in front of her at least 1-2 times a WK from like 7-8 wks & up to 9-10 months & she started hunting wild birds at just under 6 months

birds gets them so much more excited & ready to hunt/learn then a ball ever could no matter the color... & the wing on a string thing will just teach your dog to point on site not smell like we want them to... got to put that wing away & get him tracking things even a hot dog or doggy treats he has to learn what that nose is good for...

i would look into maybe joining a local NAVHDA club in ur area or asap if you want ur dog to hunt & not be lazy they are cheap to join like 20-30 $$$ & have access to birds lands & dog trainers with years of dog training knowledge thats helps anybody that has the time to listen... great club it will help you & the dog big time...

not trying to bash you just help you but mostly the dog it just needs birds to get its act together thats got to be ur 1st step i had to go catch piegons under parking ramps to get birds to train with it helped man...
 
Bottom line is I can't do all that as a city boy surrounded by private land. If I head to the mountains then I'm on Forest land and can only use pigeons. And not sure how you get private club access for that price, out here it is $500+ annual + birds, more than I can afford.

He's a pet and friend first and foremost, I was only asking how to get his drive going. Thanks for everyone's input, I'll get him out on some birds by himself.
 
my dog is also my friend 1st not a hunting tool 1st but she does needs to understand what her JOB is also...

you make em ur friend/pet with no real work that just happens the hunting/birdiess is honed & taught over time teaching a dog to hunt is not a trick or something cool u show ur friends like roll over ETC.

bottom line is if you dont have the time to teach your dog to hunt he wont learn to hunt there is no quick fix just time in the fields working with your dog on birds... dog that are to smart get bored with the same old ball & fetch real fast they need to learn & use there brain that first 1.5-2 yrs...

i really think you have to research your local NAVHDA chapter man!!! i dont know wear you got the 500$ fee for joining a NAVHDA chapter??? id report them or look at another NAVHDA chapter!!! ive talked with NAVHDA members from WI,IA,ND,SD,NE,MI & other MN chapters & the members payed like 20$-30$ at most for there membership!!! the membership includes a once a WK training session with the chapter at the shared training grounds & they will give you 1 on 1 tips with ur dog on what ever your working on that day with your dog... they have birds for sale most the time or can get them for you at like 5-7$ a chckar a little less for bob white quail 9-12 for pheasant if i can remember write??? they help you out more then you can imagine trust me man!!! the NAVHDA membership is mainly for city boys with no knowledge of dog training & no place to train but have a hunting dog for some reason... they are a base & wealth of info that would take the average joe years to pick up on on his own just research NAVHDA for you dogs sake man...

no need for a fancy trainer or 500$ annual fees thats crazy man!!! i would not do that either!!! really man look into NAVHDA im not trying to sell you on NAVHDA cuz im a member or anything i had to test my SM with NAVHDA & researched them B4 deciding not to join my-self as i have 5 acres of land to train my dog & caught pigeons & had could buy quail/pheasants on my own & i wanted to train my dog on my own 1st go round...

got to get them out as early as you can to make a hunter out of them after that comes the EZ part the dog being a dog got to make a hunting dog unless u have a 1 & million dog that needs no training to be a hunting dog...
 
small munsterlander owner said:
i really think you have to research your local NAVHDA chapter man!!! i dont know wear you got the 500$ fee for joining a NAVHDA chapter??? id report them or look at another NAVHDA chapter!!! ive talked with NAVHDA members from WI,IA,ND,SD,NE,MI & other MN chapters & the members payed like 20$-30$ at most for there membership!!! the membership includes a once a WK training session with the chapter at the shared training grounds & they will give you 1 on 1 tips with ur dog on what ever your working on that day with your dog... they have birds for sale most the time or can get them for you at like 5-7$ a chckar a little less for bob white quail 9-12 for pheasant if i can remember write??? they help you out more then you can imagine trust me man!!! the NAVHDA membership is mainly for city boys with no knowledge of dog training & no place to train but have a hunting dog for some reason... they are a base & wealth of info that would take the average joe years to pick up on on his own just research NAVHDA for you dogs sake man...

no need for a fancy trainer or 500$ annual fees thats crazy man!!! i would not do that either!!! really man look into NAVHDA im not trying to sell you on NAVHDA cuz im a member or anything i had to test my SM with NAVHDA & researched them B4 deciding not to join my-self as i have 5 acres of land to train my dog & caught pigeons & had could buy quail/pheasants on my own & i wanted to train my dog on my own 1st go round...
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Thank, that useful info, I'll try and find a chapter, really had no idea.
 
I think your dog is simply young, nothing else. It's still a child, to put it anthropomorphically. Some children won't speak when expected, the parents worrry and go to doctors, and suddenly one day you can't shut them up as if a switch got flipped. Some dogs seem to have a switch that suddenly goes to the ON position, usually while afield. Just wait for that happen and make sure the dog enjoys itself every time afield.
 
I live in town too, down in Springs. Unless you live in an apartment I would get some birds. I bought some courteneaux quail. They were $3.00 a piece and I built a small pen for about $20.00. The bird feeder in the middle of my postage stamp sized yard also helped too. I have doves and pigeons as regular visitors in the yard and use the tiny concrete porch as a whoa board.


Have a Good 'Urn,
bones
 
small munsterlander owner said:
if you cant put your dog on birds of any kind & train him for what you want him to do how will he ever learn what you want him to do??? witch is hunt i assume??? the dog needs to get practice in doing what you want him to do & thats find birds for you & bring them back once you shoot them...

if you want a great couch/family dog take him to the dog park & play fetch with a ball & never join a club to help train him or get any wild birds for him to learn to hunt...

B4 pointing or retrieving or whoa should come general obedience in my eyes it helps so much... i mean my dogs even the bulldog will pick up what ever i throw or say get it get it get it to they understand im saying get that & bring it her just a routine... many say dont teach sit to a pointer? IMO but if your dog cant figure out sit & pointing a bird is different hes doomed lo

pretty sure my pup had birds in front of her at least 1-2 times a WK from like 7-8 wks & up to 9-10 months & she started hunting wild birds at just under 6 months

birds gets them so much more excited & ready to hunt/learn then a ball ever could no matter the color... & the wing on a string thing will just teach your dog to point on site not smell like we want them to... got to put that wing away & get him tracking things even a hot dog or doggy treats he has to learn what that nose is good for...

i would look into maybe joining a local NAVHDA club in ur area or asap if you want ur dog to hunt & not be lazy they are cheap to join like 20-30 $$$ & have access to birds lands & dog trainers with years of dog training knowledge thats helps anybody that has the time to listen... great club it will help you & the dog big time...

not trying to bash you just help you but mostly the dog it just needs birds to get its act together thats got to be ur 1st step i had to go catch piegons under parking ramps to get birds to train with it helped man...
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hey small munster when you put the birds in front of your dog and she tried to take them out how many times did it take for your dog to finally hold? And I am assuming when the dog would smell the bird and get close you would make the bird fly in the air when the dog took a step in just wondering I got a 6 month old pointer shes taking them out but I really don't care right now I want her to have fun just wonder how many times give or take before the light bulb hits home? thanks bryan or guys on here can respond
 
I would recomemend heading out to Valhalla a puppy class on Saturday mornings. Each pup get work on 2 chukar and gets experience backing and being around other dogs. It's like 40 bucks and you can ask and stay as long as you like, it's very informal and Jeff runs the class based on age and experience of dogs. Puppy doesn't necessarily mean they are you but puppy in the sense of experience with birds. It's definitely the cheapest way to get out with birds and a pro
 
Scooter said:
Getting him on live bird is so hard right now, they are hard to get for us city boys :mad:, but I can see he has the live animal drive.

My older one is the same with balls, won't touch a tennis ball, it has to be the bright orange chuckit balls or she has no interest. Ruger (my pup) has a lot of interest in the balls, and in chasing his older sister, but not much in bringing them back.

I need to get him on some live birds it sounds, and get that prey drive going.
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I know this may not be what you want to here, but the longer you wait to put this dog on birds (lots of birds) the more you are missing out in getting this dog to reach his full potential. Not impossible with an older dog, but you are running the risk that he may never pan out if you wait too long.

NAVHDA is a good way if you have a chapter near by. If all else fails see if you can find a Pro trainer or someone who can take the dog for a month and do a bird and gun intro. They can put the dog on a lot of birds in a months time and save you the hassle if you have neither the time or resources.

It would be money well spent IMO.
 
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I have a similar situation on getting a dog on live birds. One thing I have done is get a Dokken ($25) trainer and scent (I use the quail one) Inject it in the sent and play fetch with the pup. Make sure the pup knows its not a toy to chew on and when he wants to run around and tear it up take it away. Training only.

Keep the trainer in a zip top bag and only bring it out to train with. Do your basic commands first, sit stay come in that order, and then play fetch. Always go back to basics. Practice makes perfect. If the dog acts up go back to basics.

Keep it fun and up beat and don't worry too much about it. He's a pup and is that way. My GSP for the longest time sat down when she went on point. She would run into a bird point solid, I would walk up and she would sit down. She grew out of it and now is super solid. He'll be fine.
 
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