I have been working on teaching my lab mix some pheasant hunting. One of the main issues I have is that she won't run out in front of me. She just wants to be right by me. If the grass gets the least bit thick then she just chews on my heels. Any ideas on getting her out in front of me?
Dog won't run out in front
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12gaugedust
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Was she exposed to tall cover when she was a pup. Because i know with my dog i was told not to expose him to tall grass, until he got bigger. This i heard sometimes scares them, or maybe not as confident..Just an idea
More birds, more opportunity in conditions to succeed, more time.
Hunt smaller cover, Preserve if necessary, to build keeness.
More patience with a dog of three late to the game.
Mixed with what, by the way?
Many dogs will hang back in thick cover for a bit, I would myownself under some circumstances.....they have to understand the advantages that searching brings.
Hunt smaller cover, Preserve if necessary, to build keeness.
More patience with a dog of three late to the game.
Mixed with what, by the way?
Many dogs will hang back in thick cover for a bit, I would myownself under some circumstances.....they have to understand the advantages that searching brings.
Gunslinger33
New member
My 5 month old pup does that, but when he smells a bird he is right on top of it. Has she been introduced to birds? How its her prey drive?
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
A couple things you can do.
Create a little distance with your heel and then turn around and follow her.
Take a game trail, step off the beaten path and let her pass.
The more birds she finds the more she will associate them with cover.
Create a little distance with your heel and then turn around and follow her.
Take a game trail, step off the beaten path and let her pass.
The more birds she finds the more she will associate them with cover.
All good advice, thanks a lot. She is mixed with a miniature Australian Shepherd. She is a good sized dog though, 70 lbs.
She doesn't have a lot of experience with birds which I understand is key. She has flushed a couple wild pheasants and she loves to find the scented dummy or dead bird. (I am tempted to take the scented dummy with me to the field and to just keep throwing it out in front of me. I am 90% sure she would go through about anything to get to it. She loves retrieving it. Good idea or bad? Part of me worries that she might not find it. I think she would but there is always that chance.)
I have thought about the turn around and follow her method but honestly I think we would just spin in circles.
As for prey drive, I don't really know. I have never heard that term before. She is definitely more of a lover than a fighter but is very competitive and energetic.
She doesn't have a lot of experience with birds which I understand is key. She has flushed a couple wild pheasants and she loves to find the scented dummy or dead bird. (I am tempted to take the scented dummy with me to the field and to just keep throwing it out in front of me. I am 90% sure she would go through about anything to get to it. She loves retrieving it. Good idea or bad? Part of me worries that she might not find it. I think she would but there is always that chance.)
I have thought about the turn around and follow her method but honestly I think we would just spin in circles.
As for prey drive, I don't really know. I have never heard that term before. She is definitely more of a lover than a fighter but is very competitive and energetic.
You described your dog as a lob mix, not a purebred. Most "hunting" dogs are usually purebred - pointers and retrievers that have been bred over the years for finding birds or retrieving same. While the "prey drive" is innate in hunting dogs, professional trainers recommend "imprinting" hunting dogs at an early age.
This is generally a two-week process of introducing a young dog to birds, mainly pigeons and making a game of it. For two weeks, nothing but fun with birds. While you can do this yourself, trainers introduce the gun during this period.
I would recommend avoiding heavy cattails until the dog wanders into them on his own. Get him on lots of birds (preserve) and make it fun. In time, the prey drive may grow in the dog.
This is generally a two-week process of introducing a young dog to birds, mainly pigeons and making a game of it. For two weeks, nothing but fun with birds. While you can do this yourself, trainers introduce the gun during this period.
I would recommend avoiding heavy cattails until the dog wanders into them on his own. Get him on lots of birds (preserve) and make it fun. In time, the prey drive may grow in the dog.