First time bird dog questions

unclejw20

unclejw20

New member
I’ve hunted for years and never owned my own bird dog. I have been lucky enough to have great people that owned multiple labs and pointers. I’ve always wanted to train one from the start. Advice is welcome on breeds y’all would recommend/have.
Best of Luck the last week of the season!
 
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unclejw20 said:
I’ve hunted for years and never owned my own bird dog. I have been lucky enough to have great people that owned multiple labs and pointers. I’ve always wanted to train one from the start. Advice is welcome.
Best of Luck the last week
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unclejw20 said:
I’ve hunted for years and never owned my own bird dog. I have been lucky enough to have great people that owned multiple labs and pointers. I’ve always wanted to train one from the start. Advice is welcome.
Best of Luck the last week of the season!
Click to expand...
Take em with ya! Town, grocery store, huntin, fishin. They will learn and become your best friend because they enjoy that..: breed? That’s a great question
 
Lointer man said:
Take em with ya! Town, grocery store, huntin, fishin. They will learn and become your best friend because they enjoy that..: breed? That’s a great question
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I like the take em with you, a lot of my huntin buddies have dogs with them all the time. I would take any advice on breeds that you recommend.
Best of luck,
LW
 
All the above...but most of all GET A METAL FOOD DISH and then bang it around, drop it, kick it but make it fun for the pup. The loud noise will help train his ears. This will get you miles ahead on shooting over a dog.
 
JMc said:
All the above...but most of all GET A METAL FOOD DISH and then bang it around, drop it, kick it but make it fun for the pup. The loud noise will help train his ears. This will get you miles ahead on shooting over a dog.
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We were remodeling the kitchen when I picked up my dog and he would sleep through the loud tools and noises as a pup. Never had any issues with him and gunfire that's for sure.
 
All above good advice , Out of the breeds you have hunted with what did you enjoy the most ?
Style , run , backing , how smart the dog is , Cautious when working birds , range ?

The advice of taking whatever breed you like best with you most everywhere you go is a great idea , start it as a pup and the rest almost takes care of itself .

I have bought started dogs and raised pups from 8 weeks old. My best dogs have been the ones started as a puppy .

Let us know what you decide .

I am partial to Brittany’s
 
Good choice ! Hard working and driven in the field. Totally content in the house.This is Remi , she just turned 2
 

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All very good responses, no matter the choice it won’t be ( hopefully) something u will ever regret! Especially your first huntin pup, they always hold a special place in our hearts!
 
Get a Iab for 100 dollars.Go hunting a lot.End of discussion. No training needed. Bird dogs figure it out just by being in bird country.
 
No dog is born with the fear of gun fire. If they have it, its because they acquired it along the way because they weren't properly trained or introduced to it. Once they have a fear of gun fire, you might as well get another one and try again because you won't be able to fix it.
 
gimruis said:
No dog is born with the fear of gun fire. If they have it, its because they acquired it along the way because they weren't properly trained or introduced to it. Once they have a fear of gun fire, you might as well get another one and try again because you won't be able to fix it.
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That is not true. I screwed up teaching my current bird dog. Got on another forum and got in touch with a trainer in Illinois. He gave me some tips and tricks and sent me a CD to use that played music softly with gunfire built in. Maggie is a retrieving maniac now, and cant wait for the gun to go off.
 
It is true that no dog is naturally afraid of gun fire. It is the manner in which they are introduced to it which dictates that.

If you’ve been able to fix it, good for you. But at least we can agree you screwed it up the first time.
 
I don't think it's true either. Had a dog this spring, that would run to the truck if you shot a gun. He fetched doves like nobody's business this fall.
 
gimruis said:
No dog is born with the fear of gun fire. If they have it, its because they acquired it along the way because they weren't properly trained or introduced to it. Once they have a fear of gun fire, you might as well get another one and try again because you won't be able to fix it.
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This
 
gimruis said:
It is true that no dog is naturally afraid of gun fire. It is the manner in which they are introduced to it which dictates that.

If you’ve been able to fix it, good for you. But at least we can agree you screwed it up the first time.
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I wholehartedly agree on the not born fearing it. I disagree that they can not be fixed and you might as well start over.
 
I do have mixed feelings, I got a STUD of a black lab 3 years old in his prime, when I say stud I mean he looks like one of those DU pix, 100lbs big block head, Bad ass parents, gun shy!! However, with my new pup, which they both stay outside together, I have been takin him more and more and he’s now following her (pointer) around... I thought it was a lost cause, but there’s a chance
 
Get the best bred dog you can afford with health clearances. The initial purchase of your furry friend is the cheapest. Get a good one because it’s gonna be with you for at least 10 years. You want to do all you can to insure you have as healthy a dog as you can- hence the health clearances.
As far as training get a good program and follow it. Do your research on which program you choose. Some are head and shoulders above others. But whichever you choose follow it to a T.

Breed depends on what you hunt the most. If you’re a waterfowl hunter even just a little bit you might consider one of the versatile breeds.
 
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