You guys are all making some good points. When I raised the question, I hadn't even considered you guys with pointers that release at the flush or on command. I don't think there's a right or wrong approach -- only what works best for you.
So, here's my next question...
If you've trained your dog to be steady, do you ever allow him to hunt with dogs that are not? It seems to me that your steadied dog would soon learn there's no reward for hunting steady if other dogs are beating him to downed birds that he flushed or pointed.
Exelant ?, It depends on the dog , A dog that is trust worthy Like my Odie I would for a few birds to practice Honers,We do it all the time in training,Pluss if they don't stay steady in trials you go home empty handed and out your $ your done at the instant the dog broke, see ya, addiose, or as the judge say's, Thank you. He stay's steady even when the gunner at a trial droped the bird 5' from him. but I would want to run him by himself too or with another dog that is steady so he can be rewarded.
When both or all dogs are steady only the dog that flushes the bird is released for the retrieve. the others have to honor, if it goes right. If the flusher does not see the fall and this happens, the other dog will most likely see it and can be released in hunting,
At a trial or hunting as well, this is where your other hard work comes in, The blind retrieve, you handle them to the retrieve. It is realy cool to see all this work, most times for new comers that see a good one do all this there jaw drops some and reply thats awsome.
Once a unsteady dog is flushing and chaseing how is he or she being rewarded when say all unsteady dogs in the field, dog A always hunting hard flushing birds, dog B always gets the retrieve.
It can work verry well to solve allot of issues and if your dog has a nose and is a true bird finder it will not have problems retrieving the bird, like I said You can in some cases release the dog early, Most dogs we have steady around a year to 1 1/2.
And lets be realistic as well there is not anyone that has not lost a bird from time to time, it happens to the best of em.There will be no more birds lost with a good steady dog than a unsteady dog. I mean good one. Some dogs are great at everything but Marking the fall, they vere off or come up short most or all the time, this is the dog that will be a good unsteady canidate, and will never win in AKC ESS field trials but will be the most amazing hunting companion in the filed.
On the other hand steadyness is the only true way to find if your dog is a true Marker and can pass on those genes in off spring.
I would want a pup out of a dog that buttons 100 yard retrieves vs one that cant mark a fall 20 yards away unless it is under the bird. We see this all the time. I believe true Marking is a inherited trate like many others, and can't be proven throwing retrievs in the yard or shooting birds with a dog in toe behind the fall.
If we work dogs togeather the right way at different intervals both steady and un steady can get plenty of work in. I am not saying that all dogs unsteady should not be bred or are not any good either so don't go there please. I know there is many great markers out there that are unsteady, Just that to find them, you have to do some form of keeping the dog steady, some drill or somthing. Most guy's won't give a hill of beans about some of this stuff and that is known and respected, but as a serious hobby breeder I factor all these things in. I want to produce this type of dog. This is one of the most interesting post to come accross in a while, Thanks
