Hunting Wiley birds with French Brittany

[bobman]

Whoa would only be used when the dog sights another dog pointing prior to the backing dog being in the scent cone.

re pen raised birds

because this dogs already being put on wild birds and handling them unless you have a specific fault you are trying to correct pen raised birds being stupid are more likely to cause a problem that doesn't exist

especially for a inexperienced trainer

 

[PheasantWhisperer]

I gotcha. And I agree on these points. For example, I don't put pen raised birds out for my 1 year old pup anymore. Dont need to. But how will he make his dog more staunch on point without scent to point? He said the dog is obedient but that it bumps birds on occasion. Pen raised birds and a check cord is the easy way to fix that. I had a diver last year, in the offseason it was checkcord and help from the occasional launcher that fixed it. But I needed scent on the ground for her to point. When she would dive in I would pull her back, make a circle and go back to the bird. When she finally stayed put with me walking in from every angle, I would go in and kick and launch the bird. Didnt take long to fix at all. I dont use pigeons but I'm probably going to start.

 

[bobman]

well he said it's his first dog so IMO the wild birds will teach his dog with less possibility of confusing the dog, waiting until after the hatch is flying well won't harm his pup

i've been training pointers since 1968 including probably 50 of my own personal dogs and many other folks dogs, one thing I've learned is to try not to make things worse.

So I guess Ive learned to be cautious

One thing 45 years experience doing this has taught me is that we do a hell of a lot less then we think and that genetics and mother nature do most of it, if you just let the dog figure it out most will.

pointers for the most part either will point or they won't, they are born that way its not a trained response

I don't want to come off as some kind a know it all because I know for sure there's more than one way to train a dog ...but I also know that I have a hell of a lot less to do with the finished product than genetics does