Pointer getting too close

C

crappieangler

New member
Hey all, new to the sight and thought I'd pose a question I've been thinking about for some time. I've enjoyed searching the sight thus far.

I have a 2 year old pointing black lab, he's my 1st ever dog and I've done all the training myself. I hunt a lot of waterfowl and some upland. There isn't a large amount of wild birds in the area I live so I got a membership to a preserve so he could get on live birds and he's been pointing ever since his first day being on live birds at the age of 5 months. This past fall I traveled a bit more to get into some wild pheasants, and was able to obtain permission to some decent ground. He does a good job of getting on the birds and listening to me so I can keep him close, but he flushes a lot of the runners b/c I think he got so used to pen raised birds sitting tight. They're close shots as I stated I keep him 20-30 yds out so they don't flush too far out, but I'm afraid that killing these birds will make him think it's ok to flush. Then again I want him to have the rewards for his efforts, and of course I like to have some shooting action too.

My question is what type of training situations can I set up to teach him to go on point a little earlier? I'm happy with him for sure, but it's always fun to see him go on point especially with wild birds. Maybe more experience will help, but I was thinking I could get a launcher and mark the area and launch them when he gets about 10-15 yds away or starts acting birdy. Do any of you guys have any other suggestions or maybe cheaper remedies to fixing this situation?

Thanks for any help
 
WHOA!!! Need to be imprinted without birds and reliably with a bird. You need a pointing dog training manual. You need to flush your birds toward the dog, not behind the dog, be where to dog can see you, and the bird. All pen raised birds do not smell right, to wild bird dogs, human handling, Purina bird chow, who knows what. wild birds are a completely different problem. I would not shoot birds until you get the performance where you want it, go back to the bird contact and get the dog stand and re-enforce the way you want it. When you get it right, whoa/point, flush to the hunter, for heavens sake, shoot straight! That should be the meat of it. I will leave out whether I high believe Labs can be a pointing dog, per say, I realize many do,and Labs can be drug dogs, companion dogs, and do a marvelous dog at doing a lot. I use pointers and I have lab. The purpose might be accomplished by using the nature of the dog,and use it as a flushing dog, with routine back and forth with that lab nose, how I use mine currently. Re do you training a bit, Whoa and the plan will come to pass. No bad things from involvement with the dog!
 
There are a couple of different philosophies when it comes to whoa around birds in a pointing situation. They all work. I am in the camp that doesn't like to use whoa around the birds in most situation. At the distance my dogs are from me working birds, if they don't stop and point I sure can whoa them.

Wild pheasants will not take much pressure without flushing, but the dog has to put enough pressure on them to keep them from running. That takes some experience for the dog to learn.

But to address the problem of crowding birds, it is pretty easy to do, but takes some time and a fair number of birds.

You can put birds (something that flys well like pigeons) in a launcher in a known location. If the dog gets inside an exceptable range without pointing, you launch the bird. If he points and the creep forward you launch the bird.

You want him to point when he is on solid scent, and not move until you get him front of him and launch the bird.
 
you're keeping him within 20-30 yards, he's making game and flushing it, he's a lab. why not hunt him as a flusher and enjoy yourself?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top