Pointing labs

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Dohyde34

Member
I've got a question about the flush with a pointing lab. Those of you that have a pointing lab, do you flush the birds or does your dog? I hunt in some pretty nasty stuff which is why I need a brush breaking lab. I've had friends being there pointers and when they locked up there was no way for a hunter to flush the bird.
 
The three I grew up hunting over and the one I now own will point until the bird moves. If thee bird runs the dogs would/will give chase. If the bird twitches they will reposition. I have either walked in and flushed the bird or have told the dogs to get em and they'll dive in after the bird. Probably not the best practice on my part to get them to hold point but it works for me.
 
MinnHunter said:
I wish my pointer would flush. She wont move, even if I try to make her.
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I've trained my pointer to do this and my younger dog is working on figuring this out too. And by trained I just mean she figured it out while out hunting. The first time I told her to flush the bird, she had a bird locked down in a gnarly shelter belt. The type of stuff that no human could get into. So I just stood there telling her "get it get it" and stomping my feet, she went in, busted the bird up and I shot it. It's worked out great in the real world. It certainly isn't "show dog" ish but I want birds in the bag, not awards, so it's awesome to have. She won't break her point until I tell her to get it so it hasn't hurt me any. And I get to stand there gun shouldered waiting for the flush.
 
And here I thought my british labrador was the only retriever that pointed.

I wouldn't call it a "true" point like a pointing breed but she'll literally lock up for up to 10 seconds waiting for a tight holding bird to flush.
 
My lab Rusty will hold point as long as the bird will stay put or flushes, or when I tell him to get it he'll gladly flush
 
This is one thing that confused me about bird dogs when I first got into the sport and was reading about and hunting with different dogs. A true field trial champion might not make the best hunting dog in real world situations. It seems field trials are based more on quail hunting than pheasant hunting. A dog that locks on point until released isn't ideal for running roosters, and one that won't flush ever also has drawbacks as previously pointed out in this thread.
 
Our black pointing lab will hold point until the birds tries to run, our other lab will hold point for only so long and then flush.
 
Bob Peters said:
This is one thing that confused me about bird dogs when I first got into the sport and was reading about and hunting with different dogs. A true field trial champion might not make the best hunting dog in real world situations. It seems field trials are based more on quail hunting than pheasant hunting. A dog that locks on point until released isn't ideal for running roosters, and one that won't flush ever also has drawbacks as previously pointed out in this thread.
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Lots of opinions on this and it all comes down to what you want in a dog. Speaking strictly for myself, I consider Field Trialing to be a completely different skill set for a dog than what I want hunting wild birds. Plain and simple, they are two different sports and dogs that are good at one are not necessarily good at the other. Some dogs are good at both, some aren't. Those that compete in trials and hunt will sometimes say that their dogs hunt differently than they competes, which essentially supports what I'm saying.

A person just needs to decide what they want in a dog and look for the dog games that best resemble those desires.
 
I've never owned a "pointing" lab, but I've had a couple that seem to be utterly mesmerized by tight sitting birds and lock up over them in a fair approximation. Maybe it's having a nose absolutely full of bird scent, I don't know. Of the current Crew members, Harley and Jetta do this. If the bird doesn't flush according to script, each will hold tight until I came right up to them. Not having a command to flush, I simply say "get em". I think I could say anything, as the sound of my voice seems to be all they need to break the trance and dive in. Harley is particularly adept at nabbing these tight sitters alive, where the rest of the Crew are happy to just flush them...
 
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MinnHunter said:
I wish my pointer would flush. She wont move, even if I try to make her.
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You have a well trained pointer. Leave her that way. Getting her to flush will only make her less steady on point. A truly broke pointer will remain steady through the flush, shot and fall. Maybe not what most pheasant hunters want but if you ever decide to get into an field trialing you will appreciate her steadiness. I run in NSTRA trials and dogs only have to remain steady until the handler flushes the bird.
 
my 3 labs are yellow, fox red, really...when the 5 year old is no longer capable of being seen or heard, I know she is on point...sometimes it is minutes before I find her, as she blends in to the vegetation so well...I sometimes kick the vegetation, but usually stand ready, the bird will get nervous and flush normally...the other 2 point as well, though the 18 month old doesn't get totally statuesque like the 5 year old or 9.5 year old...her energy/freneticness probably flushes the birds a bit earlier than normal...
 
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