Pup won't put his nose to the ground

1pheas4

1pheas4

Moderator
I have a 5 month Lab I'm working with. He doesn't seem to put his nose to to the ground track bird dummies. He always finds the dummies but does it by keeping his head up and smelling the air instead of following the sent trail. He always uses his nose to find just about everything else, but not bird dummies. Does anyone know how I can get him to keep his nose on the ground? Thanks for any help.
 
Admitadly, I'm not a lab guy. So I have to ask, if he's finding the dummy, why do you care where his nose is? I like a dog that uses both ground and wind scent depending on the situation.

If he's wind scenting, then put your dummy down wind of the starting point and force him to ground scent.
 
I am sorry to say, you want them to wind scent. Why do you think hunters always like to work their dogs into the wind. It is easier for the dog to find the from the wind blown scent. The only time I can think of that dog is going to be using ground scent is in tracking down a cripple. That I would not worry about. When the time comes he'll do the job right and find your bird. It is in the breeding genes, some dogs will do things you have never seen or heard of before. That is why we pay those big bucks for excellent breeding bloodlines..........Bob
 
bobeyerite said:
I am sorry to say, you want them to wind scent. Why do you think hunters always like to work their dogs into the wind. It is easier for the dog to find the from the wind blown scent. The only time I can think of that dog is going to be using ground scent is in tracking down a cripple. That I would not worry about. When the time comes he'll do the job right and find your bird. It is in the breeding genes, some dogs will do things you have never seen or heard of before. That is why we pay those big bucks for excellent breeding bloodlines..........Bob
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Thanks for your reply Bob:). You nailed it on the head with tracking cripples. I think I'm concerned because my 10 year old black lab smells the wind like this pup does. He's been the best flusher I've worked, but when it comes to tracking cripples he lags a bit compared to the other dogs. I want to avoid this with the new lab. The way it sounds your saying there's nothing I can do with this pup but wait and see if he starts to track as he gets older? Thanks again, 1pheas4
 
I don't necessarily agree with that. You want (and can train) your dog to do both. To awaken the ground tracking, drag a dead bird through the grass and have him track it. Start with the bird upwind, then move down wind, then zig zag, then longer distances, then.... You get the idea. This will improve his ability to find cripples.

Or you could do what I do. I never cripple birds. I just flat out miss.:D
 
Using the wind to find the game is exactly what you want. But when they locate a nest and the bird took off running, you also want them to be able to trail out birds. This will come when you use moving birds in training, nothing to worry about at that age.. But you can do as said above. A great point is to hup or place, (sit), your dog, let him see you drag a bumper scented out in some moderate cover down wind. Don't throw it, drag it. Of coarse he has to stay or be leashed back for that. Stop several times on your way and make eye contact. Go about 40 - 50 yards and leave the bumper. Stop a few times on the way back, this way he has to guess where you put it. Let him go with your command, find it or whatever, and see how he does. If he gets it, fine if he struggles walk closer till he gets it. Once he knows its there he will try harder each time. If he struggles you can also shorten it up. Most dogs will figure this out quick though and offer little help other then blind retrieve drills and taking a line. You ultimately will need the moving bird, clip wing pheasants etc. But get him through the flushing and finding, retrieving etc. first. the moving birds will come. When he is ready take a small hen and tape her wing so she can't fly, elec tape. Then wet her down with a mister bottle and some scent if you like as well. Toss her in the grass right in front of him and wait till she runs off a good ways. Let him go. He will get it after a few tries. Be happy he is using the wind..... It's a good thing, always.
 
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Thanks guy's I knew you'd rescue me. I agree, I never had to that all with my dogs. They all just trailed the cripple naturally. Like I said I always have figured it was the breeding, they do some of things they do. Like Tony is the first Brittany I have ever had that tells where the bird is, while on point, by moving his eyes..........Bob
 
Role of Dog

I understood that labs were originally bred to sight retrieve on water. Of course, being a dog he has a good nose. I have heard dogs praised for scenting high rather than close to the ground so maybe your dog is performing perfectly.
 
Thanks for all your advice everyone!:)
 
I think young dogs start out finding objects by sight, and only learn as they get older that their nose works better. Right now I bet your pup is simply looking for things more than he's smelling for things. He'll figure it out, don't worry about it.
 
What Bob says is corect, it does help to have good breeding and I don't think he means you don't, but even with good breeding this helps build the dog into something at an earlier age instead of him seeing a couple birds in a season. We see young dogs with training at 8-9 months old doing what many peoples dogs don't do till there 5. Training just speeds up a good dog, then you get to enjoy them doing a good job for more years then the guy who does not train. Some other birds that move some as well is chuckers, they will also excite the dog for when the dog gets to them they realy flap and carry on. Pluss they are a bit smaller for young dogs.
 
Ken, you are right, I was speaking of what I have observed in my dogs. I told him not to worry the breeding genes should be there in a lab. If I offended him I am sorry I didn't mean it that way. I think chasing down a cripple put more hunting intensity into a dog than anything. It appears to me that is the way it is. For they get a lot of birds to chase with me. I am always trying to get the bird fast so the dog can be on it quickly. Consequently I don't get the gun mounted right and end up crippling it,........Bob
 
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I have found that the dogs will use there nose on the ground when they need to and will only do it when they need to and bob you are very right breeding has everything to do with it just like everything else it is breed into them the only reason IMO that we train dogs is to train them to hunt for us the way we want to hunt because they will hunt wether we train them or not just think of all the wolves and coyotes that our dogs derived from apparently they know how to do it or we wouldn't have the dogs we do today
 
GCB, Thank you, when you think of the training it is mostly obedience. You are right they know how to hunt. We just have to train them so old guys like me can keep up with them..........Bob
 
oh hell bob your only as old as you feel today i'm abot 90 but rteally the only thing i do train for is obedience everything else is only refining them to the way i want them to do things for me
 
bobeyerite said:
Ken, you are right, I was speaking of what I have observed in my dogs. I told him not to worry the breeding genes should be there in a lab. If I offended him I am sorry I didn't mean it that way. I think chasing down a cripple put more hunting intensity into a dog than anything. It appears to me that is the way it is. For they get a lot of birds to chase with me. I am always trying to get the bird fast so the dog can be on it quickly. Consequently I don't get the gun mounted right and end up crippling it,........Bob
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Hey Bob, you didn't offend me in any way. Thanks for the concern anyhow and thanks again for all tips and the encouragment guys! :cheers:

His Sire http://www.smithfarmslabradors.com/pedigrees/trooper.pdf
 
Yea Joe, You are in your early 30's I'm 76. Here where we hunt birds is very hilly and I mean good size hills. I have a heck of a time keeping up with the dogs at times.......Bob
 
I hunt mostly rolling hills and cayons some flat but not much those who think kansas is flat have obviously never been here LOL
 
You of course know we are Hijacking a thread here. But I have never really been to Kansas only drove through it once on the interstate on my way to the deep south.......Bob
 
yea I realized we were hijacking but the answers keep coming in from both of us so maybe we should do something else
 
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