Question about a golden retriever?

quail hound

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My cousin got a 1 1/2 year old golden from his friend. This dog is very smart. He heels and sits and holds until he hears drop on retrieves and is very obedient. He has never been trained to hunt but he is very "gamey" and my cousin lives in excellent quail country so obviously he has to hunt and I think I am up to training him. Don't worry I haven't lost my love for springers, he is my cousins dog and he needs a lot of help with training plus I have space to keep birds for it.

So here is my question. Are goldens pointing or flushing dogs? My instinct tells me a retriever should flush but I saw this dog hold a beautiful point on a squirrel (I know wrong kind of game but it was impressive). This was no "flash point" it was a full on staunch, no creep point! What do you all think?
 
They are supposed to be flushers but my cousin has a golden that flash points pheasants. Actually it is more of a 2-3 second hesitation before she flushes.
 
They are flushers, the purists for flushers say that it is wrong for them to not finish putting the bird in the air strongly. My female who is 6 will point on some pheasants until I tell her to get it up. I don't have a problem with it and enjoy it. It is sometimes beneficial if I am lagging behind. Her pups have not shown this trait yet but they will not be 2 until May and she did not start until maybe 3. Do I think that you can expand on this trait, probably as long as the bird is not visible and moving in front of them. Would they be as fool proof as an actual pointing breed I don't it. They are definitely intelligent and are very trainable but they do not respond well to overdrilling or heavy handedness. Give me a PM if I can help or I will be happy to give you a call. I love the breed and enjoy their abilities.
 
Ditto. Yes they are known to try and be a pointer. Retriever breeds are known more for this behavior then your Spaniel, because of the strong emphasis on the flush with the Spaniel breed. No big deal, for hunting it's fine. You can train him the same basic way you did your Spaniel.:thumbsup: If you give him dead birds and clipwings in the field that will help correct this behavior.
 
Pointing Golden

Thanks for your interesting message about Golden's...

If you research the breed you'll find they were started with a bloodhound-retriever mix in Britain. They have an excellent nose and are highly intelligent. Breeders split their breeding into two groups: show Golden's and hunting stock.

I have owned five Golden's all of them intense hunters and obviously great retrievers - both on land and water.

Pointing: All of them have pointed birds and will hold them if you are close. And you can train them to point using a training dummy and the command stay. A key to their success, like all dogs...lots of hunting and bird success.

I've sent my last three dogs through "puppy school" - two weeks of bird introduction and intro. to gunfire. This school imprints the dog and reinforces the prey drive. Well worth the investment!

Good luck with your dog.

Jon
 
Thanks for the info guys, it will be a lot easier to train a flusher than a pointer for me. I hid a quail wing for him yesterday and he picked up on the scent from about 20 yards away, found and pounced on it and retrieved it to hand. He is definitely from hunting lines as he looks nothing like the big lumbering goldens I've seen in the past. I wish I could have worked with him as a younger dog but I think he will take to birds nicely. I think the main thing with him will be keeping him in range. Thanks again and if I have questions I'll be pming some of you. Here is a pic of Baue.

IMAG0252.jpg
 
Golden Retriever

Nice photo. Your dog appears to be from hunting stock vs the show golden...

Because the strong prey drive, the retriever loves to chase birds and get out of range, hence the electronic collar as a training tool is invaluable.

If he learns "come, or here" you're well on your way to a controlled dog. Keeping the dog in range is, in my opinion the most frustrating part of dog training. When there are running birds ahead, it's very difficult to hold a dog back, especially in a corn or sorghum field. There are times when I keep the dog on heel until the end of a field, then let him go, especially if I have difficulty in seeing the dog during the walk. A beeper collar is my next purchase!!

There are lots of good books and video's on training...
 
Thanks Johnny, like I said he is my cousins dog but I will probably do the majority of the training. I have trained to springers so far so I have an idea of what I'm doing.:thumbsup:
 
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