Chuckles
New member
Hey Guys, It's been way too long since I have been on here but Mojo and I have really made some good strides in the past year and I have been able to get him on a lot of birds this fall.
Mojo is now 2.5 years old and he is turning into a really nice hunter. He is consistently able to find the birds and has really good drive in my opinion. One problem I am starting to have is that with birds being so sparse here in WI, I got into the habit of shooting anything that he gets up, which is good for drive but not as good for steadiness. I understand that. He does point a bird if it will hold but often birds will flush ahead of him, and it is so hard to tell if he has bumped them or if they are just cagey. I am starting to think based on the amount of times that he bumps birds that I need to do some training this spring to get him to point from a longer distance and hold the point longer.
He is extremely obedient and well behaved - knows the woah command as "don't move your feet at all", but hasn't taken it to the next level of holding completely still - which is a side effect I expect of how I taught him woah (resetting him and dropping him slightly in the place where I said woah - as was suggested here by someone I believe - I don't have land to set up a post outdoors and practice so all I could do was the lift and drop in a park or whatever).
Which brings me to my question for you fine gentlemen (and ladies)
I plan to get a few hens released on a farm or whatever so I can have a little more control. I plan to get a check cord on him and make sure I keep him slow as we move in on a few birds and then hold the check cord along with a woah command to keep him steady as long as possible and then have someone else flush the bird while he is held steady until the shot - as I want to make him steady to shot. Would that be the general approach you would use? He sometimes likes to break point and flush the bird when he basically thinks someone else might get to the bird before him - i.e. as I walk in beside him (though I don't hate that - if he could do it on command and be steady until he gets released- though it competes with my general hope to make him steady to wing and release at gunshot). What would you do if he breaks early? just not shoot? it almost seems as though he gets a big thrill just running after them as they fly away because when he comes back he is all jacked up, so is not shooting enough of a correction?
Secondarily sometimes on point he will move his head slightly and certainly his eyes to look at me or something else even when there is a bird right in front of him and his entire body is still. I have seen dogs that you could basically kick and they wouldn't move a single muscle even the slightest bit because they are so rock solid on point. I want to get him to that point, what can I do?
so 5 layers deep there....... any thoughts?
Mojo is now 2.5 years old and he is turning into a really nice hunter. He is consistently able to find the birds and has really good drive in my opinion. One problem I am starting to have is that with birds being so sparse here in WI, I got into the habit of shooting anything that he gets up, which is good for drive but not as good for steadiness. I understand that. He does point a bird if it will hold but often birds will flush ahead of him, and it is so hard to tell if he has bumped them or if they are just cagey. I am starting to think based on the amount of times that he bumps birds that I need to do some training this spring to get him to point from a longer distance and hold the point longer.
He is extremely obedient and well behaved - knows the woah command as "don't move your feet at all", but hasn't taken it to the next level of holding completely still - which is a side effect I expect of how I taught him woah (resetting him and dropping him slightly in the place where I said woah - as was suggested here by someone I believe - I don't have land to set up a post outdoors and practice so all I could do was the lift and drop in a park or whatever).
Which brings me to my question for you fine gentlemen (and ladies)
I plan to get a few hens released on a farm or whatever so I can have a little more control. I plan to get a check cord on him and make sure I keep him slow as we move in on a few birds and then hold the check cord along with a woah command to keep him steady as long as possible and then have someone else flush the bird while he is held steady until the shot - as I want to make him steady to shot. Would that be the general approach you would use? He sometimes likes to break point and flush the bird when he basically thinks someone else might get to the bird before him - i.e. as I walk in beside him (though I don't hate that - if he could do it on command and be steady until he gets released- though it competes with my general hope to make him steady to wing and release at gunshot). What would you do if he breaks early? just not shoot? it almost seems as though he gets a big thrill just running after them as they fly away because when he comes back he is all jacked up, so is not shooting enough of a correction?
Secondarily sometimes on point he will move his head slightly and certainly his eyes to look at me or something else even when there is a bird right in front of him and his entire body is still. I have seen dogs that you could basically kick and they wouldn't move a single muscle even the slightest bit because they are so rock solid on point. I want to get him to that point, what can I do?
so 5 layers deep there....... any thoughts?
