Withdrawal symptoms and 50+ years of doggin'

S

sas

Member
Everybody that is having withdrawal symptoms stand up. Admit it, life takes on a different state when the season shuts down. Probably shouldn't, but it does.

On the brighter side it gives us time to reflect, make those changes that didn't work out, smile about the good times, and start marking off the days till next time.

I had my first contact with a bird dog back in the mid '50s. Man that was one beautiful sight seeing that Pointer freeze up. I was too thrilled to shoot. And the thrill is still there.

I accidentally ran into a guy who turned out to be the best trainer I have ever seen. He was the true "dog whisperer." He could train anything and they got the message. Strict, but not cruel. No shock collars back then. It was chase them down and correct them.

We started trialing together and before it was over he had either bred, raised, or trained a dog that had won every major field trial championship in the country. I wasn't so gifted. But we still bird hunted. Not with the same dogs. His dogs were so soft mouthed they would retrieve eggs without cracking the shell.

Trialing bears a slight resemblance to bird hunting but it is still important. Mainly because the breeders keep track of the lines and I think to improve a breed you have to know where you have been so you have an idea where you are going.

Every time I look at a dog I wonder what is really the most important thing about a dog that will determine if he is going to be a good hunting dog. Obviously, some characteristics are genetically predisposed. Size, color, disposition (to a degree), boldness (to a degree), intelligence (to a degree),
desire (to a degree), and ability to see, hear, and smell come to mind.

Assuming that we find a dog that is normal, physically and mentally, most of the characteristics can be influenced greatly by their envoirment. I can attest that all of those characteristics that can be influenced (to a degree) I have seen. Both plus and minus. I see very few dogs that, barring, accident do not see and hear well. However, I have never know of a dog to increase his ability to smell.

Now, your dog may progress to the point where he discerns certain scents as desireable or undesireable. I think that is learned. But, if he has reasonable experience and doesn't seem to smell the birds that your other dog does it is probably not going to get any better.

Currently, I have a Fr. Brittany that is constantly working birds and other dogs will run in front of him and just keep quartering like they don't have any clue there is a bird upwind. Are they not paying attention, obviously to some dogs it is a foot race more than a hunt, but I don't think so. These are dogs that will point birds when they find them. They just don't seem to smell them.

So, what is my point? I believe we have great influence on whether our dog will point solidly, blink, bump, is gun shy, likes to hunt, hunts efficiently, etc. But, if we are stuck with a dog that doesn't have an outstanding nose we just aren't going to find the birds we could otherwise. Doesn't mean we don't have a good dog that we would go do battle for but it is the way it is.


Other than to try to purchase a dog from an outstanding nose background I don't know any way to tell how they are going to turn out.

Anybody know how to pick one out of the litter?
 
I always pick either the runt or the one that stands off from the others i am for the underdog and find that those 2 choices have served me well
 
I am always in a steady state of missing bird hunting. The only thing that helped me bid a positive farewell to this year was that the last day I hunted this year I saw the temps rise into the 70s. Hands down for me it was the driest and worst scenting conditions I have ever experienced over the four trips I made to Kansas. Don't get me wrong, the pheasant hunting was still spectacular but the dry and warm conditions were heck on the dogs.

All that being said, I am already anticipating the opener for next year.
 
Gove County Britts said:
I always pick either the runt or the one that stands off from the others i am for the underdog and find that those 2 choices have served me well
Click to expand...

I've done this too and must admit, it worked quite well. For those of you that have hunted w/ my dogs, Punk is my little brit. When we went to pick one out, she was by far the smallest and was a speckled red roan as opposed to the typical patched brit. She climbed over all of her littermates to find out who the new people were, while the others milled around and grunted. The folks that had her made comments about how tenacious she was, then we watched her make several attempts to scale the fence as if she were trying to escape. The others showed no interest. She wasn't a very good pet/companion in her first 10 years.....she was always too focused on finding the next source of entertainment (which became birds in very short order). I did have problems w/ her wanting to hunt for herself (probably my shortcomings as an 18yo "trainer"), but these days she's a bird hunting machine w/ a slightly extended range, but typically within gun range. She doesn't have the nose that my GSP does, but she's got that tenacious spirit that translates into an unrelenting drive in the field. I can only imagine how the years of her prime would've been if I'd done a better job of training her and been more patient:eek:.

So, pick the scrappers if you can and if that's the kind of dog you're looking for. Maybe not the tallest/broadest/best looking dog in the group, but the one that possesses the traits you think you can expand on. I've also learned from experience that a sluggish pup that doesn't get excited about much, may find interest in birds when the time comes, but typically will have a natural close range hunting style. I will go back and forth between dogs that present themselves as mellow as compared to their litter mates, then my next one will be a tenacious one like Punk. I find the variable combination of dogs to fit my style much better than having 2 Alphas or 2 mellow dogs. This way I have one go getter and one that covers everything in close proximity.
 
I had pick one time and there was a female GSP that was a little smaller, but not a runt.She was off by herself a little bit, but when the others wanted to mess with her she let them know it was not going to happen. She was my best bird dog ever and carried that trait while bird hunting. If another dog wanted to play grabb ass , she put an abrupt end to it and kept hunting. Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to hit that pot of gold one more time. My favorite memory of her was she ran off to pick up a cripple I shot and on her way back, locked up on point with that rooster in her mouth. I promptly wounded that one as well and got a stare from my dog that was priceless!!! She brought that bird back as well!!!!:cheers:
 
i had the pick of a yellow lab litter..she was close to the biggest of the litter..but while the rest were running around climbing ontop of eachother and the fence.. she was over in the corner asleep..figured she was the one i needed..and she turned out to be a great dog..
 
When I picked my dog, I had originally gone to see about an all-liver male. After looking at the pups, and the parents, I asked the breeder if he had a wing or any scent laying around. He had a quail wing on a fishing rod, and got it out. While the liver male chased around a butterfly, Dakota (my female GSP) chased that wing around with all her might, then stopped, and locked up on it. I took her home instead. There was another roan male pup that locked up as soon as the wing was brought out. I wish I would have taken him home as well.
 
I don't know, SAS. I think it is a crapshoot to pick a pup. Picking the right breeder is the best way to maximize your chance of success.

I have a 3.5 year old springer that just does not have a nose. I have known for awhile and did not want to admit it because I really like the dog. I think I am going to rehome him with a family member and start over. Maybe a with a setter...

Its a tough thing to do.
 
jeffstally said:
I don't know, SAS. I think it is a crapshoot to pick a pup. Picking the right breeder is the best way to maximize your chance of success.

I have a 3.5 year old springer that just does not have a nose. I have known for awhile and did not want to admit it because I really like the dog. I think I am going to rehome him with a family member and start over. Maybe a with a setter...

Its a tough thing to do.
Click to expand...

I was in the same boat with a pointer I had a few years back. He was a great dog and listened very well, he just couldn't find birds very well. I kept him for a couple years thinking he may come around, but never did. Found a good home for him and bought another shorthair. In my opinion, the #1 job of a bird dog is to put you on birds.
 
I lucked into my male Cocker as the breeder was intending to keep him, but when I contacted him to see if he had any pups available, he begrudgingly (over a period of a couple of days) decided to let me have Rocky. He was almost 11 weeks old at the time, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting. In retrospect I see a lot of benefits in getting a pup at that age when possible, although I know that's not always an option.

A quote I once read goes like this, "breed for the best, train for the rest". I do think a lot of it is in the breeding and a lot of it is in the training, and then a small amount goes to the particular dog.
 
ummm- not necessarily- you buy a pup from a proven FT line- because they don't breed if the nose isn't there

back in the 70's it was called a $5,000.00 nose- all sorts of excuses now days- dog can't smell- who did you buy it from and why
 
My first 2 Britts were from what you would call back yard breeder. Using tips from Larry Mueller's book, Speed Training Your Pointer, I was able to select the right pups. Both in their own right were excellent gun dogs. The last Britt was from a breeder here in PA. I was concerned with the quality of the pup I was getting as I could not pick the pup. He assured me that I would have a quality dog. Buying a dog from proven bloodlines/breeders, provides you with a greater chance of having a quality dog. Based on what I have seen with this year old Britt, I believe the breeder was right. Steve
 
Shadow said:
ummm- not necessarily- you buy a pup from a proven FT line- because they don't breed if the nose isn't there

back in the 70's it was called a $5,000.00 nose- all sorts of excuses now days- dog can't smell- who did you buy it from and why
Click to expand...

I got that pup from a backyearder. It was my first hunting dog since I was a kid. He has tremendous drive in the field but he consistently runs past birds.

I later bought a springer from a top breeder and found that there really is a huge difference. She has a great nose, quarters nicely, and natural retrieve to hand. She naturally did it all.
 
Best dog I ever got was the runt of the litter, 9 pups she was not getting a tit. Bottle fed her from 4 days old when I took her. (she was FREE) still remember her last spring she was alive, dad and her sitting on the bank of Mans Cove at Toronto Lake catching crappie. Ladiey would drag dads stringer out of the water look at the fish then stare at dad like, why cant you catch another. She did everything with dad and me. She was even the ring bear at my first wedding.(she didnt like my x either) She was a lab x mut. She was the best dog I ever owned, or probably ever will. Grampy told me when I was 3 , Boy every man is intittled to one great dog in their life. Mine was a mutt bred lab that was given to me.I cherish my memories of her and hope Grampy was right and all you guys get that 1 dog in your lives.
SAS I am standing up but leaning on my crutches for 3 more weeks. Only 9 months and 4 days till next season.
 
the best 1 I have or ever have had is still in the backyard she is a tough little britt always the first 1 out of the pen and always the last 1 in the box after the field she never quits i think after she is gone it will be awhile before the next 1 comes around
 
Gove I have your next one. All I have to do is just figure out when you are at work so I can put my gun shy lab in your pen. She is a great foot warmer in bed, my wife loves her while I am in your country chasing roosters. She even will sleep on your pillow when you arent home.
 
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