How to train bird dogs.

D

DDA2011

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Jun 6, 2013
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Pretty soon I will be picking up my first gun dog. A German short haired pointer. I need tips on how to train her I will be using her for quail,dove, and maybe some duck but mostly quail and dove. Any tips would be a huge help!
 
Start early, right away, with obedience training and socialization before you get field dog specific. The rest will be much easier if you start with a dog or bitch that is well mannered, bidable and recognizes the pack leader as law. My Jake's motto is, "I don't do tricks. I obey commands". Good luck! Oh, and field specific... read, read read! There are some excellent training guides available which will help you to avoid making some training mistakes, some of which are permanent.
 
I forgot to mention another valuable resource... breed specific clubs. This page of the GSPCA national website lists local club affiliates, one in Atlanta and one in Cordele.

http://www.gspca.org/General/memberClubs.html

Through them you and your pup can attend field trials, get acquainted with top trainers and owners who can answer all your questions and likely reccomend or loan you training reference materials that are breed specific. Members are likely to be social and invite you and your pup on hunts where they can give pointers (pun intended) and let your pup work with some top, well trained gundogs.

You might even contact them before you buy and take an experienced owner with you when you go to pick out your pup. They will know what to watch out for as far as health, bloodlines and finding the most bidable and versitile pup.
 
Thanks for your reply. I have a friend that has had many pointers and trains them and I'm getting one from the same people he gets his and he is going with me to make sure the puppy is healthy. That's a great idea to go to the club to get ideas I would have never thought of that.
 
I am definitely no expert and know this isn't a tremendously helpful answer, but...my first (and only real) bird dog was a terrier that learned to be a gun dog/retriever in my yard. It was a big cicada hatch that year, and when she was a pup I'd sit in the yard and plink them with my BB gun. She learned to be comfortable around guns, and that tasty things often fall from where they were pointed. Learned lesson was early and positive exposure to hunting, the rest came naturally; my others haven't had near the amount of enthusiasm.
 
One does NOT want to train a gundog to eat what they point and you shoot. "Give" is an important command. They should want to do it for you by instinct (find, point, retrieve, give) not be taught to hunt to fill their own bellies (this is what is meant by "biddable", wants naturally to do his master's bidding).

If you go to the site I posted and then to their main page, there is a lot of good info about the breed itself. It tells you common inherited health problems to look for. A good breeder will warrant against some of those like displasia. And will provide you with a copy of all of the pup's medical records. Be advised that the breed, like my Llewellin Setter, is bred to be intellegent and high energy. That means endurance and need for regular exercise. And mental exercise. If allowed to get bored, they will make their own entertainment. Home improvement projects are a specialty. Expect to spend a pile of money every year on him/her too. The annual vet bills without any emergency illness or injury could cost as much as a nice shotgun. Collars, leads, harnesses and vests, lunge lines, feeders and waterers, fencing (I use a trolly for Jake). And more food than you might expect.
 
My first Llewellin, 35 years ago, was cross trained on squirrels. There was a lack of quail in the area, but he was a crack squirrel hunter. Blasphamy, I know. But he would zero in on the slightest smell of them or hint of movement. Circle the tree then mount the trunk in a point. If he saw no movement, he would work around the tree that way 90 degrees at a time. I almost always got a shot. And he would bring me the squirrel, dead or alive. My current setter has the same prediciment about available game and is self training to hunt squirrels the same way. Both are trained on verbal commands and hand signals. This one is more trained as a service dog. He alerts when I have a medical problem and also hears for me. They are that intellegent and biddable. If he can understand what I want, he will do it. He pees on command. How cool is that? :D
 
I would second everything Codger has said so far.

I would also say that the biggest mistakes I see bird dog owners making (aside from not starting with proper basic obedience and socialization) are expecting too much too soon out of the dog, and not trusting the dog's innate abilities. A well-socialized bird dog from a good line wants to work with you and please you. But remember that you are expecting them to do a lot of different things, and that you need to be patient and let them make mistakes - just like us, it's a large part of how they learn. Too many people expect perfection out of their dog in the first season, which just leads to frustration on the owner's part, and confusion on the dog's end.

Also, if you have access to wild birds, there is no replacement in my mind, for as much exposure to wild birds as possible.

This is one of my favorite books on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0963012746/?tag=dancarlincom-20
 
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Required reading for training a 'gun dog' is 'gun dog' by Wolters. 'game dog' is also a must read.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...wolters+dog+training&sprefix=wolters+,aps,188

Read these books before getting your pup. Just a couple quick tips from his books:

Beware the "pick of the litter" since it is the most dominant dog in his pack. He is the hardest to train because he doesn't want YOU to be in charge, he wants to be in charge. A dog that wants to do his own thing in the field has no place in the field.

If the breeder will allow it, bring some quail or dove feathers with you to see the pups. Tie the feathers to a a couple feet of fishing and toss it amongst the pups. Pay attention to which dog is most interested... that is your dog.

In my opinion there is no such thing as a 'bad dog' only bad owners.

Hope this helps...

.
 
Good tips. I took a fishing rod and a pheasant wing (sold at fishing shops to fly tyers). One pup locked his attention on the wing and the slightest twitch of the rod sent him quivering. He went into the stance like he had been an adult dog posing for a picture. But in addition to avoiding the most agressive, also avoid the most shy. Either can be a problem later.

Consider other pluses and minuses to look for. Jake had a slight unbillicle hernia. I am familiar with this and bought him anyway. A few months later I had the vet fix it... cost $50. The breeder discounted Jake $400 for the defect. It was as I had first diagnosed, a bit of fat protruding from the abdomen as the belly button healed around it. In your chosen breed, look for dew claw removal and at least mid tail docking. You will likely want these done sooner or later and all the better if they have already been done and included in the purchase price. Again, INSIST on a copy of the pups medical record and at least look at the records of the dame and sire. Heartworms, parvo and a few other things can strike quickly and with devistating results. Even with a pup that initially appears healthy.
 
Man I was all amped up to give you all kinds of info and Codger and KD cut my grass!!!!

Listen to these guys, my family raised pointers for field trial and huntind in saskatchewan for 20 years.
I have a lab that was from champion field trial and working stock.

The bringing the bird wing and choosing the middle of the litter is key as well as focusing on obedience and discipline right away.

Kennel train right from the first day home, no cuddling at night.....leave em in the kennel to cry it out, painful short term with longterm benefits.
No nighttime or gone to work messes and chaos as well as no bad habits learned.
When my dog was a young pup first home I had to put a lock on the kennel as I am a heavy sleeper and the ex would let him out and bring him into bed the first 2 nights.....what should have been 2 or 3 days was a week because of her.

She did not agree with my methods and I did not care.

Best thing I ever did was train my dog to "kennel" in any vehicle. Could go to parties, travel etc and not worry if they allow pets as well as nobody was breaking into my truck.
We were snow camping once and they chained off the road 100 yards from the camping area. Having fun in the day and we notice....where the hell is the dog?
Call, Whistle and nothing..... step down the road and I can see a black dot beside my truck. He had had enough and wanted to go to bed.

Sorry if I am sidetracking the thread......have to put my buddy down this week.......14.5 years is a good run but still not enough IMOP.

Take care and enjoy everyday with him, keep us posted please on his growing up.

Brad and Spot
 
Brad "the butcher";12978316 said:
Man I was all amped up to give you all kinds of info and Codger and KD cut my grass!!!!

Listen to these guys, my family raised pointers for field trial and huntind in saskatchewan for 20 years.
I have a lab that was from champion field trial and working stock.

The bringing the bird wing and choosing the middle of the litter is key as well as focusing on obedience and discipline right away.

Kennel train right from the first day home, no cuddling at night.....leave em in the kennel to cry it out, painful short term with longterm benefits.
No nighttime or gone to work messes and chaos as well as no bad habits learned.
When my dog was a young pup first home I had to put a lock on the kennel as I am a heavy sleeper and the ex would let him out and bring him into bed the first 2 nights.....what should have been 2 or 3 days was a week because of her.

She did not agree with my methods and I did not care.

Best thing I ever did was train my dog to "kennel" in any vehicle. Could go to parties, travel etc and not worry if they allow pets as well as nobody was breaking into my truck.
We were snow camping once and they chained off the road 100 yards from the camping area. Having fun in the day and we notice....where the hell is the dog?
Call, Whistle and nothing..... step down the road and I can see a black dot beside my truck. He had had enough and wanted to go to bed.

Sorry if I am sidetracking the thread......have to put my buddy down this week.......14.5 years is a good run but still not enough IMOP.

Take care and enjoy everyday with him, keep us posted please on his growing up.

Brad and Spot
Click to expand...

Good post Brad. Jake rode home from Kentucky in a small kennel. And he has a wire kennel in the house. I've had the advantage of not having anyone here to spoil his training. He has rooms off limits and knows how to tell me he needs to go out. I am deaf. He knows 29 words now. Squirrel is his latest. Consistancy is key and that is hard with other people in the house. Jake is not allowed on furniture and has never been on my bed. In fact he will not go in the kitchen or my bedroom at all.

Sorry about your loss. Don't do what I did and put off getting a pup too long. I lost Jake's ancestor to heart worms in the early eighties and didn't have the heart to get another Llewellin until a few years ago. Vetinary science has grown in leaps and bounds since then and I am meticulous with his medical care. And he returns my investment tenfold.
 
Way off original topic
 
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The most important thing regarding a bird dog is the bloodlines. In the US, a lot of hunting breed dogs have been ruined. Some of the breeds call themselves "hunting breeds" such as English Setter, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Springer Spaniel, but they are far from a true hunting breed. Breeders have ruined the hunting dogs, and bred out the hunting characteristics we bird hunters desire. A prime example is the English Setter. I would never hunt over an English Setter of today. Breeders have bred them to be family pets, and all the high drive characteristics have been bred out. Codger_64 knows exactly what I mean, as he has an Llewellin Setter. I too had a Llewellin (Bondu bloodline) for which I paid an arm and a leg. If your GSHP is from hunting bloodlines you are starting off on the right path. Read a few books, and look for a club in your area.
 
I forgot to add: the first thing to teach her is Whoa!
 
Strewth timw1! Jake could be registered with AKC as an English setter with little proof of bloodline. To be FDSB registered as a Llewellin setter it takes pedegree papers and DNA proof that links directly to the Laverick Lewellin lines. And outcrossing disqualifies. Because... the initial breeder worked long and hard to breed in very specific traits. While they do indeed belong generally to the breed "English setter", they have very little physical or tempermental resemblence to that breed. Jake is also of the Dashing Bondhu strain.

http://www.llewellinsetter.8k.com/DashingBonhu.html
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. And sorry I'm late I've been extremely busy.. I have ordered the books mentioned above as well as met a few guys with professionally trained pointers. When I get my pup in a few weeks I have one going with me to help pick her out.. ( I'm dead set on a girl) and I'm already getting hunts set up where she can learn from the pros. You guys are awesome! And with y'all's advice I'm sure she will be a great dog!
 
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