Gun Dog Forum

I have a 6 month old ES pup that sleeps in our basement laundry room at night. Each morning she starts barking betwee 5:45 and 6:00 and does not quit barking until I get her out of the laundry room, usually around 6:15 or so. I am considering getting a bark limiter collar to resolve the morning bark...

Thanks for the great tips. I am definitely making some progress with my dog on whoaing while moving. He's not perfectly reliable at it yet, but he's getting there. I think one of my biggest problems when trying to train a dog is that I expect to see results too quickly.

I'm making fair progress with whoa training my dog when he's walking or running next to me at heel. However, I'm having some difficulty getting him to stop on a dime when he's running full tilt on the check cord. Most of the time, he will circle back to me and then stop. I know that whoa isn't frequ...

Thanks for all of the suggestions and interesting follow-ups about the Llewellin lines (battle lines?). I was unaware of all of the controversy surrounding Llews. Perhaps I should look into Ryman-type setters instead.

I am seeking information on Llewellin English setter breeders who specialize in producing grouse dogs, or info on specific lines of Llewellins that are known to be good grouse dogs. Most of my experience has been with cover dog field trial-bred setters. While I love the style and intensity of the co...

Is breeding a half-brother to a half-sister considered inbreeding or linebreeding. I had been considering purchasing a puppy this spring but am having reservations after learning that the pairing involves two dogs that shared the same sire. What are the potential problems that could occur with this ...

I am new to the pigeon raising business and have a question about releasing birds. I have three pigeons that I acquired as young birds several months ago. I have not yet released any of the birds from their loft and want to begin to do so. Should I release one of them at a time and leave the other t...

I was doing some web surfing the other day and went to look up some info about Pine Coble setters and see that their website has been taken down. Any dual-type setter enthusiasts out there know if Warren has gone out of business? I've been contemplating getting a Ryman-type setter for a second dog, ...

Now, for the rest of the story.... Chase underwent surgery to remove the child's toy had eaten, which was basically an inflated, soft rubber pom-pom type ball about the size of a tennis ball that contained a smaller hard plastic light-up ball inside. When he was operated on two weeks ago, they only ...

The GDF is the best I've seen for discussions on gun dogs. Are there other forums, and I'm primarily interested in pointing dogs, that are worth exploring?

Apologies for my ignorance, but what is the significance of the circle containing either scrolling or stationary text that appears next to each thread?

Ezzy,
Why is shelled corn preferable to cracked corn? Does cracked corn cause problems in pigeons? Thanks for your help.

Thanks to advice on this forum, I've switched feeding my pigeons cracked corn, to a mix of cracked corn and calf pellets. I am a bit shocked by how much the birds will eat. I have four young pigeons that will empty a filled feeding tray in a day and a half. Do I need to limit the amount of food I am...

Thanks for all of the advice. Chase was not showing any distress yet this morning, but based on input here, decided to take him to the vets. After an x-ray, vet recommended surgery to remove the toy. The toy has been removed, and I can pick up my dog on Saturday. Thanks again.

Some great insight on this thread. Ray, would you mind providing a detailed plan for a training session that you would do to teach a dog to come to you. I've been working my 18-month-old setter on a check cord, with e-collar (low stim if he doesn't respond immediately) for about three months. He doe...

I have an 18-month-old setter that I'm having trouble with when unleashing him to hunt. He responds well to whistle commands in the yard, but when I turn him loose in the woods, he takes off and keeps going. He's done this the last three times I've taken him in the woods, and I know the first time h...

When I came home from work tonight, my wife told me my 18-month-old setter swallowed a rubber toy. I don't know what you call this toy, but it's squishy, filled with air and contains a ball that lights up inside. Although I didn't see this toy, my wife said the ball is about the size of a golf ball....

My first setter would always bark when a grouse flushed wild. There were many occasions when her barking alerted me to flying birds, and sometimes they presented nice shooting opportunities! I always liked the fact that she barked while chasing after a wild-flushed bird, and I never viewed it as a p...

I just built a coop and have purchased four young birds. I'm currently feeding them cracked corn. Is this sufficient or do I need to buy some sort of pigeon feed?

Thanks for the suggestions. The Danner crowd has won me over. Now, to chose between the Pronghorn or the Grouse....

I'm looking to get a pair of boots for grouse hunting, preferably lightly insulated or uninsulated. Any suggestions?

This may be a stupid question, but I've often read that at the end of each training session you should "play" with your dog. What type of play is being done?

I'm looking to purchase a few dozen quail for training purposes in northcentral PA. Any suggestions?

PDJ, Upland Almanac and the American Field.

I'm in Tioga County. I got the dog as a 7-month-old back in December. To that point he had no training at all, knew no commands, but had been worked on birds several times a week (by the breeder) since he was about 10 weeks old. Given the long winter, wet spring and two kids playing baseball until m...

My year-old setter male is coming along fairly well during yard training...except when he sees song birds or cats. At that point, he will race to the end of his check cord and yank up hunks of sod with his teeth and basically pay no mind to me. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help. I noticed that both responses to my question indicated I was not to say anything when correcting with either the e-collar or with collar jerks. Is there a reason that I would not want my dog to know that I was displeased with his behavior?

Have a 10-month old setter that goes absolutely bonkers anytime he sees cats, rabbits or birds in the yard. He runs from window to window, pawing at each one, slobbering and panting. Then he runs to the sliding glass door and scratches at it to go out. This can go on for well over an hour -- or unti...

My son says go for the pup with the mask. I like 'em all.

I have used an e-collar in the past as a training tool when doing yard work based on George Hickox method, but have never used it in the house as a corrective tool. I have an 8-month-old setter pup that I acquired at Christmas, and am having much difficulty in keeping him off the kitchen counters. I...

Entrance fees and travel expenses. Trials that often run on weekdays. Lack of trialing experience and knowledge of judging intricacies. Gut feeling that there is little chance of placing in an open stake where you're competing against professional handlers, whose livelihoods depend on winning trials...

Blue Seal Performance

I purchased a 7-month setter pup last week. He is obsessed with chasing our cats through the house every chance he gets. The cats have been hiding in the basement for the last three days, and the pup will poke his head through the cat door and peer downstairs (basically, he's on a very intense point...

I'm a 45-year-old male from Pennsylvania who has been hunting grouse since about 1991, always behind English setters (sometimes way behind English setters!). Like training my own dogs but still have a lot to learn. Currently own a 7-month old setter pup.
T-setter