Gun Dog Forum

skunk

I have an English Setter that was 1yr in April. I've done all his training so far by myself(16years old) and he listens extremely well for me so far in the field. I even called him off a porcupine before he got quilled. He listens everytime to come whether I shock him or not unless theres an animal...

skunk

started popping the launcher as soon as she gets scent. She now points further away and is more intense. Now almost to far away. Have to tap her to move up. This is good to hear. I never had a flagging problem with my pup but he's 2 now and I think getting used to the game... He knows the quail we ...

skunk

Sounds cool. I'd like to see pictures if you can figure that out

skunk

Also, a retrieving buck (looks like a dumb-bell for weight lifting) could be helpful with the dog picking the object up in the middle. I haven't used this much myself but I was also told you should practice with objects that are lopsided in weight. This will help the dog when picking up big stuff li...

skunk

Make sure the collar is tight enough. I notice this with my own dog sometimes... if he's got his head down on the ground, the contact points on the collar aren't touching his neck. If I tighten it up a bit, it magically works again

skunk

I'm not an expert but I'd use a start pistol to help train steady to shot. Let's say it's off-season and your dog points a woodcock. You then approach the dog and flush the bird and then fire a blank shot as if you were actually trying to shoot the woodcock but missed. When you shoot, the dog should...

skunk

gonehuntin' wrote:Skunk, did you thoroughly school him in the jowl pinch before you started the ear pinch?

Smart Fetch doesn't use a jowl pinch so no, that wasn't in the method I was following.

skunk

Skunk, you're jumping to a lot of conclusions there. That tooth probably would have broken if it had been damaged or not. You sure he didn't have the choke chain in his mouth and not the cc? I've popped a leash out of a ton of dog's mouths and never, ever, harmed a dog. Hey gonehuntin. The puppy to...

skunk

I have a place to trap feral pigeons, so I'll try going this route... I also have a place that has plant and hunt birds, and one of the local guys will plant them for you to do training... Thanks for the tips... I'm going to be trying my best You'll want a remote controlled bird launcher or 7 to us...

skunk

ibbowhunting wrote:check out perfection kennels website you can order The Perfect Retrieve, Now

Cool. Thanks for pointing that out. They must have just updated the site because I checked before posting

skunk

I highly recommend them. They really break the processes down into steps the dog can understand. It clearly works as you can see them take multiple untrained dogs through the whole process. For the Perfect Start specifically, a couple of years ago we used their methods on at least 4 young dogs that ...

skunk

Despite what some other folks here are saying, I would NOT yank on the check cord when the dog has it in its mouth. I did that with my pup when he was young and ended up breaking off a puppy canine tooth. Unfortunately, the tooth was not ready to come out on its own so I had to get it surgically rem...

skunk

I brought my dog (a Griff) through FF myself (using Evan Graham's Smart Fetch) and he was also not very enthusiastic about retrieving bumpers. Also, earlier on in the process when we were doing the ear pinch, he'd clam up sometimes and pinching harder wouldn't do any good. Evan briefly mentions in h...

skunk

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on having such a great pup to work with. It sounds like you and the pup might advance through your training if you got a dvd or book which would give you a timeline or plan to work from. A book which you might like would be Training with Mo, by Martha Green...

skunk

My dog isn't perfect as he will still bite down on the bird too hard but he does not sit and try to eat it like he used to do. .. Enlighten me ?> What part of this was to do with FF that Evan or anyone of repute advocated in the process. I'm not sure I understand what you're asking or getting at. B...

skunk

I use a GPS on my dog as well but like you're finding, I also like to hear where he is so I don't have to look down at the GPS all the time. My favorite bell is the small cowbell from Lion Country Supply: http://www.lcsupply.com/Hunting-Dog-Collar-Cowbell-Small/productinfo/SCB/ Sometimes it is a bit...

skunk

I followed Evan Graham's Smart Fetch method on my dog. I found that applying more pressure did not make him comply so I backed off because I didn't want him to start "clamming". Evan mentions this in his video but just says "Don't try to defeat your dog by applying more pressure as that can lead to ...

skunk

I know someone in my NAVHDA chapter that has two English Pointers -- one of which has gotten a prize 1 in her UT twice. Things didn't work out at the invitational for some reason but the dog is a great dog and fetches just fine. I'm pretty sure the owner FF'd the dog but I don't know which specific ...

skunk

You can mark the location of the bird with flagging tape but do so in a more subtle manner so the flag isn't terribly obvious to the dog and isn't flapping in the wind, etc. Try knotting the tape at the top and then pull it down the branch, grass, whatever-you're-tying-it-to, and knot the other end ...

skunk

Yes, but I need to keep him on a check cord in some situations for more control.

skunk

When I work with my dog on a check cord in my yard, I almost always put a pinch collar on him so he's not pulling me around like a mule. This makes him much more controllable. However, when we're in the training field, I have been just using a flat collar but my dog's prey drive is so high, he const...

skunk

I actually called the police station here in Madison and spoke to an officer about using a blank pistol. He said it's probably not technically illegal but it would probably freak the neighbors out so I should probably just stick to using the blank pistol in a more rural area. At the time I was just ...

skunk

I ended up hiding my launchers behind some landscaping and the dog was inside kenneled up while I put the birds in. Seems to have worked well.

He held pretty well without much of a reminder. I'll repeat a few more times in the yard and then transition to the field when my pigeons are ready.

skunk

clink83 wrote:If your dog bit you every time you missed a bird would you want to hunt? You should correct a dog, not punish it. Combining punishment, birds, and "whoa" is a good way to develop problems later.

He does bite me when I miss... he's a mean bugger.

skunk

As for the pigeons, the longest part is getting them in shape for the old birds and routing for the years young birds(I usually hamstring myself by not starting the breeding early enough in the winter so I am usually stuck waiting on the YB to start) I do two release from all points of the compass ...

skunk

Oh, and this dog has been through FF already this past winter. I think sometimes I'm too hard on him when he breaks (I'll man-handle him a bit to put him back in place) but I'm trying to take a calmer approach... It doesn't seem to have affected his desire at all. Because I work Setters I have foun...

skunk

IMO if the dog sees the launcher he will get sight oriented. I live in the city but have several places I have found nearby to run a dog. I have found it pretty easy to get access to work dogs when land owners know you won't be carrying a gun. You don't need a large property just something that wil...

skunk

I did start in a non hunting area (but even though it was in the city it does resemble hunting area) it helped early , but it also delayed me when I needed to get the gun out, since using them also delayed me from getting my pigeons distance trained so I don't know if it helped over all vs getting ...

skunk

Nice. Thanks for sharing...

I would love to see more training grounds open up. Though I have doubts they'll be any closer than the current grounds I use which are 20 miles as the crow (or should I say pigeon) flies.

skunk

I'm working on steadiness training with my dog this summer and attempting to follow the Perfect Start / Finish methods. I am currently on the "whoa with birds" step so my dog will whoa on a check cord a couple of yards away from me and he is e-collar conditioned to do this as well. The "whoa with bi...

skunk

I built the loft from LC Supply a couple of months ago and I have 6 homers in it: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ft33D7bDt13U-tre1cWrRwn9SzNmQWHLA0JG3iNMsTZ_=w1010-h757-no In the last few weeks I've been letting my birds fly -- they were all young birds that were never flown. If the weather is go...

skunk

I too am just starting to launch birds for my setter pup so thanks for the advice everyone. I probably haven't been popping the bird quickly enough. Now, the second rookie question. What to do about chasing. Let him chase after the flush because at this point (5 1/2 months) it's all about fun and l...

skunk

I'll second what others said above. Just watch your dog closely and you'll be able to tell when he gets scent. He will be running by and that head will turn and you should see his behavior change. As soon as he acknowledges that bird scent, let that bird fly. This is the method they use in the Perfe...

skunk

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'm going to give it a few more days and see how he is...

Fortunately, a friend of mine has agreed to foster the birds for me and I'll still be able to use them for training so I have a backup plan if it doesn't work itself out.

skunk

So I had this bright idea to get myself some homing pigeons and use those for training my dog on steadiness (I'm trying to follow the Perfect Start / Finish methods as those worked well to prepare him for Natural Ability testing last year). Unfortunately, I didn't think things all the way through an...

skunk

I wouldn't say I did a jowl "pinch" to introduce hold. I basically just worked his mouth open with my hands and forced the roller in there. Regarding the lowered head: I know exactly what you mean and he does attempt this sometime but I force his head up and keep repeating "hold". He's done surprisi...

skunk

Hello, new gun dog owner here trying to train my own dog (with the guidance and advice of in-person and online training friends). I have a male Griff pup who is 10 months old and is a serial bird-muncher. He has a lot of drive and hunted pretty well this season but fails miserably on the retrieve be...

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Re: BTDT, But here is my DIY upland launcher Under $50

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Re: E collar and force fetching

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Re: Perfect start perfect finish dvd's

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Working a dog on a check cord - collar choice

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Re: Dog not pointing till right on top

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Re: FF question - stubborn dog or clamming

FF question - stubborn dog or clamming