late bloomer?

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Birddogz
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Birddogz » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:37 am

I've never seen an EP with no point. I would bet he will just fine. What breeding is he out of? My DD was a late bloomer. She always showed a ton of prey drive, but wouldn't point long. At about 14 months it all changed. She always retrieved well though. Does your pup chase balls/socks etc.?
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dudleysmith
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by dudleysmith » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:44 am

HE is a PUP....were you driving a car at 6? everything takes time

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by dudleysmith » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:51 am

june

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Birddogz » Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:27 am

tcjack wrote:double line bred h.t.a. yes hes a great little retreiver and will give a little chase to launched pigeons, but they loose is attention vary quickly.
He will be fine. No worries.
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Joe Amatulli » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:09 pm

TC a complaint from many pro trainers is that the pups they get have had little or no training. Teach him his name, that come is not optional, let him get into some birds that he cannot catch, whoa and heel and he will be that much further ahead. The pup still has a lot of growing up to do, I wouldn’t worry, but I would NOT leave him in a kennel either.

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birddog1968
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by birddog1968 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:20 pm

Happy timing and bump and chase is all i would worry about, besides teaching here/come in.

Let the pup range and learn to be independent. I don't even try whoa till they are at a year or so old. This is time for pup to be a pup and learn to love running fields and cover, without someone hacking him or constantly calling him in. Let him be free.

I wouldn't be launching anything for him, at the most let him bump and chase good flying birds and maybe even let him maul a few in the yard (with zero pressure). Keep everything but ranging short and sweet. A clean slate, to a trainer, would be much preferable to a pup
with man made hangups.
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ymepointer
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by ymepointer » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:19 pm

How is he looking now?

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by tommyboy72 » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:13 pm

If I am not hunting over them by the age of 9 months or so they usually go down the road at my house.

They are usually e collar trained, whistle trained, are starting to point but still bumping birds, retrieving down birds reliably, reliably responding to the "come" command, usually running out to about 400 or so yards, learning to search likely cover, are definitely gunbroke, and have been running on wild birds since about 6 months. Basically by 9 months they are an unseasoned gun dog that bumps birds occasionally and breaks on the flush but finds,points, and retrieves shot birds. Usually by the end of their first season they are steady to the gunshot, finding birds even better, pointing and holding their birds reliably, backing, retrieving reliably and require very little handling in the field other than a change of direction or a call in at around 500 yards which is my personal boundary along with all the aforementioned training. I guess it sort of depends on what standards you set for yourself whether or not you should be worried. Oh and I usually don't start whoa breaking until after their first season on wild birds.

Double bred HTA huh? I have never owned an HTA dog but all my dogs are Fiddlin Rocky Boy bred and they have a ton of drive. Darn sure ought to be showing a heck of a lot of interest by 6 months.

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by birddog1968 » Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:04 pm

[quote="tommyboy72"]If I am not hunting over them by the age of 9 months or so they usually go down the road at my house.

[quote]

How many has that been? You probably have let some fine dogs go down the road.
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by birddogger » Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:35 pm

TC, I would wait until June for the trainer but would work with him on basics, as has already been suggested, and would work with some clipped wing pigeons or quail to bring out his prey drive. I know how excited you were to get this puppy and had high expectations, but just keep in mind that he is just a baby and don't compare him to other dogs that you have seen at the same age. They are all different and sometimes the late starters turn out to be some of the best dogs. I believe that it is just a little too early to be worried.

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by ultracarry » Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:03 pm

I would send the dog for a limited time. If it doesn't improve you might need to think about some stuff. Maybe he will catch on and prove you wrong. Did you get your gsp as a started dog? I remember you had a real nice looking male.

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by BoJack » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:10 pm

PATIENCE my man,see what it can do?? They all mature and come into different stages at different ages.
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by displaced_texan » Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:33 am

Wasn't HTA still considered worthless at 6 months?
I have English Pointers because they don't ever grow up either...

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Cajun Casey » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:41 am

displaced_texan wrote:Wasn't HTA still considered worthless at 6 months?
I think the story goes a trainer said to shoot him.
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Ron R » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:04 am

birddog1968 wrote:and maybe even let him maul a few in the yard
You're not recommending letting a pup purposely catch birds are you?
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by birddog1968 » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:17 am

Ron R wrote:
birddog1968 wrote:and maybe even let him maul a few in the yard
You're not recommending letting a pup purposely catch birds are you?
Not exactly, wave the bird around on the ground get him amped and throw it for him to retrieve, maybe even feed some heads or legs.

The pup isnt going to remember mauling one bird when its near a year old and begins whoa breaking....JMO
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by ezzy333 » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:10 am

I think anyone that has been around enough pups knows better than to put a time table on them. Haven't you heard Brenda say that both Fritz and SAM, both Duals today were sold and then "sent down the road". Thats how they got them back. Nice to have pups learn quickly but it has no bvearing on what will be the better dog when they mature. I always found that most pups have to have a bad year, either the firstor the second.

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by displaced_texan » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:21 am

Cajun Casey wrote:
displaced_texan wrote:Wasn't HTA still considered worthless at 6 months?
I think the story goes a trainer said to shoot him.
Same version I heard...

Like the dog or not, he was still worth letting live and training :D
I have English Pointers because they don't ever grow up either...

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by tommyboy72 » Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:31 pm

Birddog 1968, I have culled quite a few dogs by giving them away to more patient owners or non hunting homes but it only made room for even better, faster starting, more intelligent dogs. At my house dogs don't eat and they darn sure don't stay around if they don't earn their keep.

I have always fed my dogs quail heads in the field as a motivator for retrieving the bird. The dog that retrieves is the one that gets the head and the others are left out. Makes for a hard charging retrieving pointer.

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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Cajun Casey » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:39 pm

tcjack wrote::roll:
I guess some didn't read the part where you said it was all good and your pup figured out the bird in birddog??? C'est la vie...
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Re: late bloomer?

Post by Elkhunter » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:20 pm

heck 9 months old is still a puppy chasing tweety birds! I take em out and let em run around, learn to stay with me and find the occasional wild bird. Not even full grown or strong enough to handle 2 hours in the chukar hills! Just a puppy let him be one!

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