A Colorado Upland Hunt - Josey's First Hunt on Wild Birds - January 3, 2021

[Walk213]

https://youtu.be/EIUkhZaCF2Q

With Echo on injured reserve, I decided to take Josey (18m) out east on her first ever upland hunt. Candidly, I was apprehensive despite the training successes we had been experiencing. Josey is very sensitive, and she has not yet responded to collar conditioning. Additionally, we have struggled with retrieves on downed birds. To those points, I didn't know if we would find harmony in the field. She actually started out very well, with a strong track on a running rooster. When I thought the bird shook us, she found him, and I blew the opportunity.

I took Josey to a large CRP field, where it went bad pretty quickly. She actually got lost, and I had to search for her. When I found her, she was sitting in the field shaking. For the next few hours she barley left my feet. As the afternoon went on, she started to gain some confidence, and she returned to hunting.

The reality for me is that Josey is not ready. I need to figure out how to help her get better.

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[Sharon]

That's too bad; looks like it's back to square 2. Glad you found her.

[Walk213]

That's too bad; looks like it's back to square 2. Glad you found her.

It was tough, Sharon. We have a lot of work to do.

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[Garrison]

What do you think scared her? Sounds like it could be one of two things. Did you hit her with the e collar trying to get her back to you when she was lost, or did she tighten up after you shot the gun?

[Walk213]

What do you think scared her? Sounds like it could be one of two things. Did you hit her with the e collar trying to get her back to you when she was lost, or did she tighten up after you shot the gun?

Our first field (a corner with decent cover) was a great initial walk. She tracked a lone rooster for a while. He evaded us while we faced the wind. When we turned, she actually worked back into the wind, and she found the bird. If I had killed the rooster, she may have gained confidence.

The CRP field has a lot deep grass. When we entered the field, she drifted away from me. I hit the beep on the collar and called her over. She reluctantly came to me and she started to hunt. She then drifted away so I let her go with the hope that she would find me. She didn't.

I called her for a while before hitting the siren on the collar. If I didn't have the siren, I would not have found her for a while. She was so flustered that she didn't leave my feet for hours. For the next hour I was angry with her. I felt all of the time training was a waste of time. I eventually cooled off, and I felt guilty for my anger and for hunting her.

Josey actually loves the sound of the shotgun. She looks for the bird.

We have a lot of work to do.

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[Garrison]

Sounds like you realized you learned a little about the dog and a lot about yourself. Frustration in a dog is 95% self inflicted, and since we are dealing with dogs we have to take the blame for the other 5% as well if we want to make progress.

I gathered a few clues from your post.

“I was apprehensive”
“She has not responded to collar conditioning”
“I shouldn’t of taken her hunting”

What could possibly go right on this outing?

Maybe negative energy mixed with unrealistic expectations made for no fun, for you and the dog. An opportunity lost.

There is no reason an 18 month old dog shouldn’t be in the field hunting for birds, there is no reason she shouldn’t be screwing up the first time she gets the opportunity to, and more importantly there is no reason you both shouldn’t be enjoying the whole experience...Except for cameras, friends that you brought with you “hunting” and unrealistic expectations you probably would of both had some fun.

I am not sure what the difference between hunting and training is, we do field work and we do some yard work but it is all the same to me and the dog whether I have a blank gun or shotgun, especially with a youngster. A bird on a tailgate has no bearing on how successful or enjoyable our day was. The less pressure the better the results we seem to get.

Good luck with the pup, I think I would set some realistic expectations, only worry about the gas pedal in the field and the brakes in the yard for a bit. She needs to like hunting if she is going to be good at it. Also, you should probably reevaluate what, why, and how the e-collar is used. She doesn’t know what you want or how to do it and that is most likely why she is shutting down.

I have been there! Relax and enjoy it, it’s supposed to be fun. Tough days make the good ones better.

Garrison