Steadying a pup

[EWSIV]

Ok ladies and gentleman,

I am ready to start steadying my pup. He is nearly a year. He points and holds his birds for a while. We didn't get on very many wild birds this year, but thems the breaks. He hunts hard and points birds with style and intensity. He seems to hold longer and longer everytime he finds a bird. He is not whoa broke.

With a remote launcher, I understand the drill to be thus:

Check cord dog into launcher, when he points let him hold till he moves then pop the bird.

I have been letting him chase after birds I don't shoot. I would think that letting him chase now would be counter productive. He is plenty bird crazy.

Eventually work him up to popping the bird when he first hits scent if he doesn't point immediately.

How do y'all steady dogs? Is the above method good? What are some do's and Don'ts? What do I need to watch for?

Thanks,

Will

[Casper]

Just because there are so many ideas about what the definitions are of steady vs. broke I just wanted to clarify that.

are you wanting to get your dog steady to wing shot and fall or do you just want him to stand his birds longer without punching them out?

[Lab Man]

I like to establish a understanding with my dogs that they do not get the bird unless they are steady. I will first start by teaching the dog this by planting birds in remote launchers. The dog goes on point. If the dog creeps or attempts to flush the bird, i will eject the bird and it just flys away. If the dog is steady i will flush the bird and shoot it. The dog soon learns that it does not get the bird unless its steady. I will then teach "whoa", and reinforce the steadyness with the whoa command. Good luck

[gonehuntin']

Ok ladies and gentleman,

He is not whoa broke.

There's one problem. This entire year, you could have been teaching him whoa without the pressence of birds. Now take him to the yard, obedience train him, and whoa break him.

With a remote launcher, I understand the drill to be thus:
Check cord dog into launcher, when he points let him hold till he moves then pop the bird.
I have been letting him chase after birds I don't shoot. I would think that letting him chase now would be counter productive. He is plenty bird crazy.

This is correct, but no longer let him chase the birds. Time to start steadying him. Once you have him trained to whoa, you can take the cc off.

Eventually work him up to popping the bird when he first hits scent if he doesn't point immediately.

How do y'all steady dogs? Is the above method good? What are some do's and Don'ts? What do I need to watch for?

Wait to do this until you can whoa him. Here's a way to steady them right in your yard, without going to the field. First he must be whoa broken. Then take about three clip with pigeons in a bag and walk him at heel around the yard on a 10' cc. Throw a pigeon and say whoa. He won't and will charge and hit the end of the cord. Don't say a word. Heel him and do it again. You will very quickly get to the point where you can throw the bird without saying whoa and the dog will just stand there and not break. This is what you're looking for. Now it will be very easy to transfer this to the field and you've done it without pressuring him in the field.

[EWSIV]

Just because there are so many ideas about what the definitions are of steady vs. broke I just wanted to clarify that.

are you wanting to get your dog steady to wing shot and fall or do you just want him to stand his birds longer without punching them out?

Eventually, I want my dog steady to wing, shot, and fall. For now, I would like to train him to be staunch first or steady through the flush first.

Will

[Emptypair]

That check-cord idea sounds great. I have been playing around with some different ways of steading mine as well. Thanks for the tip!

[Higgins]

Wait to do this until you can whoa him. Here's a way to steady them right in your yard, without going to the field. First he must be whoa broken. Then take about three clip with pigeons in a bag and walk him at heel around the yard on a 10' cc. Throw a pigeon and say whoa. He won't and will charge and hit the end of the cord. Don't say a word. Heel him and do it again. You will very quickly get to the point where you can throw the bird without saying whoa and the dog will just stand there and not break. This is what you're looking for. Now it will be very easy to transfer this to the field and you've done it without pressuring him in the field.

Gonehuntin', what would your next step be once you take him to the field? So far he is steady (at heel), in the yard on birds that come from you. How would you go about getting him steady on birds that flush out in the field?

Brad Higgins
www.higginsgundogs.com

[gonehuntin']

Gonehuntin', what would your next step be once you take him to the field? So far he is steady (at heel), in the yard on birds that come from you. How would you go about getting him steady on birds that flush out in the field?

Brad Higgins
www.higginsgundogs.com

At this point, all of my dogs are collar conditioned. When the dog points the bird, I come in from the front of the dog so I can see him at all times, and flush the bird. The first few times in the field I give him a break and verbally say whoa as the bird is flushed and again at the shot and fall. After that, on an intensity of 3-4 with a TT Pro 500 I say nothing. If he moves I give him a nudge with the collar. They have been so thoroughly schooled in the yard, they usually pick this up right away. I like to give as few verbal commands in the field as possible.