Gun Dog Forum

How often would you expect your dog to be worked on birds?

Depends on the age of the dog - where he is at in his training.

The trainer i occasionally use, worksthe dog twice a day - early AM & early evening. Usually it will involve birds but not always.

If you are not happy with your trainer , talk to him or her about your expectations. They may be able to meet your expectations or maybe not. Then the decision will be yours.

If you are considering a trainer go see the trainer work dogs for a few sessions and learn how they work. You want a trainer that works the dogs the way you think they should be. I personally don't like a lot of bird work, I prefer quality of bird work over quantity. So for me I would be looking for a trainer that is not over birding a dog. The important thing is you see the individual trainer and you know what to expect, they all have different methods and different work ethics.

I expect mine to be worked once or twice a week... Depends on where the dogs at in training. IS it going for a specific reason?

Not sure how anyone has been able to answer this question until you post what you expect and where the dog is in training. I will also say that unless you are a very experienced trainer yourself, I wouldn't be telling the trainer how often to work your dog, I'd rely on his experience more than my own. But, if he's breaking the dog, then every day and often several times a day, depending on where in that process. If he's trying to get the dog to run, he may or may not want birds on edges or no birds at all and just push the dog. If the dog is flagging, then no birds at all. All just depends on the dog.

You pick a trainer by what he produces and not how he does it generally.

Ezzy

ezzy333 wrote:You pick a trainer by what he produces and not how he does it generally.

Ezzy

Agree. Very good point.

+2

Sorry, it was really just a general question. I know most trainers try to work the dogs a couple of times a day but I did not know how often the actually used birds.

A_LOTA_NOTA wrote:How often would you expect your dog to be worked on birds?

Everyday

Ezzy said it best. I've always thought if a dog can spend the Winters in South Texas and the Summers in the North ( the Dakotas, Canada, etc) then you will have a bird dog. I usually hunt in South Texas a couple of weeks each year and send one or two of the dogs to North Dakota for 6-8 weeks in the Summer with the trainer. Trainer will introduce birds in a controlled situation, then run them on wild birds and polish them up in a controlled situation. All I know is that I'm happy with his results. Find a trianer you trust, the results will be there.