steadying question

[cheetome]

I have a gsp who will point like crazy on wild birds but flags and or crowds pigeons when I train. I have used the launcher with a wing locked bird out front I have planted birds and gone on to another area to train for up to an hour to get as much human scent out of the area as possible but the results are the same. She seems to be bored and uninterested with any training setup where human scent is involved. I don't think testing will go well since she doesn't perform when there is human scent. Any ideas or things to try would be great.

[DonF]

Sounds to me like you gave your dog to much opertunity to point the pigeons. Are your launcher's remote or manual? Easy fix if they are remote. Pop a few birds before the dog can point them. Once it tightens up, if the dog let's down at all or so much as looks at you out of the corner of it's eye, pop the bird just as the dog does it. That's what wild birds would do to him, that's what you should do also. How many wing locked wild birds has your dog found? None!

Your right about your dog being bored. Everything has changed for it since hunting season. Change it back to the way it really is and he'll come out of that.

[Hattrick]

+1

[volraider]

DonF is right on the money. Start popping birds when he is close to birds whether upwind or downwind, pop the bird and make him stop. This is stop to flush training. You don't have to get every bird pointed to have a good training day.

Brian

[WillowyndRanch]

You mention he does this on pigeons - what about released game birds? Often when working dogs they become soft on pigeons, but will change attitude completely when quail, chuckar or pheasant are used.

I generally start dogs with pigeons, but will move to game birds relatively early - I'd suggest moving to freed carded chuckar or set up released quail with a call back cage.
Ken

[birddogger]

+3.

Charlie

[Wildweeds]

+4 go the stop to flush route....................... now here's a little old guy trick I learned that really works good at making em solid,they'll look like a pile of diamonds....................................... take the scattergun and shoot the ground about 20-30 feet out in front of the dog and make the dirt and dust fly,the dog will do one of two things depending on the training level it's at.It will either break or..................... stand tall,stop flagging,perk it's ears up and actually look like it's thinking WTF was THAT all about........................................ when you get that look.......................... pop the bird from the trap and.....................................KILL it!