Gun Dog Forum

So I have a year old French Brittany that is pretty obedient, sans his incessant barking. I have exposed him to gunfire and birds without issue. He reliably points planted pigeons and chukars/pheasants on preserves. My frustration relates to wild birds. I live in Michigan and own 20 acres of property in the U.P. I spent the last two weekends in the Yoop with my dog running him through a variety of covers. We found ZERO grouse. Didnt even hear one. We were able to come across woodcock on three occasions. But he never pointed the "bleep" birds! I flushed one, took him to where it flew and he just flushed it, no point that I saw. On another occasion I saw the woodcock in the road. I stopped the jeep and got the dog out about 30 yards from the bird. The birds was CLEARLY visible in the road. I told the dog the "find it" which is a command I regularly use with birds. He ran ten yards toward the bird then turned and looked at me. I told him to "find it" again, he ran another ten yards, rinse and repeat. On the last find it he ran close enough that he flushed the bird. Once the bird flushed he was very interested and took off into the toolies after the bird. Sounded like he flushed in two times in rapid succession before I called him back.

My question is this, how do I make him understand the specifics scents/birds I want him to find? While we were in the woods the "bleep" dog was hunting chipmunks! I took steps to correct this using his e-collar. Like I said he is a pigeon finding machine, hes never missed a bird I planted. Same with preserve birds. He finds them all. But grouse and woodcock are a different story. Any help will be appreciated.

IME dogs have to learn which birds to point and which to ignore. And unless they can read Peterson's A Guide to North American Birds they need ro be taught. I live in The Land of Very Few Wild Birds, but run my dogs in released/planted bird trials. On occasion, my dogs have come across the rare phez or WC in trials. They didn't handle them well at all on the first contact. But after they made their mistakes ( busting the birds) I set them back where they first scented the wild birds, styled them up, fired my blank gun, and then headed back to the parking lot with my Dope on a Rope

After the correction, if the dog came across that same species again, he handled it just fine.

I don't consider this stuff the dogs' fault...they were trained on pigeons and pen-raised quail, and to them those first WC and phez were just another stink bird. They needed to learn those birds get pointed, and it was up to me to explain it to them. Just like I had to explain to them as puppies that robins, crows, turkey vultures, and Canada geese don't warrant their attention.

You said you found no Grouse. A dog cannot point birds that are not there. Until you actually see your dog getting an opportunity to work and point a grouse it is hard to make any conclusions there is my thought.

Woodcock are a different case in my experience. My last two GWPs pointed the first pigeon, quail, pheasant, sharptail, prairie chicken, hun, chukar, ruffed grouse, sage grouse they ever smelled. One of those dogs never pointed a woodcock and the other seems to be hit and miss on them. Clearly woodcock smell different than these other upland bird species is what I observe. To some dogs woodcock are no different than a robin or other birds which the dogs commonly ignore while hunting. I expect you may have to shoot some for your dog to get it to understand it is species you are targeting.

My sentiments exactly. shoot one and show him that is what you want.

You received good recommendations. If you want your dog to handle woodcock or any other species, take him hunting. But remember...the rules are the rules.