4 month old GSP - bird

[emmagator]

Have a 4 month old GSP still working on the basics, still working on consistent recall, bumper retrieves, etc.

Never been introduced to a bird, other than briefly by the breeder at around 8 weeks. Brought home a dead quail today to let her get the scent and handle it. I had her on a check cord and let her smell bird. She got really excited, so I tossed the bird in anticipation she’d grab it and maybe bring it back. She grab it and immediately tried to run away from me and was trying to eat it whole. Checked her with the cord and she wouldn’t release bird. Pinched her rear in hopes she drop it, but seemed to literarily be trying to swallow it whole, reluctantly had to eventually pry her mouth open. I didn’t continue.

I understand she is still very young and still learning but I was surprised by her action. Thoughts?

[Chemist]

I am not surprised by her actions. She had a prize and didn't want to share. Her not wanting to give it back is normal at 4 months old.

You said she tried to eat it whole. Did she try to tear it apart? Was it squished when you got it back? Was she mouthing it to get a better grip?

For teaching a dog to release, I like grabbing the flank,twisting and lifting up. They will release the object in their mouth and turn to your hand. It keeps them from being head shy and works for me. If the dog doesn't release, twist and lift more.

[gonehuntin']

She is a puppy and they do these things. Keep her on a check cord at all times so she can't run away with a bird. Always GENTLY reel the pup in when she has a bird, then praise her when she is with you BUT; DO NOT SNATCH THE BIRD FROM HER! Let her hold it and stroke her then when she relaxes a bit, gently but quickly take the bird from her commanding "drop" as you do.

Puppies can be very tough on birds and WILL eat the bird many times if you don't make them return to you. They usually don't do this with live birds. You should be working on the pup pointing birds on a CC more than the retrieving. For retrieving, work with a smaller canvas dummy. Really, with retrieving at this age, all you are looking for is that the pup RUNS OUT TO THE BUMPER. That shows the desire to retrieve. To bring it back and deliver it to hand is training and that can come late during formal obedience and FF training.

Now, if her retrieves now to hand, all fine and well, but don't be discouraged if he doesn't. The pup retrieves FOR HIMSELF, not for YOU. You teach him to retrieve later for YOU.

Have fun; it can be a bumpy ride.

[emmagator]

You said she tried to eat it whole. Did she try to tear it apart? Was it squished when you got it back? Was she mouthing it to get a better grip?

Didn’t try and tear it apart, really hard mouthing it over and over.

[gonehuntin']

You said she tried to eat it whole. Did she try to tear it apart? Was it squished when you got it back? Was she mouthing it to get a better grip?

Didn’t try and tear it apart, really hard mouthing it over and over.

That's really just a puppy thing and they nearly all do it when they haven't had a lot of bird exposure. The scent, feathers, taste and feel simply overwhelm them.

[Chemist]

I don't think you have to much to worry about. The thing I would definitely not do is let her keep a bird for long enough to tear it apart and develop a hard mouth. I also would not necessarily work on fetch with a bird at this point in her development. Absolutely work on fetch with a bumper, it will translate to birds later.

I have seen with my dogs that when they are young, retrieving dead quail can make them think they can catch live quail when they smell them out in the field. They eventually figure it out and start pointing again, but if both you and the dog are new it can make for some frustration. I personally would wait until the dog is pointing the way you want to start playing fetch with birds. This all of course depends on your access to live birds. If you have ready access to quail, and the time to run the dog on them in the off-season then the dog will be pointing them for you before next season rolls in.

Have you been doing anything to reduce noise sensitivity? It was about 4 months old that I started to slowing introduce my current dog to loud noises followed by primed shotgun hulls, .22 blanks and eventually gunfire over a period of a couple of weeks.

You brought home a dead quail. Does this mean you have access to wild birds local to you?

[emmagator]

Have you been doing anything to reduce noise sensitivity? It was about 4 months old that I started to slowing introduce my current dog to loud noises followed by primed shotgun hulls, .22 blanks and eventually gunfire over a period of a couple of weeks.

You brought home a dead quail. Does this mean you have access to wild birds local to you?

I haven’t introduced gun fire yet. Our neighbors, however target shoot quite a bit. They’re about a couple acres over from our property line. When they shoot, she’ll stop at almost every shot and look around. So I do have some concerns with that.

I have access to wild birds, but in NW Oregon it’s thick and difficult to train in with little pup. I did however, just this week found a resource for pigeons.

[Chemist]

If she is noticing the gunfire and not running scared, I would not be worried. Hearing a noise you do not understand and looking in the direction of the noise is only natural. Regardless of whether you are a dog, person, or any other animal.

If the quail are in an area that you do not have to worry about people hunting (i.e. loud noises) and your dog has a decent recall I would be strapping a gps collar on the dog and trying to run it in an area that has wild birds. There are really two scenarios to play out.

1: She does not have a bird contact or if she does she doesn't pay much mind to the birds and you go for a nice walk with your dog. In this scenario she gets exposure to brush, and gets to explore and use her nose for all the wonderful scents of the world

2: She has bird contacts which result in her chasing the birds around which will help build prey drive and teach her she cannot catch them. Also she will learn a little bit of confidence and to navigate brush.

Assuming that you are a foot hunter, I am a firm believer in making her follow you not the other way around. At this age a lot of times the dogs are still a bit clingy which is a good thing. There is a good chance she will hit an obstacle she does not want to go over/through and will stop and whine. Do not go back and get her. Go a short distance ahead but where you can still hear her whining and hide. It might take one to two minutes but she will get brave and jump that log. This exercise is to teach her two things. The first is confidence. The second is that when you take her in the field the onus is on her to keep track of you not the other way around.