[DoubleJay]

First time on this forum. Have wonderful 6 mo Brittany female in our home now, and having a lot of fun with her. She is very birdy and responding well in the field. To date, her training has been to respond to whistle and arm signals (come here, stay, sit, work this way, stop and turn, etc.) and she's amazed me with her intelligence. Since the first day, she is using her nose all the time, and quarters naturally in the field. Her bird finding ability is delightful, and she points well. She has responded very well to the introduction of gunfire (starter pistol, handgun, then shotgun) in the presence of flushed quail, and is starting to "get it" with the process of retrieving. Lots of love applied in all cases, she is very affectionate and just wants to please.
My question is how do I go about getting her to "hold" her point longer? When she finds the bird and points it, by the time I get up to her check cord and work my way to her, the birds busts and there goes the point.

Any advice would be helpful

Thanks

Jay

 

[D-squared]

Try using a cover for the bird ,I think they are called foot traps or foot release something like that, I am sure someone will give the proper name, or look on line at gun dog supply, have fun

 

[DoubleJay]

Thanks, just ordered one from Gun Dog Supply.....have some quail coming tomorrow from IN, so perhaps this will be the next step.

Jay

 

[HAP]

Jay I would keep in mind that at 6mo...your pup is doing enough, it's not the time to pressure her to hold birds...Let her grow a few more months its time for run and fun so let her go...she sounds like a good one.

 

[UplandJunkie]

I agree with Hap. At 6 months let her be a puppy. Keep her interested in birds but don't put too much pressure on her. I have a Britt that is two and this last season she did not want to hold her birds so there will be a lot of work coming this spring and summer using launchers. We put pigeons in the launchers and if she decides she is going to move in on her own then you let the bird fly using the launcher.


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[N M Mechanical]

6 month old puppy & new trainer + quail has a good chance at making a bird ripper.

 

[DoubleJay]

6 month old puppy & new trainer + quail has a good chance at making a bird ripper.

Meaning?

Thanks

Jay

 

[TimBuckTwo]

6 month old puppy & new trainer + quail has a good chance at making a bird ripper.

In 2010 when I started with my Brittany this would not have made sense to me, now it does. It's all part of the natural progression of a bird hunter with a pointing dog I guess.

DoubleJay,

Welcome to the club. I was in your shoes a few years back as my Brittany is now 3. I joined NAVHDA and had him on quail probably 1-2 per times month throughout his first summer. I read as much as I could. I will spare you with a long winded post but my best advice is there is no half measures in this game, you have to put in the time. Join a organization that aligns with your wants and needs and surround yourself with people who love the game. I have found the bird dog crowd more than willing to teach new comers.

With two jobs and school training has been limited and I have had to be grateful for what I have with my dog. Honestly, at best, he is a great woodcock dog. I'm sure in the field many of the guys stud dogs on this forum would light him up. That being said, I treasure my time in the woods with my dog, and its only going to get better.

Enjoy yourself out there.

 

[N M Mechanical]

If you got a kick trap or manual they allow dogs to get on top of them with no way of popping the bird. Quail do not usually fly good so your dog can catch them after they do get launched. There is ways to make your set up work because before there was remote launchers dogs still did get trained.

 

[DoubleJay]

In 2010 when I started with my Brittany this would not have made sense to me, now it does. It's all part of the natural progression of a bird hunter with a pointing dog I guess.

DoubleJay,

Welcome to the club. I was in your shoes a few years back as my Brittany is now 3. I joined NAVHDA and had him on quail probably 1-2 per times month throughout his first summer. I read as much as I could. I will spare you with a long winded post but my best advice is there is no half measures in this game, you have to put in the time. Join a organization that aligns with your wants and needs and surround yourself with people who love the game. I have found the bird dog crowd more than willing to teach new comers.

With two jobs and school training has been limited and I have had to be grateful for what I have with my dog. Honestly, at best, he is a great woodcock dog. I'm sure in the field many of the guys stud dogs on this forum would light him up. That being said, I treasure my time in the woods with my dog, and its only going to get better.

Enjoy yourself out there.

Thanks, I'll look into it

Jay

 

[Lumberjax]

Your dog is only 6 months old....dump the quail stuff for now and do your bird work with pigeons. When I was 7 years old I didn't have the knowledge or mental ability to do complex quadratic equations.....same goes with your dog. You are tryng to get out of your dog the requirements for a dog that is 1-2 years old. Trash the Einstein training and go slower, lest you wreck what appears to me the start of a good dog. I have been where you are at a billion times.