BDA Articles

Bird Dogs Afield host Paul Fuller is the gun dog columnist for Northwoods Sporting Journal. The Journal has granted permission to re-print Paul’s articles. Thank you Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Puppy Training

In my last column, we talked about buying a new puppy. We discussed the importance of the four golden words in training a dog: patience, persistence, praise and consistency. Practice those four golden words throughout your puppy training.

Most training is done early and is referred to as yard work. We teach obedient behavior. Obedient behavior is not instinctive. These obedient behavior skills include recall (here or come), whoa (stand still) and heel (walking along our side). Those are the most important. I’ve given instruction in previous columns for training each obedient behavior. You can find them on my website: www.birddogsafield.com. Click on Articles.

After yard work, the trainer becomes more of a coach than a trainer. A well bred dog will have the instinctive skills (genetics) to become a good bird dog. Hall of Fame trainer, Ferrel Miller, often referred to as the “king”, states that there are two things you can not teach a pointing dog; that is to point and have desire to hunt. What Mr. Ferrel is saying is that if those two traits aren’t there, you really just have a house pet. That’s why good breeding (genetics) is important.

Mr. Ferrel also told me that if you put too much pressure on a puppy to perform, the puppy may turn sour and it will be hard to turn it around. One example is preventing a puppy from chasing a bird. This is a mistake often made by an amateur trainer. Puppies need to have fun and need to develop their instinct. Hall of Fame trainer Delmar Smith adds: “A dog that quits chasing on his own quits for life. One that’s forced to quit goes to his grave wanting to make one more chase. If training on liberated birds, use birds the pups can’t catch.”

Introduction to birds is the most exciting part of training our puppy. Birds are why we have a bird dog. However, we want to do it right. A mistake at an early age may be irreversible. First, don’t rush the the puppy. Most professional trainers feel six months is the right time to introduce birds to a pup. In last month’s column, we did our research before buying our puppy so we know the genetics are there to develop a fine hunting partner.

The first step I take to introduction to birds is to put a quail or two in a small mesh cage. Maybe 10” x 12”. The pup can easily see and smell the birds but not catch the birds. In fact, no where in this process do we want the pup to catch the birds. The cage also prevents the bird from exploding in the face of a puppy. That could be very bad and set back the process many months.

What you will see is the puppy approaching the cage with caution. Perhaps even pointing the bird(s). If pointing, it would most likely be a flash point which is fine. They have now associated scent with the bird. A huge step forward.

The next step is exactly how I’ve developed our shorthairs. I release three or four chukars in a small wooded area near the house. I put feed down to keep the birds there. These are hard flying birds that cannot be caught. Initially, the pup most likely will chase. Or, give you a flash point and then chase. It usually only takes two or three of the exposures to the chukar and the flash point will elongate into solid point. No yelling “whoa” required. The pup learns it cannot catch the bird and will remain on point. If you feel you need “whoa”, make it soft and two syllables.

If your pup is giving you a nice point on the chukar, I would now move immediately to wild birds. Forget planting pen-raised quail which are easy for the pup to catch. Also, by-pass the desire to buy smelly pigeons. Here is an exception. If you want to break your dog to the flush or teach honoring, a few pen-raised birds, or pigeons, and a launcher would help.

A final comment. There is no expiration date on training. Progress at a speed that meets the temperament and maturity of your pup. You’ll be happy with the result.

Paul and Susan, his wife, host the Bird Dogs Afield TV show. All past episodes are on his YouTube Channel (www.youtube/birddogsafield.com) or his website (www.birddogsafield.com). Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com.