New bird dog puppy

[WoodieBoater 9]

start her nice and early. She's a good looking pup, just gotta develop the instincts. It always amazes me the drive you see come out of a young puppy

[darkwater1 19]

It's is.I'm happy I got her and not new downriggers lol.

[WoodieBoater 9]

_{yeah I started thinking about the spring run, and how I haven't been out to fish at all and I felt a bit guilty. But I'm having a ton of fun training and it'll pay off in September, so I don't feel so bad anymore}

[darkwater1 19]

How did you get yours to start receiving mine don't always do it but she only14 weeks

[WoodieBoater 9]

it was completely natural retrieve for him, one day he just started chasing things down and bringing them back. all I did was reinforce with treats when he brought something all the way to hand. then I started working with bumpers, and when I shot the first bird over him he just went and retrieved it. He has a really strong desire to please so it seems to just come natural to him to spit something out in my hand.

 

In the past I have done force fetch with my dogs and other dogs. in the dogs mind, that changes the fetch command from something they desire to do (which may break down in the field) to an actual command which is a lot more reliable. its not the most pleasant thing to teach, but it is very effective. I don't think I would force fetch this pup, he's very soft and does not respond well to any negative criticism, (which is perfectly fine, id rather training be a positive thing anyway). but I feel that force fetching would turn it into a negative thing for him and hed "shut down" so to speak.

 

Every dog is different, if she's displaying any desire to retrieve at 14 weeks id be super happy with that. you gota remember her attention span is similar to a one year old little person at that age so she's not gonna be perfect every time. just reinforce when she brings something back all the way. Dutch didn't start his natural retrieve until 16 weeks or so, and some dogs don't display a natural retrieve at all. Lucky for us both he's incredibly intelligent and picked it up fast once he learned there was a treat involved if he did it right.

[darkwater1 19]

Thanks for the info

[Duckman1 12]

Great looking dog. The more birds u give him the better. I use to run thoses tests with my older labs. Just picked up a field trial lab pup myself. Where r you located. Looking to throw birds this Summer

[WoodieBoater 9]

Yeah I try and get him on a dozen birds a week or so. I just wish I could get my hands on something other than pigeons this time o year. I'm a NAVHDA member and that helps with bird availability in the summer months, and training in general. Ill send you a PM about location.

[MeatHunter737 0]

Very cool woodie, alot of respect to those of you that train dogs, it's something I envy and is on my bucket list.... I got 2 idiots that just take up bed space now... I figure 8 -10 years there will be room in the house for a hunting dog.

[WoodieBoater 9]

Thanks a bunch. Bed stealers have their place in the world too. the biggest thing is having the time. a dog always reflects how much time you have to spend with it

[Gill-T 176]

Glad the pup is working out.  After losing a dog recently, my German Shorthair became stricken with the loss of her buddy.  She would stare out the window waiting for him to come home.  General malaise and moping around to the point it was breaking my heart.  We started looking for German shorthair rescues and were frustrated by the lack of selection.  Many sites had German's listed but when you saw the picture you could tell MAYBE 2 % German LOL.  Doesn't surprise me as they are great dogs so they don't come up for adoption much.  A no-kill animal shelter was raided in Kentucky where they found 186 dogs on site in horrible condition.  A call went out to area shelters to take the dogs and as a result  we found a pointer mix in Ohio that was a transfer from the Kentucky site.  So begins "project reclamation dog".  We named the new dog Noodles.  Her previous name given was Squirrelly so you can imagine what this dog is like.  Hip and rib bones showing.  Probably had to fight for food as she would bare her teeth around other dogs but LOVES humans.  After some trying times with Tinkerbelle (my german) she began to except her and now loves to play with her new friend.  Tinkerbelle "tolerates" her well as she is young and an imp.  Sad state of affairs at the shelter as I had to teach the dog simple tasks such as how to play, or how to allow herself to be sniffed by another dog without attacking.  Early on she showed zero signs as a hunter.  Bunnies and birds went unnoticed.  Now that she has settled in I have noticed her taking interest in chasing rabbits and squirrels.  If I was to guess her breed I would say because she is from Kentucky (they love their squirrel dogs) she is probably a rat terrier/ pointer mix. Say a prayer for me.....LOL.

[WoodieBoater 9]

I give you a ton of credit for picking up a rescue dog. it takes a ton of work to  socialize a rescue and give them a stable home to feel comfortable in (which is what they deserve) and a lot of people aren't up to it. Seems like she may turn into a hunter yet. I think you'll probably see that once she gains more confidence in her situation and settles down a bit shell find something to focus on, whether its birds or squirrels who knows haha. ill throw a hail mary for ya. Sounds like at least she's giving your other dog company. sometimes its just as hard on a dog as it is on us to lose a companion

[Duckman1 12]

Kodos for picking up rescue dog. As far as birds. You can get a permit from dec to raise pheasants and quail. Quit easy. I havent done it in yrs but this spring i plan on getting some quail

[WoodieBoater 9]

Its gotten very time consuming/expensive to get the permit through the DEC. I know we do it for our NAVHDA chapter because its an organization, but for an individual Id recommend just getting birds and raising them.

[Duckman1 12]

I get hatchlings order tags and raise them. You know the time required to train. If you want a excellent bird dog you do what has do be done. Nothing compares to watching a full breed hunting machine at work. I will pm you

[DJ 17 10]

Man, that is one cool little dog.

Edited March 30, 2016 by DJ 717

[WoodieBoater 9]

Not so little anymore Dennis haha. He's pushing the 50 pound mark already.

Loves riding in the truck

[DJ 17 10]

That's a great picture!

[Frogger 52]

We just got a pup last month. Not a hunter, until I saw how she points out back!

[Missdemeanor 39]

Edit

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Edited April 9, 2016 by Missdemeanor

[Nautitroller 11]

Not so little anymore Dennis haha. He's pushing the 50 pound mark already.

Loves riding in the truck

Caption for this pic,

" Put the phone down Dad and drive me to some birds, or that fast food joint that smells Soooo good!"

My question is who's training who?

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[WoodieBoater 9]

Frogger Start showing her live birds and I bet you'll see more hunter come out!!   dogs allways amaze me with their base instincts

 

And I have definitely experience a lifestyle change.. probably for the better haha. He gets me out and moving a lot more than I used to, and that nose does definitely pick up the smell of food from just about any distance (and any level of deep sleep for that matter)

 

anybody else feel free to post pics of your new pup or older hunting buddy

Edited April 10, 2016 by WoodieBoater

[longspurs 48]

Lily 4 old yellow. True to instinct 6 weeks thru a wing and she never stops.

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[WoodieBoater 9]

love that muddy dog and pile of ducks

[longspurs 48]

Thanks ! Good luck hunting. Can't wait till next season

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