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Goid stuff Jim. At that age I feel that is exactly what he needs to be doing. When it comes to hunting or birds let him be a pup and build that crazy drive, all the while working on OB. Solid OB makes it easier once training starts. It's awesome that the whole family is out there getting involved.

That's better than any TV! Keep em coming Jim

Very cool. My wife is upset that you used live pigeons.

"Birds have feelings too!"

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Very cool. My wife is upset that you used live pigeons.

"Birds have feelings too!"

Did you tell her they were alive and back in the coop, gorging themselves on cracked corn and the finest spring water? But leave out the part that they're going to be subjected to it again. And again. And again. When their feathers grow back, they can have their freedom, if they make it.

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Very cool. My wife is upset that you used live pigeons.

"Birds have feelings too!"

Without those feelings they wouldn't try to escape and give a good chase.

Great videos Jim. Watching him run down that bird in the third one was awesome. Spunky, fearless little shit

assateague wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:Very cool. My wife is upset that you used live pigeons.

"Birds have feelings too!"

Did you tell her they were alive and back in the coop, gorging themselves on cracked corn and the finest spring water? But leave out the part that they're going to be subjected to it again. And again. And again. When their feathers grow back, they can have their freedom, if they make it.

Yes, but now they are eating and drinking while thriving in pain from the dog's teeth. I was also informed that pulling three flight feathers is cheating.

Watching duckumentary now. Keep hearing "I don't don't know how you can kill those things"

Make sure to tell her I actually hacked off about 10 feathers with my knife, while holding the wing on my workbench out in the shop, which also doubles as their temporary dungeon.

assateague wrote:Make sure to tell her I actually hacked off about 10 feathers with my knife, while holding the wing on my workbench out in the shop, which also doubles as their temporary dungeon.

I got the eye roll, followed by, "Do you (AT) feel powerful torturing the poor little birds?"

This is all coming from a woman that cleaned pheasant with her father every weekend of the season as a little girl.

I supply the remaining pigeons with water via the tears of my remorse, which flow like rivers from my sad, sad eyes. I generally clench my fists over my head and wail "WHY, GOD, WHY?" every time I'm doing it. But hey Jack, the dog's gotta get trained.

assateague wrote:I supply the remaining pigeons with water via the tears of my remorse, which flow like rivers from my sad, sad eyes. I generally clench my fists over my head and wail "WHY, GOD, WHY?" every time I'm doing it. But hey Jack, the dog's gotta get trained.

God agrees

assateague wrote:I supply the remaining pigeons with water via the tears of my remorse, which flow like rivers from my sad, sad eyes. I generally clench my fists over my head and wail "WHY, GOD, WHY?" every time I'm doing it. But hey Jack, the dog's gotta get trained.

lol'd for real!

I think she just figured out that I have been posting her comments.

They love it when we do that

sent from a phancy fone

Goldfish wrote:They love it when we do that

sent from a phancy fone

She didn't seem very amused

assateague wrote:Rick, I tried the hood approach, but they wouldn't keep them on. Shook like hell, and rubbed on the ground until the hood came off.

Having hooded hundreds of pigeons without seeing that happen, I'm guessing you tried white baby socks instead of dark ones that cut off more light.

(Biting my tongue on the rest of that post.)

I used the thumb from a pair of brown jersey gloves. Does it need to be thinner than that?

And by all means, don't bite your tongue. Let me have it. I got big shoulders

assateague wrote:I used the thumb from a pair of brown jersey gloves. Does it need to be thinner than that?

Perhaps that's so tight or thick it's smothering them. Never tried anything but dark baby socks.

assateague wrote:And by all means, don't bite your tongue. Let me have it. I got big shoulders

Going to sound like an echo, but your teaching Dutch that he doesn't need you, ie: to point to get birds that have not been shot. (They very quickly learn to smell the difference, btw, so pointing when he should be retrieving won't be a problem.) In fact, he's learning that he needs to run in and grab birds. Which is something he'll need to unlearn.

Might be worth that additional confusion on his part and trouble on yours with a disinterested pup that needs birdied up, but I doubt that's Dutch's case. Know I go to a lot of trouble and expense to buy "birdy" and have never had to instill it.

Which isn't to say you shouldn't foster independent hunt by taking him interesting places he can explore, just that I see no gain and potential pain in having him hunt unwounded birds he can catch.

Point taken. What you say makes sense. I should also say that he does get quite a bit of "whoa" training throughout the rest of the day (on everything from chickens to barn cats), anywhere from 15-20 minutes, spaced out throughout the day. Granted, I didn't even think about it here, as I was just trying to let him have some fun. Like I said, I don't know hardly anything, but was viewing this as the live equivalent of "fun bumpers". But I'll certainly not do that if it's bad.

I see no problem with it, his point will be there on its own. Find a quail or other bird, only handle it with gloves on and plant it, I guarantee he locks up on it.

I gotta say this upland training is all very new to me. I'm enjoying the heck outta reading it. Interesting stuff.

@ Jerry or Rick...have you ever done this sort of training with a lab or chessie?

I did a lot of work with my lab on upland, flushers are a whole different ballgame though, we learned together. Most of it was quartering and tracking. Flushers must have self control when heavy on a running pheasant, if not they can get away from ya in a hurry. After a few years most birds were flushed towards or in front of me, year after year he would start setting before the flush.

Went for our lunchtime swim, and knucklehead finally realized, as Rick says, that he has hind legs. He zoomed around the pond for quite a while, and is now laid out dead to the world. It was pleasant to see him finally "get it", though.

assateague wrote:Went for our lunchtime swim, and knucklehead finally realized, as Rick says, that he has hind legs. He zoomed around the pond for quite a while, and is now laid out dead to the world. It was pleasant to see him finally "get it", though.

good stuff. Doesn't take em long does it

Ol Dutch is lookin good Jim

The pup is looking real nice.

By Jove, I think he's got it.

Nice

Redbeard wrote:I gotta say this upland training is all very new to me. I'm enjoying the heck outta reading it. Interesting stuff.

@ Jerry or Rick...have you ever done this sort of training with a lab or chessie?

Missed this before. Three of my four Chessies have had pretty strong inherent point, particularly the first and the coyote, and they could have easily been made pointing dogs with some whoa training to encourage it. But I've trained them all to work the uplands as flushers, as I've also had "pointing" dogs simultaneously and enjoyed the variety.

The dogs don't seem to care much which discipline they're taught, as long as it results in birds: