by Bruce Schwartz » Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:41 pm
This has been published:
STEADYNESS TRAINING FOR HUNTING WILD BIRDS - by Bob Farris
One of Gene Hill's famous quotes is "whoever said money cannot buy happiness forgot
about puppies"; and that phrase rings the same truth today as when originally coined. With
pointing dog puppies the staunchness they display on point when adults and hunting is usually
the difference in the success one achieves in the field. Some instinctively remain staunch
pointing naturally while others are like coiled up springs ready to attempt a pounce toward their
find at any second. Trained steadiness overcomes these variables we observe from pup to pup
within a litter.
Most training for steadiness on birds follows one of the many techniques
traditionally used by dog trainers of all the various pointing breeds. Basic “whoa”
training is the kingpin necessary for securing a finished pointing dog.
About 10 years ago our kennel began searching for a better way to help clients
that didn’t have years of experience in the field handling their dogs find more success
when hunting wild birds. Their timing when handling their dog was always after the fact
and seldom did they see the same results as the trainer had previously demonstrated in
the training field on planted birds. It became obvious to me that the dogs that charged
pointed birds did so in an attempt to beat the handler to their finds were just as satisfied
having a good chase following the flush as they were when they performed well and a
bird was rewarded them as a retrieve when shot. It only made sense to me to break
these young outlaws from chasing birds in the air and most of the steadiness issues
would naturally resolve themselves. After all, our dogs love chasing everything of
interest to them: birds, rabbits, deer, balls, etc. Hence, we began breaking our clients’
hunting dogs from chasing by flighting homing pigeons in front of them during their
search and using stimulation from the e-collar to halt the chase. Gradual increases in
the intensity and soon the dog learns it’s much safer to stop and stand and watch these
birds fly off than to chase. One might suspect that a dog might lose interest in retrieving
from this method. This will never happen if patience is used in training and the dog is
verbally rewarded with a “good boy” when performing correctly and receiving no
stimulation is their reward for avoiding a chase. Once the youngster refrains from
chasing homers coming from the trainer's hand, it’s time to expect the same with birds
coming off the ground. Here, a homer is launched from a remote launcher when the
dog approaches the area of the planted bird without smelling or knowing of its presence.
It’s critical that the dog is unaware of the bird and launcher as the bird surprisingly
appears as a wild flush.
Again, the dog is stimulated for chasing and rewarded for not chasing by feeling
no stimulation and a verbal "good-boy". This is basically stop-to-flush training and once
the chase has been taken away from the dog as they become reluctant to charge birds
or race their owner to make a flush; they feel safe as long as the bird stays on the
ground and doesn't take flight. They are also much more satisfied to stand their natural
instinctive points much longer and allow the handler the flushing duties. The handler
only has to discourage chasing birds in the air and a silent approach with a soft “whoa”
reminder is all that’s necessary when in the field during Fall hunts on wild birds.
Once the chase is forbidden it is much more likely to observe favorable pointing
manners. Most of us have witnessed our own or a friend's dog ruining a day in the field
by chasing a bird during a hunt and ending up moving every bird in that field as they
continued chasing bird after bird, with none of the owner's screaming commands able to
halt the chasing and eruption of the entire field's birds.
There are only two rules that we insist our clients follow in the field. The first is to
never stimulate their dog when the bird is on the ground. This could create blinking and
discourage good instinctive pointing. The second is to never shout “whoa” when
stimulating the dog during a chase. We want the dog to believe their chasing is what
caused the stimulation; not that the stimulation is coming from the handler for not
obeying a “whoa” command. They must associate the stimulation from their actions.
After our dogs are performing well at stop-to-flush training it’s time to let them
start pointing birds and discourage chasing following the flush. Here is where some
insight as to which birds are going to primarily be hunted helps formulate which
technique is necessary. Planted birds used at hunt clubs, preserves, and in the various
hunt tests can easily be caught and are usually pointed at short distances, requiring
complete steadiness until the flush. Our dogs just sense the ability to get close on
these birds as they can smell and sense the difference here and with a wild bird.
Especially if there is any human scent on the bird or in the planted area. Wild
pheasants also require dogs pointing their birds up close as the birds will often run out
from under the dog requiring relocations. Most dogs learn in time to relocate on
pheasants when the scent diminishes, indicating the pheasant is sneaking off.
Hungarian and chukar partridge in the wild require long distance pointing, as often in
late season hunts the birds become so skittish that 50 to 100 yard points become a
minimum. Here the cover is short and the dogs sense they are visibly exposed to their
quarry and instinctively learn to stand well off their birds to avoid flushing.
Wild birds will teach dogs, in time, how close they can get before they flush but if
one is only going to hunt chukar the training should emphasize extreme caution and
pointing established from long distances. For the chukar or Hun apprentice we launch
our homers from the launcher as soon as we know the dog has acknowledged scent
and don't let them rode in before establishing point. This training is done in short cover
with birds planted downhill from the searching dog. Heat thermals will carry the scent
uphill, giving the dog long distance locations, as is often the case on wild chukar hunts.
Few flushes are required to convince the dog to establish a solid point the instant scent
is located.
For the pheasant hunters (wild or preserve), thicker and taller cover is used for
training and the dog is permitted to stand much closer to their birds as this is necessary
to avoid birds attempting to slip off like a snake in the grass using their famous
disappearing act.
Choosing the correct training format for the different individual dogs is to best
move the dogs through their training program quickly, looking for results that will last
from season to season, and be dependable; regardless of the expertise of the handler.
Understanding the different game birds one chooses to hunt can significantly affect a
dog’s performance if their training has had the focus of that individual bird. There is no
substitute for training on wild birds but with nesting seasons, limited availability of wild
birds, alternate bird sources are to be expected, so liberated birds are often the only
resource available.
Most of our game birds genetically have different survival techniques that they
use to survive various predators, both from the air and the ground. These survival
techniques are also the ones they use to avoid the hunting dog and the hunter in the
Fall. We are blessed here in Idaho to have such a diverse variety of upland birds, and
each of these species seems to have their own unique survival strategy for avoiding
predation. While not including the 5 species of grouse found in our state, it would be
our belief that Hungarian partridge are the most difficult for a dog to become acutely
proficient at establishing point on. They don’t run as much as chukar or quail, so they
don’t leave a highway of scent as to their whereabouts. They are usually laying so flat
to the ground that they cannot be spotted, even in a plowed field. They erupt as a
single covey and seldom is a straggler left behind following their flush. Late in the
season, and especially after the first snow fall, a dog must establish point some 50-100
yards off the covey to find success. When advancing a covey, a big arcing circle is
required by the handler to get into reasonable shooting range.
Chukar are close behind the Huns as far as the difficulty the dogs have when
trying to establish that rock hard productive point . The primary difference is that they
often choose to run rather than flatten out and hide as Huns do. They will especially run
uphill if possible and I’ve never seen a hunter that could outrun a covey uphill. Because
of the steep terrain, choosing to hunt above suspected covey locations gives the dog it's
best performance advantage. The heat thermals moving the bird's scent uphill making
a covey easy to locate at great distances by the experienced dogs. If I were a betting
man, I’d suggest that the average pointed covey of chukar was 100 yards or more when
the dog was at a higher elevation than the birds. Here, just like hunting Hungarians, the
dog’s training needs to ask for pointing at a great distance from the birds to see
optimum success.
Pheasants ask for a much different scenario, as their predatory escape is to run
and hide; or to fly if the predator gets too close. As long as a pheasant is on its feet it
has the advantage. Once they tuck and hide it’s the dog’s duty to pin them in place by
establishing point close enough to discourage any movement by the bird. Here the
training is quite standard and dog relocations are often necessary if the bird is
continually sneaking off. A good pheasant dog will usually be standing within several
yards of its bird when pointing.
Pen raised birds require the most steady pointing dogs. Dogs trained to never
flush a bird on their own is a must. They need to understand “whoa” as it need be
obeyed if coming from a Marine Corps sergeant. Dogs sense the lack of a wild nature
from pen raised birds, and once they have pounced and caught just one of these birds it
can be a lifelong battle to convince them to behave as they were trained.
I’m convinced that wild birds give off a much different detectable aroma raising
the prey drive bar considerably higher for our pointing dogs. The pointing intensity
usually proves this theory when comparing that of a pen raised bird to that of a wild bird.
The distance a dog stands off a bird when pointed also affects intensity. Long range
points on Huns or chukar appear much more relaxed than that of a wild rooster pointed
from several yards in front of the dog's nose. Any way you slice it, however, it's a "red-
letter-day" when your training pays off on your first Fall hunt with that dog fresh out of
training; regardless if wild or pen raised birds are being hunted, as long as a good
productive point is established.
The visions that are permanently placed within our dog's brain creates that
undeniable sound of silence during the hunt that will continually echo affection in a form
of cooperation only to the one that has fed, cared for, hunted along side, and especially
trained as their special friend. There is always a green light telling the world how special
this owner is.
