Gsp Pup Pointing

[slip hound 32]

hi guys just looking for some advise in regards to a 7 mnth old pup I'm brining on at the moment the dog is hunting lights out on birds but is not showing much point yet I put up 3 Cocks with him dismorning on training run I have him at it a lot in the past couple of weeks no problem finding them but only showing flashes of point I have been told to keep him at it but I don't want to develop a flusher at the same time any ideas or previous situations would like to here your comments on this

[stroller 341]

Stop running it on game you will ruin it. 7 months for any hpr is way, way too young to be hunting. You will end up with a wild dog. The dog wont be the finished article until its 3 years old and it has a lot of basic training and control put in before its introduced to live game.

 

Hunting/pointing isn't the problem with GSP. Stopping them is the problem

[FWBO 4]

hi guys just looking for some advise in regards to a 7 mnth old pup I'm brining on at the moment the dog is hunting lights out on birds but is not showing much point yet I put up 3 Cocks with him dismorning on training run I have him at it a lot in the past couple of weeks no problem finding them but only showing flashes of point I have been told to keep him at it but I don't want to develop a flusher at the same time any ideas or previous situations would like to here your comments on this

Don't get caught up in the "too young" advice game. The dog is ready to be trained when the quarry and season permit. What are you supposed to do? Lock it away for 12 months? However..

 

If you are running a young dog on and it flushes something then you drop it by voice. And sound like you mean it. If your dog isn't dropping reliably then you need to perfect this away from scent. Run the dog on a field you have walked and cleared any game off first.

 

Pointing but still hunting with drive is a balancing act. The skill is recognising when to ease up on control and when to command the situation. Young dogs flush game not because they wont/dont point but because they don't know how far they can push the birds before they will flush. Consistent dropping to flush causes the dog to anticipate being dropped. This conflict between wanting to flush and anticipating the down results in a point.

 

If, however, you haven't trained in any reliable control and the dog has been rioting unchecked then you have already passed the point of no return

[butcherboy 68]

 

hi guys just looking for some advise in regards to a 7 mnth old pup I'm brining on at the moment the dog is hunting lights out on birds but is not showing much point yet I put up 3 Cocks with him dismorning on training run I have him at it a lot in the past couple of weeks no problem finding them but only showing flashes of point I have been told to keep him at it but I don't want to develop a flusher at the same time any ideas or previous situations would like to here your comments on this

Don't get caught up in the "too young" advice game. The dog is ready to be trained when the quarry and season permit.

 

So your pup is 2 months old, its the start of the season & game abounds. You taking it running free on game ?

[Casso 1,261]

hi guys just looking for some advise in regards to a 7 mnth old pup I'm brining on at the moment the dog is hunting lights out on birds but is not showing much point yet I put up 3 Cocks with him dismorning on training run I have him at it a lot in the past couple of weeks no problem finding them but only showing flashes of point I have been told to keep him at it but I don't want to develop a flusher at the same time any ideas or previous situations would like to here your comments on this

The pup is flushing because that's how he feels is his the best access to the bird, it's up to you to show him that pointing and steading will grant him access,

Use a long line on the pup , let him hunt away when he shows signs of interest steady him up with the line , praise him moving in closer keeping him in the one spot encourage the point ,

 

You might need a partner for this but if you can flush and shoot the bird and give it to the pup in that same spot , you will have managed to reinforce a few things in the dogs mind

Firstly , staying close to owner grants access to bird,

Listening to commands grants access

 

And importantly, pointing and steading gains him access to bird, it also plays right into the hands of how animal minds work at their finest and that is if I do f**k all and conserve energy I still get the prize, mother natures greatest motivator, it's how the worlds greatest hunter the Cat operates, "I sit outside and let the prey come to me " but it's also a learnt process ,

The trick is to make the dog feel that rooting himself to the spot and pointing is his best way of getting the bird , if you throw him the first few shot for pointing and only pointing he will point all day , after a few you can go up to him and encourage the flush on command when he knows the score

Best of luck

Edited September 15, 2014 by Casso

[slip hound 32]

Thanks guys for the advice their is a lot of work gone into the dog for past couple of mnths and to be honest if I didn't think he was at this stage I wouldn be doing it the he is steady for a pup of his age retrieving land and water but not hundred percent swimming yet gradually building up to it sit on the whistle recall is good and most importantly the dog is rangeing very well does not go out of sight and in high stuff he will only hunt couple yards ahead when he picks up the scent slows right down on honches really sneaky style I like it and points and push on again after couple of seconds in saying that he never had a bird really backed up they seem to be getting up couple yards away from him I was told buy a guy leave him bump every bird and he will soon make the conection by rushing in he will never get the bird in the mouth and I have not shot any pidgeons or anything yet for him so team connection is not installed in him yet he will soon I hope learn to wait for the gun

Edited September 15, 2014 by slip hound

[slip hound 32]

excuse the grammar posted on phone.

[levigsp 938]

I cannot beleve people are training gsp pups at this age, they are not terriers or even labradors.

I have worked and trained them for many years, I have yet to come accross a GSP mentaly old enough for field training before 18 months and most are older.

No wonder German trained dogs knock spots of British ones.

Start training at 8 weeks the basics of coming to you,walking to heal, sit etc and then let them have their puppyhood and start the serious training of swimming, retreving, pointing etc etc when they are physicly and mentaly old enough, beleave me you will thank yourself in the long run.

An old saying; it takes a long time to train a gun dog, only a short one to spoil one, this applies to HPR breeds more then any!

[stroller 341]

Well said Levi .

[dee mac 579]

I ve an 8 month old gwp bitch here she s swimming retrieving of water land but it's all a big game she still very puppyish even simple sit is struggle at min as she sits one minute then next she lies down or else she take s sit to mean trying to jump onto the top of your head but as said above she s just not ready yet and man that made time made plenty .I was getting bit worried but above posts have reassured me on something I already knew but the mind does wonder sometimes

[stroller 341]

Dee i have a wire haired vizsla and in my experience they are a lot easier to train than any of the German HPRs. At 2 1/2 years old I still consider him really puppyish. He is working on the moor and will be on pheasants this year and he is going really well but i am waiting to get this season out of the way before I trial him so he will be 3 + They take a long time to grow up. The wait Is worth it

[dee mac 579]

My big gwp scooby is teaching me that stroller he had his first season last year was really good I ve started dogging in with him he has me demented the drive they have is serious birds are jumpy to say the least and he s bursting thick cover like a jcb the noise alone is spooking birds to flush tho out this morning marked improvement plus snipe are back and had a nice solid point on two sitting tight . Also dogs can only point a bird that sits these thing are pure roadrunners at the moment !!!

[stroller 341]

He will calm down when he starts to get the idea, they really do think about the job. But like us all they slip up from time to time

[dee mac 579]

Fella I bought my bitch off said to me when they ve a year under each foot then you ll really see what you have reguardless of how good you think they are .plus at start there reading the book at 4 year old they ll be writing you a new one !!!!!

[dee mac 579]

Fella I bought my bitch off said to me when they ve a year under each foot then you ll really see what you have reguardless of how good you think they are .plus at start there reading the book at 4 year old they ll be writing you a new one !!!!!