Ben Garcia & My Moon

One of the first things we like to do when starting a dog on birds (whether they be 8 weeks or 2 years) is to show the dog a bird and see what his reaction is. Then we like to start tossing some birds and let the dog watch them fly away. Most dogs that have some good bird drive will be going nuts. This simple drill will progress until the dog is actually sight pointing the pigeon and watching it fly away with out bouncing all around. Trying to chase the bird. This does a couple of things. 1 It gets the dog excited about birds. 2 It gives a good idea of where to start out with the dog. 3 Helps to see point and prey drive. 4. Helps teach a dog to stop to flush and not to just chase. Using this drill a few times will give you a good base to start your bird work with. It will also get puppy interested in doing bird work. Because it’s a structured drill you accomplish a lot in a short period of time.

Sadie Holding On A Pigeon

Zoey On Point

Nothing makes good bird dogs like bird work! When working puppies if you can keep you sessions short, you will build a drive to hunt birds that will continue on for the rest of their lives.

Duke Pointing a Quail.

Using a quail recall pen is an excellent way to get young dogs experience hunting. This young 4 month old shorthair is really intense on point. The end of his tail puffs up like a cotton ball.