Question: I am having trouble working my German Short-haired Pointer on hand signals and blind retrieves. He will not take lines, preferring to hunt his way out to where I send him. I have tried leading him out in a straight line with no results and have taught him to stop on a whistle blast so that I can redirect him, but then he goes right back to hunting when released. Any suggestions on how to straighten out his lines?
Glen D., Royal Oak.
Answer: Interesting question... You sound like a retriever man with his first pointing dog. What you are struggling with are the basic differences between a “retriever” and a “pointer”. Pointers are bred to busily search for game with their scenting powers. Of course, a good “pointer” will use their eyes and ears as well, but their nose is their primary tool. Retrievers, on the other hand, are bred to visually spot and mark flying objects, namely birds. Of course, a good retriever will use its nose when need, as with wounded game that may be trying to avoid capture.
I have had similar problems with my own pointing dogs when waterfowling. I have owned and hunted waterfowl with German Short-hairs, German Wire-hairs, and Wire-haired Pointing Griffons. Most of the time, I allow the dog to get to the mark in its preferred fashion, usually by quartering a hunting pattern. A few of the dogs were capable of taking straight-line casts once I established a pattern with them of going straight away until I blew the stop whistle. This would be done when the dog was just short of the object to be retrieved. I would then direct the dog into the dead bird. Do this with the wind to your back so that the do doesn't smell the dead bird.
To train for the initial cast, have a helper angle the bird away about ten to fifteen yards. Now send the dog, stop it at the helper, and direct the dog to the fallen bird. When the dog is able to do the fifty-yard drill well, lengthen the distance by about twenty-five yard. Practice, then lengthen it gradually until you are at about a hundred-and-fifty yards. This may take several weeks. Now the concept has been built with the dog. Have your helper go back to the fifty yard mark and hide the bird fifteen yards behind where the helper is standing at the fifty yard mark. Send the dog, stop him at the helper, and direct him to the bird. Lengthen this drill out and remember that the helper will have to hide the bird each time without the dog seeing each time. Once this has been done satisfactorily, start the drill over at the fifty yard line without the helper. I have found that dead birds instead of dummies will keep the dog's interest up. I also rotate in a fresh dead bird every three to four retrieves.
Charlie Linblade
Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club
Michigan Pheasant Hunting
Michigan Bird Dog Training
