Glen B., St. Clair Shores.

Answer: Glen, first put the nails and barbed wire away.This technique can stop some dogs from retrieving all together, and most determined dogs will respond as yours has. Now, get yourself around ten or fifteen live pigeon or quail. Smaller birds are cheaper to use and they're less threatening to the dog than pheasants are. Chuckar works too. Next, put a check cord on the dog. You won't need more than ten or fifteen feet of cord.

Now, take the bird in your hand. Wrap your fingers around the birds so that it is protected by your hand from the dog's teeth. Kneel down next to the dog and present the bird to him for inspection. While doing this, tell the dog ‘easy, be nice.' Many dogs' first reaction to a live bird will be to snap it and try to kill the bird. If this happens, your fingers should prevent the bird from being killed. If the dog snaps at the live bird, yell ‘ouch!' as if the dog were hurting you. If the dog is overly zealous, he may get your fingers as well as the bird, making the ‘ouch!' easy for you to do. Pull the bird away and present the bird back to the dog, while saying ‘easy, easy, be nice.' You will find that most dogs will start to lick the birds and possibly try to pull a few feathers out. If the dog reacts this way, praise him. If he snaps again, holler ‘ouch!' again. Keep repeating this until the dog starts to lick or gently tries to pull some feathers.

Now kill the bird. After it's done flapping, throw it about four feet away and tell the dog to ‘fetch.' It's important not to throw it too far away so that your presence will help to deter him. Don't forget to hold onto the check cord. When the dog goes for the bird, he will probably try to snap it, as usual. If he does, holler ‘ouch!' as if he were hurting you. If the dog drops the bird when you holler, tell him to ‘be easy' again and pick up the bird. Present it back to him.

If the dog continues to chew the bird instead of dropping it, keep hollering ‘ouch!' while telling him to be nice. I also tell the dog to ‘stop that,' and I'll give him a yank or two on the check cord while I take the bird away. I then present the bird back to the dog with my fingers surrounding it. If, after two or three attempts at this, the dog is stilling chewing the bird, I may whack him with a rolled-up newspaper to get him to stop. You may need a fresh bird if he loses interest.

Once the dog is gentle with a stone-dead bird, move on to a bird that is dead but still flapping. The movement of the dead bird may invoke the hard-mouth response again. if so, repeat the above procedure. When the dog is gentle with a fresh kill, move on to a live, wing-clipped bird that can't fly. In most dogs, five or six birds will accomplish your goal. If not, repeat the exercise daily.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Tim K., Pentwater.

Answer: I have English Setters that hunt all the species mentioned. My dogs also do a fair amount of work on my shooting reserve, where running birds aren't uncommon. If the fact that pheasants run makes it undesirable to use an English Setter, then late-season grouse should also be taken off the list of huntable species.

If you want a dog that is completely staunch to wing and shot, running birds will always be your nemesis. It is my opinion that a good hunting dog must be allowed to make decisions on his own. Providing he doesn't flush the bird, I allow my dogs to work a running bird and pin it down. I also want my dog to whoa when commanded under any circumstance. If he sees a running bird and I whoa him, he should stop. If a bird is flushed, shot at, missed, and I whoa him, he should stop. With this type of control, I hunt pheasants with pointing dogs without any trouble.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Sean G., Port Huron.

Answer: This isn't an unusual problem and I've dealt with it many times. In my opinion, the dog is killing the bird and then leaves it to find another. What you need to do is communicate that you want him to be gentle and to bring the bird back to you to share it. You'll need about a dozen live birds to work the dog on. First, kill one of the birds and put the dog on a long line. Show the dog the dead bird and toss is about five feet for the dog to fetch.

Since your dog isn't retrieving at all, it'll more than likely chomp on the bird and leave it. If he picks up the bird, praise him and try to coax him back to you. The praise will show him that picking up the bird is a good thing and that bringing the bird back to you is even better. If he doesn't pick up the bird, stop him from chewing it up. After his first bite, move closer to the dog and hang on to the long line. Try to pick up the bird, which may also get him to pick it up. If so, praise him.

Once you've got the bird in-hand, present it back to the dog and praise him. When he goes to bite the bird, react as if he's hurting you. This reaction isn't violent, and don't hit the dog. Your reaction should be similar to how you're react if the dog was playing too rough with you, such as mouthing your hand. Keep presenting the dead bird to the dog while telling him to ‘be nice,' ‘gentle.' When he bites it, react with pain again and pull the bird away. You may want to wear a glove in the beginning. You may also need a fresh bird after a while if the bird is bloody. Do this for five to ten minutes a day.

As he gets less aggressive with the bird, you can try a live bird, but don't throw it. Keep the bird in your hand. Remember, if the dog looks as if he's using too much force, react as if it hurts you and tell him to be nice or gentle. Pheasants can be very tough birds for dogs. An injured rooster will spur, peck, and wing-beat a dog. With this in mind, you may need to be a little more forgiving of the dog when pheasants are involved. One good bite is all the dog will need to dispatch a pheasant, and any more than that is abuse and should be discouraged. Don't have any other dogs around when working this out.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Seth G., Dearborn.

Answer: Unless you are training for competition, I do not recommend using pigeons. I know they are cheaper the game birds and will fly better than a game bird, but they lack one key element of game birds. They do not run. All game birds run and a hunting dog needs to learn how to work a running bird. Find a breeder of good game birds and spend a little money. Also, don't expect your dog to retrieve pheasants or partridge if he has only been worked on pigeons.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Terry L., Battle Creek.

Answer: It appears to me that you did nothing to prepare your G.S. for your goose hunt.  He should have been introduced to decoys and the idea that he needs to sit for long periods of time well in advance of your hunt.  You also should have gotten him accustomed to the sound of goose and duck calls and the idea of sitting still while you are shooting.  So I don't see a dog that failed his owner, I see an owner who failed his dog.  That's not to say that this dog could be an asset on a goose hunt.  I would have to evaluate him before I could advise you one way or the other on the prospect of turning a four-year-old upland dog into a waterfowl dog.  Is he any good at retrieving and does he like to swim?  If not, start looking for a pup.

Gordon Setters and English Setters were not bred to do waterfowl work, although the Irish Setter was used for both upland and waterfowl hunting in the breed's early days.  My first gun dog was an Irish Setter pup that I found running along a dirt road on my way to a fishing trip. I stopped to pick up the pup, afraid it might get run over. After knocking on several doors in the area, I found a woman who said the pup had been running loose for several days. I took him home and he grew into a beautiful dog and a good hunter, retrieving game from both land and water. Those of you who are regular readers of this column will remember me telling you that there are exceptions to every rule. I know of someone who did just fine duck and goose hunting with a Gordon Setter. I have heard of someone using English Setters for waterfowl and I have a friend who took his English Pointer duck hunting once.  She retrieved ducks but would not sit in the blind for long. To her credit, she had not been properly introduced to the sport, either.

Looking at the prospect of getting a second dog requires some soul searching on your part. If you lose interest in goose hunting, will your new dog still have a place in your hunting plans? Remember that buying a dog is a fifteen year commitment on your part and is not like buying some piece of equipment. Let's first look at the three basic breed types to consider, flushing, pointing, and retrieving. Flushing breeds are usually spaniels. I say usually, even though I have never heard of breed classified as flushing. The Brittany Spaniel is the only pointing dog in the spaniel lines and the Irish Water Spaniel is a retriever. The most common in the U.S. are the Springer Spaniel, the American Water Spaniel, and the Clumber Spaniel. The American Water Spaniel has two opposing factions. One group calls them flushing dogs and one group calls them retrievers. Why this is, I don't understand, considering that the breed was developed during the market hunting days primarily for retrieving, as was the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The flushers were originally called a ‘rough shooting' dog because they were used to hunt fur as well as feather. Their job was to hunt the thick tangles and hedge rows and to flush out anything hiding there. The term ‘springer' comes from springing game from the dense hedge rows in England. The American Water Spaniel and the Springer Spaniel have both been used for waterfowl retrieving. They are busy upland hunters who are not normally hunted with pointers and normally do not like the heal while another dog does all the hunting.

The two most popular retrieving breeds are the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the Nova Scotia Duck Toller are the only American-bred retrievers besides Water Spaniels, the Flat Coat, Curly Coat, and Irish Water Spaniel, which are less popular. These dogs were bred specifically for water work and retrieving. They can upland hunt just fine but do not point and will flush game when it is encountered, thus causing come problems when hunting with your setter. Exception to the rule: Pointing Lab. There are breeders for pointing instinct in the dogs they pair up. By breeding a Lab who points to another Lab who points, they are able to produce a pointing Lab with some regularity. When I hunt retrievers with pointers, I expect the retriever to stay by my side. After the pointer finds a bird and points, I use the retriever to flush and help retrieve the bird. I find retrievers will adapt to this type of hunting once they realize they are in on every flush. And besides, a good waterfowl dog should be trained to heel and say with you in the field, around flushing game, and on gunfire. This requires a lot of self control and steadiness training.

There are many pointing breeds that were developed for multitask hunting. Once call the ‘Continental' or ‘European' breeds, we now classify them as “versatile'. German Short-haired Pointer, German Wire-haired Pointer, Munsterlander, Wire-haired Pointing Griffon, Pudelpointer, and some Brittany Spaniel lines are a few of the more popular breeds. Except for the Pudelpointer, which I've never owned, I have hunted waterfowl with all of these breeds with good success. You have many options, good luck in making up your mind. If you need the Gordon Setter evaluated, call me.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Andy T., Adrian.

Answer: I'm not sure that this could be called normal, but I've seen this type of reaction many times before. I believe it is based in a deep desire for birds, which is a good thing, and a possessiveness for this treasure makes them unwilling to share it with you. To correct this reaction to game, you must not run this dog with other dogs when birds are to be shot. By having another dog present, you'll only increase the possessiveness. I recommend using a check cord of at least twenty feet on the pup when working on retrieving. Throw a dead bird for the pup and allow it to pick up the bird while you hang on to the cord. Once the pup has the bird in its mouth, cheerfully tell the bird ‘fetch' and then ‘come'. Praise the pup while you reel it in to you, even it is struggles against the cord. Once you have the pup back to your side, continue to praise it while you hold the bird. Allow the pup to mouth and sniff the bird while you hold it. Now throw the bird about ten feet away and tell the pup to fetch again, repeating the process. Do so several times, and do this for three to four days in a row, then go out without the check cord. Usually, more bird contact will ease the problem. Don't become harsh or cross with the pup, for fear it'll stop retrieving all together.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training

Question: My sixteen-month-old Brit is giving me problems during bird work. She tends to crowd my launchers and when whoaed, loses all intensity and just stands there..

Question: My German Wire-hair seems to be losing interest in the pen birds I'm using in training. I've been attaching a weight to a piece of twin tied to the bird's leg so I can reuse the same bird..

Answer: Here are a few samples of people trying to train a bird dog without spending money on birds. I was in Illinois competing with a dog once, and a handler proudly proclaimed that he'd used the same quail for over a year in training his dog. He claimed the bird and dog has so much contact that they grew to knew each other. The point I'm trying to make here is that you have to spend money on birds.

Of course, if you live in an area that has a large population of wild birds, your bird costs can be greatly reduced. But for most of us, pen birds are a necessity. I talk to quite a few people who are trying to save costs on the bird end by not releasing plenty of birds for the dog. The other problem I see is a lack in intensity in dogs who realize they're being set up in a training situation, or dogs who have figured out that the bird is contained and can't escape. The threat of a flush, the threat of a bird escaping, helps to keep the dog's intensity up. The possibility of the bird flying away helps to remind the dog not to crowd the bird. When using a launcher, do your best to prevent the dog from seeing it. I'll usually release the bird if the dog is crowding. None of this will work if you don't have strong flyers that will elude the dog. A short hop by quail can draw the dog off point in an attempt to catch the bird. Pen quail will test their wings by popping up for maybe twenty feet and setting back down. Usually, the second flush in this instance will be a good, strong one.

Wild birds setting on a nest will do this little hop-flight to draw a predator away from the nest. A wild bird will also go into a cripple act, with one wing dragging in an attempt to draw attention away from the nest. Those of you who band woodcock will attest to this. A finished dog should remain steady, where as a young do in training can be drawn into chasing the bird.

My philosophy is to give a young dog plenty of bird contact in as realistic a fashion as possible. If you're competing with a dog, it's equally important to have a dog learn to handle birds in a wild setting. The spring competitions are notorious for having birds that are weak flyers or even worse, birds that won't launch. On more than one occasion, I've had a judge ask me to catch the bird and throw it up in the air for the gunners. During the course of my trying to catch a running quail, my dog is expected to stand his ground. If all you ever do is launch quail from a catapult-type launcher, your dog will not be prepared to stand and watch as you chase the reluctant bird around.

The fellow using the milk crates to contain his birds isn't giving his dog any credit for realizing that the bird isn't going anywhere. The threat of the flush has been eliminated.

Charlie Linblade

Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club

Michigan Pheasant Hunting

Michigan Bird Dog Training