# Training a bird dog to point



## Fisherman330 (Feb 13, 2013)

Does anyone have any experience in training a Brittany, or any bird dog, to point? I just got a Quail wing and tied it to a fishing rod and she goes crazy chasing it!!

Of the 30 or so mins of playing with her she "pointed" two times. this was the first time she has seen one so maybe she is just anxious to get it
I let her smell it while i held it for a decent amount of time. i dont expect her to get it right away, mainly want to know if what im doing is "ok" or "the correct way"

Every time she went for it i would raise it above her head to show her that she wont be able to catch one (whether she can or not). Just looking for some pointers if ya got em!! And now she runs directly to the spot in the yard we were at lookin for it lol.


Thanks!!


----------



## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

it'll come natural. take that pup on a walk through a field and let it chase grasshopers a butterflys. it'll start pointing at everything it sees soon enough.


----------



## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

+1 with longhaulpointer he is right on takeing the pup for walks even if his dog does have a long tail lol. work on obedience first it is the foundation for all future training.and don't forget to take a lot of pics they don't stay small forever. how old is pup?


----------



## Fisherman330 (Feb 13, 2013)

Thanks for the advice!! 

She is 9 weeks old. Listens pretty good when we are in the house, but outside is a different story! She just gets to excited still. I take her on daily walks and plan on going to the reservoir tomorrow. I don't want to have to use a leash, which I have to now. Would you recommend getting a vibrating collar for her? 

Ill try and get a picture on here, haven't uploaded them yet.

PS any other advice you want to throw out there I'm all eyes!! 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

Just get her out in the field. I have a German Shorthair Pointer and when she was a pup and I'd take her out for walks in the woods and fields and she started pointing everything. Frogs, ground hogs, you name it. When she was three I took her to North Dakota for a week. We shot well over 100 birds that week over her. She's had both acl's replaced (tore one chasing a pheasant to which she still put on point with three legs) and she still caught a bird herself last year. My only complaint is she won't retrieve. Once their dead she moves on.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


----------



## longhaulpointer (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm sure your excited, as we all were when we got our 1st dog. theres nothing better than having your own dog that also hunts for you. Best of both worlds, i love dogs but adding a dog that works with you as a hunting partner is well.... you'll get it here when your dog points its first bird. Or when you shoot a bird over it when it gives you a perfect point. Or when you proclaim to anyone who will listen that your Britt is the best dog alive and that as a breed, brits better known as "brush pigs" are the best breed ever.
You'll get it soon enough, along with the cockyness that every bird dog owner has. As for the collar, I would suggest getting an e collar sooner or later. Don.t skimp on this and do your research, this is something that you will have and use for a long time. However, at 9 weeks you are a long way from needing one and more importantly need to know how to properly use one. Your best bet is to take it easy for this 1st year and try to find some old timers who live close to you who can help you. Don't get me wrong, every bird dog owner will tell you why there dog/ breed is better than yours. But most of them are always more than wiling to help out a new guy. try these sites but be careful who you take advice from, sometimes the ones most willing to help know the least. http://www.ohiosportsman.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5 

http://www.huntohio.net/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=31&




Fisherman330 said:


> Thanks for the advice!!
> 
> She is 9 weeks old. Listens pretty good when we are in the house, but outside is a different story! She just gets to excited still. I take her on daily walks and plan on going to the reservoir tomorrow. I don't want to have to use a leash, which I have to now. Would you recommend getting a vibrating collar for her?
> 
> ...


----------



## BaddFish (Jun 20, 2009)

I'm no expert...but just bought the Sportdog 425 collar from "Gun Dog Supply" and couldnt be happier. $169.00 well worth it. Its not a true upland bird collar but it has everything I need. Vibrate and 7 levels of stimulation, small size- perfect.

Our molly runs and chases our pheasant wing....after about 5min of jumping after it, she realizes that she can't catch it and gets serious and points.
Just kinda wear your pup out a bit and it will point.

Have fun!


----------



## big_fish (Dec 21, 2004)

when my Hoss was younger I was afraid off loosing him because he would run like the wind and so would I running after him because my lab wouldn't venture to far away from me but an older fella told me to go out and try to loose my pup and I would see that the pup knows where I am but I always kept a check cord on him just in case.


----------

