Who's leg does a dog have to hump to get some birds!?!?!

[Da Biggin]

Ok. My dog and I are moving along quite well in training and I am to the point now where I feel that if I dont get this pup in some live birds soon he will never be the hunter I want him to be. The only thing is I am having a horrible time locating birds. I've gotten a few suggestions to just trap some pigeons but I am REAL hesitant to do this as it is against city ordinance and the pigeons around here may be infected with the newest epidemic disease... trust me they're gross!

So, where can I purchase a few birds to hold on to for training purposes? And does it matter what species of bird it is he is trained on?

[leech~~]

Have you tried getting some Pheasants from one of the places that raise them for Hunting preserves? You may have to keep them penned up on the down-low in the garage if living in the city.

[GotOne]

You want to start your pup on something smaller like a pigeon, chukars or quail. A pheasant is a little too big, plus, if it spurs your pup, it could turn it off pretty fast. I would guess with all this snow, the preserves should have a few of each that they would be more than happy to sell. It's been a tough season for them.

[BirddogLabs]

I have gone to two different game farms and purchased birds for dog training. One is in Princeton, MN called Oakwood Game Farm, the other is Lil' Cheeps Game Birds in Bemidji. In the past I've purchased pheasants, ducks, pigeons, and chukars. If the birds that you get are going to be your pups first live birds, it would probably be a good idea to start with something smaller and less aggressive. Pigeons or quail are good for starting, but can be hard to get your hands on. If you can't get either of those, I would go with chukars or hen pheasants. I personally would avoid rooster pheasants, just because they can be more aggressive and could scare a young pup that is just learning what birds are. Just my opinion.

Hope this helps and Good Luck!!

[870Express]

Horse and Hunt in Prior Lake have birds in the winter? What are you training for? Pointing? Retreiving? Never too early to get that dog on some clipped wing or kited birds. Most programs have the dog on birds at least once within 8 weeks. The dog falls in love with birds before anything else.

[Da Biggin]

I have GSP and have been doin some wing on a string but it really doesnt give him the natural action he'd get from a live bird. Like I said I am worried that if I don't get him on birds ASAP I will lose him. I don't mind having a family dig but it would be a shame having a pointer that can't work.

[LovenLifeGuy]

Three years ago I got pheasants from the princeton game farm. I also bought some from a pheasant farmer near maple lake, they were much cheaper from the farmer. He would not sell them March-June.

Just an fyi, the only leg my dog ever humped was a friend of mine. I could not figure out why he was the only one he would ever hump. Well, this past summer on a golf trip he told us all he is gay. Not that I care, he is still a good friend of mine, but I think my dog had this one sniffed out early on! True story!

[TeamXtreme]

Have you looked into joining any GSP or other pointing dog clubs? Our retriever clug (Lake Country Retriever Club) hosts a number of "challenge" hunts throughtout the winter months, between hunting season and AKC hunt tests to keep our dogs over live birds all year long. You'd be more than welcome to come out and purchase a run or two at our event if you would like. It would get you access to 4 chuckers and the field for 15 minutes per run. We do it as a competition hunt, so its a timed event and judged. With a pointer, you wouldn't be qualified to run it as a competitor, but we'd welcome you to come and do a run like that to put your dog over live birds. If you are interested, you could drop me an email, and I'd be more than happy to give you some additional details. n8schmitz at msn dot com...

[rmkod]

I would recommend joining the MN chapter of NAVHDA. There are weekly training sessions with birds available. Oakwood in Princeton is where I usually get them. How old is the dog? Also ditch the wing on a string, it only promotes sight pointing.

[Da Biggin]

Major is 13 weeks 4 days old. I am really looking forward to some good correspondence TeamXtreme! Look for my email! I am a bit worried that he may be too young and has had literally no training on live birds and the time spent would be a waste. I figure this is something we can discuss in the not so distant future.

As far as the wing in a string, I also do it in the dark with a head lamp on him. I follow his movements until he points and he typically points when he gets in the scent cone. Trust me I'm so afraid of turning this dog into a dog with so much potential that can't hunt I look for new ways to get him to use all of his senses.

[rmkod]

You have plenty of time. I would still recommend ditching the whole wing thing, dark or light. The only thing you want that dog pointing is live birds, and he will in time. There is plenty of time this spring and summer and he should definitely be ready to hunt some next year.

[Da Biggin]

Thanks rmkod! I feel like I'm behind is all. I have high expectations for this pup and I would hate for him to live below his potential because I was a terrible owner. I did some looking and found a couple of places that may provide me with some birds although I may have to by them by the dozen (Good dinner after training I guess). I am still looking for places that may sell single birds though.

[rmkod]

If you end up buying a dozen and want to get rid of some I would be willing to take a few off your hands.

[Da Biggin]

New Brighton isnt too far from me so if I go that route I will trade you some birds for some training time and tips? Ive never trained a huting dog before and I know that in order for him to be trained properly I may need to be trained properly first. So whatcha think... birds for help?

[rmkod]

Sounds fair..you can reach me at randykelly at hot mail dot com

[bopper4]

I have a 1.5 yr old GSP named winnie and a 10 month male "fenwick" I purchased a half dozen quail and half dozen chuckars last spring and used those. When i would plant them they usually would not take off since they were kept in a cage. The awesome part of quail is when they do fly away you can get them back using a call back pen. I beleive the birds came from a game farm in the wadena area.