Pointing

[jigging-matt]

Have a Question. When should I start my brit on pheasant wings and pointing. Specifically starting him on sight or wing pointing. Reason I ask this was the other day, I was in the garage and one of the wings fell out of the Freezer in the beer fridge and my Britt grabbed it and was running around with it. He absolutely loves it, but have heard from others that their dog naturally locked up on point when they saw the wing. I know he is young, not quite 4 months, and i'm not trying to rush anything, was just curious as to when this kind of training should start, and what to expect. Thanks.

[xedge2002]

I don't know about pointers but I gave our lab her first wing around 3-4 months old. The first one I just let her play with and chew up as much as she wanted, I threw it a couple of times for her too. I just wanted her to get the scent and the feel of feathers in her mouth.

[gspman]

You can do the wing on a string any time now. Don't get carried away and do it all the time. Just do it a few times to stir the pointing instinct and then put it away. You don't want to teach your dog to point by sight anyway. You want it to point by scent.

[jbdragon17]

I would agree 100% with gspman. The wing/string thing is just some fun for your pup. Sight pointing is not the way to go. You can get a live hen for less than you probably paid for a bag of wings.

I have kept a bird alive in a cage for a couple weeks getting a few good training days out of it before I release it. I would suggest the live bird route over a wing anyday.

[JSTARK]

Get to work....

[jigging-matt]

GSP will the pointing just all of the sudden start one day? I know you don't want them to think that sight pointing is what you want but what if he just keeps going after the wing, do I keep working with it or try something else. Haven't tried it yet just wanting to make sure I'm working him the right way. He has responded very well to slow short training sessions, so I want to make sure I continue the correct training. Like I said before, First pointer I have owned, don't want to screw it up. Sure do enjoy working and playing with the pup.

[gspman]

Yes. It's kinda like a light switch being flipped (or a bit if your a nerd like me). Most likely he'll point the wing after a few tries the first time. He may also stalk the wing real slow. Some pups will have a lot of drive and it may take a while for the light to go on. Once he starts pointing it, then just do it a few more times and quit. Try it for a few minutes the first time. Don't say a word to the pup while doing this. Try real hard to make sure he doesn't catch the wing. Just let him figure things out for himself. If it doesn't work then put it away and try again the next time. Don't worry about your pup. He'll get it. You sound like you've been doing some research. It's pretty hard to screw up a pup unless you are being abusive, really overdoing something, or really ignorant. Doesn't sound like you're any of those.

[jigging-matt]

Hey GSP thanks for the info. Yes, I have been doing a lot of research. Have been starting slow working on one thing at a time and trying to make it fun for him. Had been thinking about the pointing thing when he grabbed the wing and ran. Since he is my first pointer wanted to make sure I was on the right track before I started something. He is so eager and happy to please. Thanks for the advice, Sure I will have more questions in the future