When will my dog "Get it" ?

[Augusta]

Quote:

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Mine pointed an ATV in a plowed field last year.

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Must have been an "Arctic Cat".......

[Harmonica Bear]

Make sure the dog doesn't start pointing orange ribbons!

Sorry, I couldn't help it. Good Luck!

[MNUser]

Man, would that be a bummer. Not only would he be the best field mouse dog around but the best orange ribbon dog ever!

I'm doing it at a gun club about 8 miles east of Brainerd. The cost is 19/bird with a four bird minimum. They also have a $50/8 bird deal but the birds are caged.

Here is our plan. I have a buddy who is going to come with. We will be in our own 15 acre field. We will work the dog on the 4 birds one at a time. My buddy is then going to move that bird to a different section of the field, untape it's wing and then as we come back we will work it again. The second time through, my buddy will shoot it when it is flushed so he can be taught to go and fetch it. It all sounds good on paper but we will see how it goes. The place we are going to does this quite often. If you want the name and number, email me and I will send you the info. They are not a sponsor.

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[quijibo]

I talked to a local trainer and he didn't seem all that concerned.

He said that the reason that he hasn't found any birds here are twofold; It is much drier here than in Mn which is why nobody in Colorado goes Pheasant hunting until it snows. The second reason is that there are hardly any birds here. There was a 2-3' snowfall last winter that knocked out most of the Pheasants and reduced the Quail down to an almost unhuntable number.

As far as the coyote incident, he has run across coyotes a few times while hunting and his dogs ignored them every time but once. He had three dogs pointing a coyote that had a dead Pheasant in it's mouth.

I wonder what the coyote thought of that.

His comments seem to make sense. It has only rained in the area I was hunting like twice since July. It snowed this last weekend and it took a while to find a public field that didn't have someone waiting for it. The only roosters I saw where sitting on the side of the road flipping me the feather.

It's funny that the subject of field mice came up. I think that this is what my dog has been chasing all this time. I never noticed before because I have been hunting 5' CRP grass and couldn't see him. I took him to an 18" wheat field and it was pretty obvious. I swear he would give me a sideways look right before he would dive into a patch of tall grass and when I went to take a look, I would find him "setting" and staring at a hole in the ground. He would actually stay there until the mouse jumped out of another hole.

Technically he is pointing game. I just have to talk him into different prey and get him to stand up when he points.

Ben(trainer) recommended 1)Polish up his whoa training, he should be able to hold,immediately,for at least three beers at 100 yards under a mortar attack. 2)Stop letting him run free in the backyard. 3)Get him on birds. 4)Find somewhere to get him on birds. 5)Get him on birds.

What a relief, I thought it was my dog that was faulty.

[setterguy]

I think almost everyone that has their first pointing dog goes through what you were a while back. Good to hear the trainer isn't too worried. I know my dads dog didn't click until it was a little older too, now he's great. Good luck.