# expectations on pointing



## mikesf (Nov 5, 2012)

Maci is almost 5 months old. I have access to live quail and have set several birds over the last few months for Maci to work with. I keep her on a check cord and only stop her when she is within a few feet of the bird. She continues to lunge at the bird and I keep her in check till she settle and just looks at the bird but that only lasts a few seconds till she lunges at it again. My question is how long on an average does it take to get a puppy to stop and point vs charging in at the bird? Some of the birds have gotten away from me and fly into the thicket where I have to let her off the check cord as it gets tangled in the thicket. She charges in those thickets and gets the bird out which Im happy to see. All ya'll have a safe and Happy New Year!
Mike


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

Your going to get some good advise from the more experinced bird dog folk on this board.

I am going to put up my 2 cents. I wish I never put check cord pressure on my pup when I first exposed him to birds, I feel I robed him of some style.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://steadywithstyle.com/

mikeSF. Start here.

I wouldn't say I did it right with my boy.

Some how you have to equate the *smell of the bird* with extreme excitement and not a pressure to perform.

Steady with style website has great articles about the subject. Well worth reading.

Notice in the picture below is Bailey "on point" rock solid but not in that classic pose. It's how he "stands on point."

RBD


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

*Re: Re: expectations on pointing*



redbirddog said:


> http://steadywithstyle.com/
> 
> mikeSF. Start here.
> 
> ...


I'm a little relieved reading that. Astro doesn't lift a paw often when pointing. He solid but no paw lift. Zsa Zsa is opposite. She is like a frozen statue in movement. Front left up for feathers right paw up for fur.


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

I think it depends on how the bird scent cone is hit. If my boy hits from the side he usually just hits the breaks and turns his head locked on the bird. If he hits it straight on with a good wind in his face he will give me the paw up tail high point. RBD that is great article you posted. It leads me to an interesting question, would a dog transition from Pigeons to quail without ever having been exposed to Quail? I think Yes. So why bother with pen raised quail when you can use pigeons. Not meaning to Hijack this thread.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://steadywithstyle.com/developing-point-in-a-young-dog/

Here is another one: Developing the Point in a Young Dog.

Have fun.



> would a dog transition from Pigeons to quail without ever having been exposed to Quail?


I think they have to at least know the quail scent. It wouldn't be the same as a pigeon.

RBD


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

redbirddog said:


> http://steadywithstyle.com/developing-point-in-a-young-dog/
> 
> That was the one I was going to suggest.[/color]
> Here is another one: Developing the Point in a Young Dog.
> ...


Pigeons are great for training due to the reuseable factor when using homers.
You get a more intense point and ampted up dog on quail.
I like for mine to learn on pigeons, and then transfer the new skill to training on quail.

Your also sending the pup the wrong message by letting her get the quail out of the thicket.


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## veifera (Apr 25, 2012)

Great link on teaching pointing. Our trainer used this method with my dog and we never used a check cord at all. It takes really strong flying mature birds, but you can almost see the dog becoming bird crazy


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Absolutely no expectations, but the boy does anyway, especially pointing rabbits.


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

From my experience. I went from poor flying quertinix quail(spelling) when the boy was 12-14 weeks. I check corded him for most of the flush then let him chase and catch the birds. Carry the birds do what he wanted with them. Then no more birds until he was about 4 months old and it was pigeons in launchers once a week till he was about 9 months. Then we would mix in one kill bird planted chucker between pigeons. 

At one year I brought him to a game farm to hunt planted Rooster Pheasant. We had never seen a pheasant! He nailed the first bird after about 10 minutes, there was no learning curve. In fact when we planted our first chucker in training he nailed that to. I think they just know what to do, bird is a bird is a bird. Now handling diffrent species of wild birds is a whole diffrent ball game.


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

This is what when he hits the sent cone from the side


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

As long as mine lock up on scent, I don't care if they have a foot lifted. Cash will most of the time have a front foot lifted but Ive seen all four on the ground.
Lucy and June will point with a front or back foot off the ground, its a inherited trait from their shire. It just depends what foot was off the ground when they caught scent. When Lucy is at a full run she slams to a stop with all four feet on the ground. She is running at such a high speed, if she tried to lift a foot at the stop I think she would fall over.


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

"Some of the birds have gotten away from me and fly into the thicket where I have to let her off the check cord as it gets tangled in the thick"

Notice the Check Cord in the pictures above. This Check Cord is made from a ten foot section of rubber air hose attached to a eye bolt then a swivel clip to latch to the dogs collar. No more tangles in the thicket. All you need to do is let the pup drag it.


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