Another Training Day in Montana, is it easy?

You may know that I travel to Montana every year to train clients dogs as well as my own. It’s always fun but definitely hard work.

I think often that some folks think it easy. It’s not. Wild bird populations have a tremendous impact on whether a dog will have sufficient bird contact to actually learn something.

4 years ago eastern Montana had a terrible hatch due to drought conditions and late wet snow. Chicks were impacted severely. When I arrived in August and began to condition dogs I noticed immediately that it was going to be tough.

If you have 20 dogs to train, that is 10 braces. A brace is two dogs on the ground at the same time. I have found that a brace works best when working young dogs on wild birds. Primarily because both are often inexperienced and just finding a wild … bird is tough. In that year, 4 years ago, we averaged finding about 25 to 30 wild birds per day. Divide that by 10 braces and that’s 2 to 3 birds per brace on average. That’s tough training even if I am here 2 months each year.

Keep in mind that most of the dogs I bring up here have already completed my phase I training program (more info on that at brittanys.com, services page). So these young dogs know how to handle and point pen raised birds but have not been on wild birds. The first thing the young dogs do is bust and chase as if they have not been trained. Young dogs associate training lessons with location thus dogs are ‘location’ oriented. A new place and the dog thinks there are no rules!

So when I arrive, I am dealing with busting and chasing but additionally, the young dogs being in shape enough to run them long enough to FIND a wild bird! Just being in shape enough to run long enough to come into contact with a wild bird is tough. So roughly one month goes by before the stamina and bird finding come together.

Notice I said bird finding. I didn’t say pointing birds. Usually there is another 2 to 4 week learning curve for them to understand they can’t catch them. “Well you trained them to point didn’t you?” Well, yes I did, on pen raised birds. A BIG difference.

Wild birds produce a scent like no pen raised bird can do. There is a big difference between a covey of pen raised birds and a wild pair of sharptails or covey of huns or several pheasant. The smell is so intoxicating to the young pup that they can’t stand themselves. So part of my job up here is letting the pup learn that he can’t catch wild birds and waiting for the ‘light’ to come on and make the connection between Phase I training and wild birds. When the light does come on, it is very rewarding. To date this year, almost every pup’s light has come on.

Interestingly enough, there always seems to be one or two pups who just don’t ‘get’ sharptails but do ‘get’ pheasants and huns. I personally believe that prairie chickens, sharptails, etc produce a different smell, maybe even pungent? I believe it is a smell unlike other game birds and some dogs just don’t make the connection. It never fails that there are a couple of dogs that just don’t ‘get’ sharptails. A lot of dogs don’t like dove and dove meat is a lot like sharpies; is there a connection?

Huns and Pheasants are much more difficult for the pup to train on. Steadiness issues arise and often the young pup is confused as to why his quarry has run off. Early season sharpies and chickens hold really well, like bobwhite quail, which makes training easier.

Well, more on this subject tomorrow!

Thanks for joining me today and please give your Brittany or other breed pointing dog a treat for me!

Dave

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