Tonight I’m keeping it short but thought I’d share something very common to us Brittanys owners.  That is they will point the darndest things.

Sarah sleeps at my side every night and by day she points and attempts to retrieve the following: frogs, lizzards, crawling bugs, flying insects, squirrels, rabbits, various tweeties, mourning dove, released pen raised game birds / pigeons, mice, etc.

Sarah destroyed my new chain saw storage box this past weekend.  Why?  Because she saw a mouse run into it (it was out in the yard where I left it which was my fault) and was trying to get it out!  She dragged, chewed, barked and everything else she could do to evict the poor mouse.  I am convinced the mouse died of a heart attack and couldn’t leave if it wanted to!  My wife allowed this as if it was entertainment, now we no longer have a functional chain saw storage box.

Oh, did I mention she loves to hunt upland game and does it properly?  She only gets to do that a few months per year so in the off-season, you can find her about the farm terrorizing critters breaking all the ‘real’ pointing dog rules. 

Her frantic activity searching for critters in the summer is interspersed with moments of splashing and cooling herself in what we have dubbed the ‘galvanized pond’ (a throwback to the Beverly Hillbillies referral to the pool as the ‘cement pond’).  

I have a large 6 foot round galvanized stock waterer that we keep filled with clean water and a chlorine pool float.  Yes, a pool float.  The dogs jump in and out of their pool so much that I feel it necessary to keep bacteria at bay.  The pool is strictly for the Brittanys.  The dogs love it!  It also doubles as a way to rinse stuff off of your dogs coat.  When they come out, they smell like pool water! 

Our horses have their own stock water tank though Sarah often visits it too.   I’m not quite sure what the horses think of that.  I think it must be a real inconvenience for the horses when she hops into their tank while they are trying to water!

Give your dog a treat for me and when you pat ‘em on the head, tell ‘em “Dave says good dog!”

The ‘addiciton’ I ask about is that which pertains to Bird hunting and Brittanys (or any breed bird dog).  What causes us to be so avid about bird hunting with our canine partner?  What drives us to go afield on cold blustery days then want our partner to join us fireside?

What causes grown men and women to devote so many hours to pursuing birds?  Is it really about the birds?  (speaking of folks who hunt birds with bird dogs).   Many bird hunters speak of hunting with deep conviction.  I know these folks and speak to hundreds of them every year.  They are truly excited about pursuing upland birds.

Tall stories are told about ‘the greatest hunt’ and the toughest species to ever hunt with a simple two holer and dog.  It is quite easy to listen and become enthralled by terrific stories of upland adventures.  But on closer inspection, there is a common thread woven into the very fabric of each and every story told…

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It’s that time of year when we must all begin to pay attention to climbing temperatures and how they may affect your Brittany.  It is so easy to forget that your dog can overheat so easily.  When your dog is down in the grasses running about, it doesn’t feel the cool breeze you feel on your face.  Natural cover blocks your Brittanys air movement. 

Lets take the dog that lives in upstate New York that has a terrific winter coat.  This dog is at risk at temperature levels that you wouldn’t expect.  60 degrees and a lot of running will overheat this animal!  When I lived in Maryland, that became apparent to me especially during late season preserve hunts…

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In my previous post, I spoke about wants and needs and did comparisons with regard to releasing birds with kick cages, manual launchers and remote launchers.  I didn’t delve into other tools too much.

Here’s a list of the nuts and bolts, essential dog training tools, no matter whose method you use.

1. A well bred dog from hunting lines (not a tool but essential to start with!)
2. A tie out.  Preferably a chain gang.  See my article title “8 weeks to 8 months” on my free training tips web page at http://brittanys.com
3. A leash of about 6 feet in length.
4. A check cord of about 20 to 30 feet in length.  A stiff cord that doesn’t wrap about brush so easily when the dog is running with it attached.
5. A tough dog collar that fastens with a metal buckle, not a cheap plastic buckle.
6. At a minimum, a kick cage, preferably a remote launcher from DT Systems (excellent quality).
7. A modern day e-collar with at least 16 levels to prevent e-collar overstepping ™.  See my article about overstepping on my free training tips web page at my site http://brittanys.com/ .  I use one with vibration as well from D.T. systems though I won’t call it a “must”.  It’s a must for me though.
8. A bird bag / box for transportation of birds.  You must have access to birds!
9. A small pen to hold your birds safely away from varmints.  (yes, you can do this in the city!)
10. If using bobwhite quail, an inexpensive recall cage so that you can lessen your losses.
11. Access to pigeons / quail or chukar for starting out your dog.  Use with a remote launcher.
12. A 22 caliber training pistol.  Can be had for as little as 20 dollars.  Its hard to find ‘cheap’ caps.  I use (against manufacturer advisement!) 22 caps for nail guns made by remington, sold at Lowes.  They are about 4.50 a box / 100.  I use the brown loads for pups and the green loads for older dogs.  I accept NO responsiblity if you use them.  It states on the box that is NOT what they are for!
13. A place to train.
14. Complete understanding from A to Z of the method you will use to train your dog.
15. If you have never trained a dog or don’t have a complete understanding, a mentor!

Guess that’s about it.  If you have any questions or feedback about specific equipment or related info, post a comment!

Give your pup a treat for me and tell ‘em “Dave says good dog!”

Dave

I get a lot of questions about starting a pups yard work early.  The folks who ask this question are usually new to bird dogs and are training themselves without a support network, i.e., a friend, pro or other experienced and helpful person.

If you have no support network other than a book, stop.  You need an experienced mentor. 

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My father, grandfather and their fathers obviously didn’t have remote controlled launchers so why do I need to spend money on tools I’ll only use once?  Do I really need it or just want it?

Man, that’s a terrific argument!  When I trained my first brittany I didn’t have any special tools.  I will admit that my job would have been easier if I knew exactly what I was doing and having good tools would have made life simpler.

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  I would say that one of the very first foundation building blocks missed early on, when pup comes home, is being tied out. 

We tend to forget that and put that on the back burner when in reality, it should be done right away.

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There is a new flea and tick medicine named ‘Promeris’ that has questionable side effects.  I am a user of Promeris for a month, last month.

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It’s about that time down here in central / south / west Texas.  Time to shave some dogs and make ‘em comfortable.  I have always shaved my dogs each summer.  90 days later and you can’t hardly tell the difference.

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After finishing with spring trials a week ago and a few days rest, I have been going at it non-stop!  I actually am thrilled to be back home taking care of business back here at the training grounds.

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