The past few months we have been using the new Dogtra PL-1 pheasant launchers that we purchased for bird dog training. They are meant for use with large gamebirds but also work great for singles with pigeons. What has worked the very best is using the launchers for multiple quail or chukar to simulate a covey flush. The tone helps to locate the launcher when planted in heavy cover or to make sure the right launcher is activated. We use a set of three of these launchers from Dogtra in our gun dog training. We have found that sets of three are best for training sessions. We do a drill or method three times and then put the dog up. It helps to leave them hungry for more and limiting them to 3 helps to avoid burn them out or boring a young dog.
I was able to play with another Buster X Annie puppy this week. Bailey was on her way home to AZ from spending the 4th of July in Montana. She wanted to spend some time with us and see some birds. Bailey did great and pointed nicely. She even had a good retrieve on a pigeon and pointed a couple of bobwhite quail.
Lizzy is doing well in her bird dog training and continues to impress me with her drive and desire to find birds. She has a nice point and holds her head and tail high. We are working on whoa breaking her and getting her ready for her first pheasant hunting season. She was entered in a dog show in Idaho but we couldn’t get her a ride up there. I hope to find out if she has what it takes to be a dual champion.
Got an email from Freckles owners today. Freckles is from the Annie X Buster litter in 2009. They say she loves the water and living in Las Vegas spends most of the hot summer days in the family swimming pool. She loves to retrieve the tennis ball for her family. We look forward to seeing some more pics of Freckles this fall on her first Nevada and Arizona quail hunts. Thanks Thomas for the update. We love to see the puppy pics.
One of my favorite things in dog training is starting a young puppy. It is such a joy to watch their instincts come to life and see them blossom before your very eyes. Most bird dogs have the natural ability to be a good hunting companion. It is a rare brittany that does not have these instincts deeply ingrained. My kids love to help with the naming of young puppies. Hannah and me decided to name this big boy “Bubba”. We brought him home with his sister “Lexie” to start in our gun dog training program. Both puppies have strong pointing instincts.
Lexie is pictured below pointing a wing on a string. She is quite a bit smaller than her brother Bubba but she makes up for it in attitude. We will be training both of these pups to sell in the fall to hunting homes. They are AKC registered and are up to date on their shots.
This is our new dog named “Sue”. Her official AKC registered name is TJ’s White Shadow and her old call name was Scout. We are having her trained this summer with Ben Garcia at Hideaway Kennels. This is the first pic we have of her sporting her new haircut. She got shaved down from her winter coat for her summer of fun chasing birds. We are so excited to have her come home in September when Ben Garcia come to teach at our gun dog training seminar.
Lizzy is coming along nicely in her bird dog training. She is standing her birds nicely and pointing with a lot more style. We have a pretty good group that gets together to train dogs with the Utah Bird Dog Club. Training is a lot more fun when you get a group together to help each other and to share information. Lizzy has gone through the gun introduction and is even going to a conformation show in Blackfoot, Idaho this month. We feel like Lizzy is our best shot at owning a dual champion. She is a joy to be around and shows such confidence and style in the field.
Got the AKC registration back today for our new brittany female “TJ’s White Shadow”. Her call name is Scout and she just turned 2 years old. She is currently in training at Hideaway Kennels in Colorado. Ben Garcia has promised to send me some updated pics of Scout when the weather clears. We hope to get her back in a month or so and continue her bird dog training. If all goes well and her OFA comes back good we will plan on breeding her in the fall to a Shadow son.
This is one of Annie and Buster’s puppies “Bella”. I got to spend some time with her and her owners on Saturday at a training day in Nephi, UT. Travis Proctor and friends were there evaluating some very nice english pointers and setters. It was fun to get to see Bella and how she is growing up so fast. She is a little taller than Annie and seems to have some of Busters long legs. We were able to throw a quail out for her and work with her on her retrieve. She did really well for her first bird introduction and retrieved the quail right back to Mike. This is Mike telling Bella what a good job she did.
Annie gets to hunt pheasants 7 months out of the year as a guide dog at our local pheasant preserve. She loves pheasant hunting more than anything and is a flawless retriever. She will even do water retrieves as long as she sees the bird go down. She has done a couple of blind retrieves but she really took some coaxing. Many times I just take my camera and take pictures of the dog work and the hunters. I would rather leave my gun home than go hunting without a my bird dogs. When I pull out back in the truck they can tell we are gonna have some fun and they all get excited. We are planning another litter of puppies from Annie in the fall of 2010.
