Nothing is more fun than bringing home a new bird dog puppy. It marks the beginning of a 12-14 year relationship with mans best friend. Your new dog will be loyal and a pleasure to own if you get things started in the right direction. The foundation of the first year will effect the outcome of the entire structure, much like building a house. If your foundation is shaky, so will your dog be. If your foundation is strong and well-built, as will be your dog. Here are a few ideass to help you get started right.

The first few weeks can sometimes be the most trying but can also be the most enjoyable. Potty training and basic obedience are often the main focus during this period. We prefer the “crate training method” when house training your young dog. Giving your pup his own private den will help a lot in laying the ground rules in your house. Dogs need a place to retreat for comfort and security. They rarely soil this den so it is very helpful with potty training.

We believe the best thing you can do for your puppies first 6-12 months is socialization. The more people, animals, and environments you can introduce him to, the better. Everything should be fun and positive during this time period. Try to avoid high pressure situations and set your puppy up for success. He is going to make mistakes, relax and don’t make a big deal about it. Enjoy this time with your puppy.

This is also a great time to introduce your dog to birds. Pigeons and quail are best because they are smaller and less intimidating. The goal is to build prey drive and confidence in your young bird dog. He will learn that birds are fun, they smell good, and they are fun to catch and carry around. Pointing will come along in due time. Some trainers let puppies chase and flush birds till they point on their own. While others begin holding the puppy on point with a check cord after they become confident around birds.

You can’t make a bird dog without using birds in the training process. If you want lot’s of bird dog, then you should use lot’s of birds. The time you invest now will help produce a well mannered brag dog when your dog is 4-5 years old. The number one mistake new bird dog owners make is rushing the first year. They want the dog broke to wing and shot at 6 months old. It is not gonna happen. And you will ruin a great dog in the process. Relax, let him be a puppy and enjoy the first year. Take your time.

There is a famous brittany man named Ben O Williams in Montana who is know for running several dogs at a time. He not only trains like this but he often hunts his dogs in a similar fashion. He feels like they can learn much from each other and learn faster too. He doesn’t mind if they make mistakes and blow some birds. The idea is that they learn quickly to honor and back or there will be no birds in the bag (ie: no birds to retrieve).

Lately I have been running two dogs at a time when I go training or hunting. I wanted to try it out for myself and like Ben, I just love to watch the dogs work. The more the better. My dogs seem to be learning to back and honor points a lot better. Sure we have had a few covey flushes and birds blown, but it has been worth it. I try to mix up the tandem each time as well. Sometimes two dogs of a similar age, but more often I pair an older more experienced dog with a younger inexperienced dog. Try it out if you have more than one dog, you will find it quite enjoyable.

We got this photo emailed to us from Bailey in Nevada. He bought an Annie X Buster puppy earlier this year. This fine hunting brittany they named Boone. Bailey has done a great job with getting Boone onto some birds. The photo is after a very successful Nevada chukar hunt. Nothing can bring a bird dog along faster than lots of wild bird exposure. Thanks for emailing the pics. Keep up the good work.

We have been busy this summer getting the fields ready and planting corn and milo for the new pheasant preserve on the ranch. North Fork Pheasant Preserve will open this fall at the clear creek ranch where we are employed in southern Utah near Zion National Park. These two young female brittany dogs have been finishing their bird dog training at Best Gun Dogs training program in Beaver, UT. Jared Moss does a great job training gun dogs and getting them steady to wing and shot. Sadie and Lizzy are just over 2 years old and Jared has pronounced them ready to go to work as guide dogs at the pheasant farm. Thanks Jared for all your help getting these girls ready for hunting season.

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.

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.

The snow has finally melted and it is time to get outside and train puppies. Lizzy is working on being steady to wing. She is a very birdy dog and loves to get out and hunt. I have 50 wild pigeons coming in this week for training birds. Also, there are about a hundred quail in my pens that will be flight ready in a couple months. This should give us plenty of birds for spring and summer gun dog training.

Had a great day dog training with Lizzy this week. Put a few hen pheasants out in some cattails and just wanted to see her use her nose. She has a very strong prey drive and loves birds. She has been exposed to pigeons, quail, pheasants and chukar. She did very well and dug right into the cover to find these two hens. We let a few go, but when the situation was just right we shot a couple for her. Her first retrieve was excellent. She picked up the big fat hen pheasant without hesitation and brought it to hand. Needless to say I was very pleased. I thought it was a good first hunt for a 7 month old brittany puppy.

Wing on a string method for training pointing dogs

Some will argue that wing on a string training can be counter-productive. While I agree that the wing on a string can possibly be over-used and may encourage a dog to sight point. I think it can be a great teaser when a puppy is young to bring out that pointing instinct. I only do it 2-3 times while the puppy is young and usually try to include the bird introduction lessons a few days before or after. Puppies will respond quite readily to the simple wing on a string and it is fun to see how deeply ingrained the pointing instinct is.

Ideally you would tie a quail, chukar or pheasant wing to the end of a fishing pole although a piece of tissue will work as well. It is important to not let the puppy get a hold of the wing. A few flutters out in front of the pup will draw their attention. When the puppy charges in, jerk the wing away to a new spot 10-12 feet away and flutter it again gently. The soft twitching motion will drive the pups crazy and you should see them point very soon thereafter if not instantly. Keep in mind this is just a short game and should only go on for a few minutes. Do not get worried if your puppy does not point. Some bird dogs take a while to point. They all seem to develop at their own pace.

In bringing a young hunting dog puppy along, the bird introduction is one of the funnest places to start. You can use a clipped wing pigeon, quail or chukar. I like to use the quail or pigeons on young pups because the size of the bird is not too intimidating. You can trim the flight feathers on one wing, or simply pluck them out. They will grow back with time if the bird doesn’t get chewed up too bad. I start by waving the bird in front of the puppy and let them get a good sniff. Then I toss the bird a few feet and see if the puppy will give chase. Typically they can’t stand the bird running and flapping and their prey-drive will kick in. The main goal of this drill is to get the puppy excited about birds. Being interested in birds is the foundation for building a bird dog.

This training drill can also be turned into a retrieving introduction. For best results you should do this in an enclosed area or with a lead fastened to the puppies collar. It is very natural for a dog to pick up a bird in his mouth, but bringing it back is the trick. Once they pick it up reel them in slowly with the lead and give the “fetch” or “here” command. When they get within reach, don’t take the bird right away. Pat them down good and pile on the praise. Let them hold the bird for a minute or two while you really build them up. Then get the bird and throw it again for another try. Do it a few times and put it away. Training should be fun, as well as short and sweet.