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*Last edited by birddog on Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:50 am; edited 1 time in total*

The pup and I got our limit today. She is just 10 months old and is doing great. She went to SD with me a couple weeks back and we shot a lot of birds.
Bailey has had 5 weeks of training with Eric Adams of Bracken Buster Kennels, super nice fellow and very good trainer.
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Somebody tell me how to get the pics to come up.
Thanks,
Charlie Embarassed

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3178 Location: NCWa

go to the search feature and type photos; there are a list of instructions- but you need to be more computer literate than I to be able to get the thing to work. The only way I've ever been able to do it is to send the photos to someone that knows how & let them post'em.

Sounds like a great time. You know the drill Charlie get a young dog alot of exposure to birds and he figures it out. The neatest thing in the bird dog world is being there the day the light comes on. Something just clicks in their head and bingo. No amount of training can make that light come on only hunting and letting the dog make mistakes. Of course from time to time for some reason the light goes off for a little while. First year dogs for me tend to hunt well relying on instinct 2nd year dogs think they know what they are doing and make alot more mistakes by the 3rd year things start to shape up. Good luck with that pup and enjoy the rest of the season.

I had a Brittaney gift dog that was 1 1/2 and totally gun shy . Tried all kindsa tricks and the light went on when she flushed a grouse . Got a great chase working and the gun went boom ! Bingo !

So I'm slow at this game!! Embarassed

Charlie

Great looking pup!!

rudyc

Member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 592 Location: Minnesota

Great looking pup. Nice to see there are still a few pheasants in Iowa.

Most Brittaneys I've encountered are friendly, biddable, intelligent, and hard working little buggers. Their tails are always going at high revs. A field smart one is a joy to hunt over and to pal around with. Can't help but like them.

I found out pretty quickly that good bird dogs are born with the light on. All it takes for it to show is introduce the pup to a a small game bird like a pen raised quail in a confined area ASAP, preferably before the dog is 12 weeks old. The first sniff and puppy point or attempted flush is all it takes. They will remember that scent and the excitment it causes them from then on. That is your ticket to get them to do what you want or they don't get to smell birds a lot until they do. Then go slow and don't overbird the dog until they have received basic discipline training and have come around and whoa or hup down pat. This is the time man and dog bond into a team. Too many birds complicates things and interferes with the process until the dog is ready for the added complication and excitement. Believe me, a bird dog lives for birds whether they are there or not. A short walk in the woods or fields with your dog will prove that. The dog will be searching for bird scent all the time. Watch the tail. When it revs up, the dog has found scent. Simple.

The best dogs all go through the terrible twos and act like smart ass melon heads. They are simply sorting out who is in charge. Dogs w/o an ego, some drive, and a sense of self are usually not that smart either. So be glad when your two year old wants to do it his or her way. They will come to trust you once they realize you ain't so dumb either. Just let them screw up and use it to your best advantage. They are learning about you as they learn about hunting with you. A smart hunter can pass his savvy on to his dog. An inexperienced or a dumb hunter will do the same thing. That's how most teams work.

Then time, patience, and birds will do the rest. By age four, most smart, well trained dogs are worth their weight in gold. It's in the dog or it's not. Good luck with yours.

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

I wish I had a scanner, to post a few pictures. I had a Brittany that looked a lot like that little guy.

Best hunting dog I have ever had. He was pointing and retrieving at 6 months old. (Used Richard Wolters Gun Dog to train him).

When he was 2 1/2, I was lucky enough to go to Iowa(1993). 45 minutes into the first hunt he nailed a rooster on the edge of a cattail swamp. I shot a limit over him each of the next 2 days. The next 3 days he learned how to really hunt Iowa pheasants, courtesy of a friends GSP.

The next year he out hunted that GSP, he was just a great dog. I shot his last pheasant when he was 13 years old. He lived to 15 years old.

We hunted in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas. Pheasant, Quail, Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse and he hunted all of them well. The only collar I ever used for him was a beeper and I never had to talk to him as we hunted. Maverick talked to me. He taught me more about bird hunting than any person or book ever has. He just knew where the birds were and how to handle them.

I hope that liver Brittany of yours turns out for you the way Maverick turned out for me. Great friend and great hunting partner.

That's why my online name is dogchaser37, he led the way, I was just there to shoot the birds for him, because dogs don't have fingers!!

I, also, do not have a scanner, so I took a picture of a picture (old picture) of a horse I used to have and the way I rigged a scabbard

Came out well, the picture was nearly 40 years OLD

I lived in Montana in those days

Mike

Thanks guys, looks like game on for tomorrow. Saw 5 roosters tonight just north of the house. It helps having 450 acres of native prairie grass within walking distance. We'll post more pics if I can remember how, HA!
Charlie Wink

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

Hey Birddog,

Do you know Todd J. I think he is married to Art L's daughter. At least I think they are married.

Anyway it was Todd's GSP, that taught my dog how to handle real roosters. The dogs name was Sam, and he was one hell of a bird finding son-of-a- bi***.

Old Art will remember both of them dogs, he'll also remember that I couldn't hit my a**. He's the one that told me to find a gun that shot a bit high, that ended up being my 1100 - 16 Gauge. He might not know it, but I listened to him more than he thinks.

Say hello for me.

Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Posts: 591 Location: SoCal-FL- NYC