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Gil S
PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:59 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Lowcountry Ga.

I try to load the hunting paraphenalia in the truck, other than gun, night before. When I put on the briarpants, my two Britts look like clown fish on pogo sticks at the front door, bouncing up and down. Same routine if I grab leads for a walk. The leash transforms them from quartering birddogs to arm pulling sled dogs for the first 100 yards, then they take my lead and understand who is in charge. Most of the time...
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3drahthaars
PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:15 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 May 2015
Posts: 127

The "switch" on my pup is inside the house... outside of the house she's in hunting mode.

Inside the house she's a house dog.

I don't think a dog that has experience and loves to hunt can not hunt just because its on a walk.

3ds
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jswanson
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:13 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 830
Location: Adirondak Mtns

[quote="goathoof"]I like the bell idea. I live out in the middle of nowhere and take a long gun for my dogs's protection. I have had coyotes go after her, and we have cougars out and about.[/quote]

Works for my dogs. They are always in the hunt mode but the Bell settles them down and they know this is for real no games.

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jswanson
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:13 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
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Location: Adirondak Mtns

a[quote="goathoof"]I like the bell idea. I live out in the middle of nowhere and take a long gun for my dogs's protection. I have had coyotes go after her, and we have cougars out and about.[/quote]

Works for my dogs. They are always in the hunt mode but the Bell settles them down and they know this is for real no games. Not worth a Dam for finding them in tall cover when on point as you can imagine.

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Murdock
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:43 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Dec 2016
Posts: 36
Location: Down East Maine

Nope. No switch.

Most of us choose the gun dogs we have because they are bred for instinctive behavior that fits our hunting styles. (My wife always maintained that my ESS and I had the same personalities).

Basic obedience training (hup, come, stay, heel, place) and a leash will pay huge dividends in the dog's safety and ability to display good behavior throughout its life. But what "heel" means in the field and on the sidewalk are very different, at least as far as the dog is concerned.

But recall from hot bird scent in his nose? Ain't gonna happen with most flushing dogs. Went running together early one morning and found out a neighbor had new chickens. Yup, they will retrieve a live chicken. Didn't get the leash on till after the excitement. No harm, no fowl. (Sorry for that).

They aren't machines, so we can't switch them off. We shape the behavior around the core instinct.

I really liked the bell idea above. Clever. I don't use a bell on a flushing dog, though.

Having the habit of almost always being armed away from home, I carry a service pistol comfortably concealed on all dog walks off my property. Local coywolves have proven to be as nasty with dogs as an urban street gang with honor students. My dogs don't react to the handgun, but ain't no way I can take any long gun in hand without lots of noisy dog comments. Tried every trick. THEY KNOW.

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pudelpointer
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:11 am  Reply with quote
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I have 2 English setters and 1 Pudelpointer all wired one of the ES is a trial dog that has a rocket for a motor. All 3 stay in my yard although hunting every critter they can find. We walk a 4 mile loop around the back roads at my house all 3 off leash and at heel. As we come to open hay fields I let them run and hunt a couple minutes and then whistle them back. All 3 find a spot when in the house and go to sleep. All this doesn't happen automatically you have to work hard. You are the pack leader and give the orders the dogs follow those orders if they were shown what to do. It takes persistence and repetition to train a dog. If you don't want him hunt and run on your walk make him heal but I would think if it's in the boondocks let him hunt and exercise. I also use the release words (go on) to let them know they can go. If you train them to come, heel and whoa they will be a lot better companions.
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jschultz
PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:28 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 1624
Location: northwewst Wyoming

When we travel, my wife hooks Annie up to a recoil leashes. I think that the leash extends to 15- 20 feet. The leash allows Annie a little freedom from the heel position that she obviously enjoys.
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Wed Feb 15, 2017 5:32 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

i never really thought about it. My dogs have always just learned to recognize when we are hunting. As Dogchaser noted though, I only carry the gun when we hunt. The dog knows the difference between stalking golden trout with a fly rod and searching out anything with feathers.

The closest thing to an "off switch" I use is when I give the command "sit". But I use that one while hunting too. Then I can close the gap when he is on birds and I am lagging behind.

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fourtrax
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 6:01 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 827
Location: N. Shore, mn

If my dogs are on any walk (French Britts) they are hunting, casting, snooping, etc. They get lots of exercise. In this Country I go with a pistol (ccw) for vermin / wolves etc.
On a leash all that's good for is control where there's traffic / safety issues. I can't get the dogs adequate exercise on a leash. The only switch these guys have is from in the house (or kennel) couch potato mode to outside either woods or yard into HUNT mode. Mice, squirrels, tweety birds, other dogs going by etc etc. Barking to hear themselves bark IS NOT ALLOWED here. They are allowed to bark a few times with anything strange (unusual) going on. After / beyond that & they get a "visit" & a come to Jesus meeting after one warning of "knock it off."

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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 9:44 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
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Location: Hudson,Wy

Recall from scent not happening with flushing breeds? All of my BC's have been extraordinary scent trailers and calling them off scent during other pursuits was/is quite regular. But then again, they technically are "sheep dogs". Shhhh, don't tell anyone! Laughing

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:05 am  Reply with quote
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Hunting, walking or training, if I sense that my dog has got a nose full of game bird, I don't call them off unless there is a danger of some sort.

They have been bred for centuries to find game in general and game birds specifically, far be it from me to ever change that dogs mind.

Let's face it, we don't TRAIN a dog worth his/her salt to hunt, that comes with the breeding, all we do is spruce things up a little. The more I let my dogs do what they were bred for the smarter I look.

I can honestly say that once I learned what a hunting dog can do, I backed way off on my 'training'....... low and behold I learned more about hunting birds. Are my dogs perfect? Nope but they have never embarrassed me, and we have always been successful even in the lean years.

The first year or so I spend time with a dog taking off the rough edges, after that it is me that gets trained by the dog. They all communicate with you when there are birds around and I need to learn their language so I can hold up my end of the bargain.

All of the above is why I don't ever look for an off switch.......and if I ever happen upon the off switch I am going to forget it is there.

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3drahthaars
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 10:57 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 May 2015
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Dogchaser37 wrote:
Hunting, walking or training, if I sense that my dog has got a nose full of game bird, I don't call them off unless there is a danger of some sort.

They have been bred for centuries to find game in general and game birds specifically, far be it from me to ever change that dogs mind.

Let's face it, we don't TRAIN a dog worth his/her salt to hunt, that comes with the breeding, all we do is spruce things up a little. The more I let my dogs do what they were bred for the smarter I look.

I can honestly say that once I learned what a hunting dog can do, I backed way off on my 'training'....... low and behold I learned more about hunting birds. Are my dogs perfect? Nope but they have never embarrassed me, and we have always been successful even in the lean years
.

The first year or so I spend time with a dog taking off the rough edges, after that it is me that gets trained by the dog. They all communicate with you when there are birds around and I need to learn their language so I can hold up my end of the bargain.

All of the above is why I don't ever look for an off switch.......and if I ever happen upon the off switch I am going to forget it is there.


I had to highlight part of this, because it is exactly how I have evolved over the past 25 years and 4 dogs.

I have seen a lot of trainers, but the real hunters learn to set back, relax, and watch their dogs.

There's a BIG difference between planting birds and working your pup into the flag and hunting your dog and learning how to read it in the field.

It's the subtle signals when making scent, the reactions, the manners of locating, relocating and pinpointing the bird.

Unless you exercise patience you don't see the subtleties between a single and a covey...and, each dog is a little different.

Back to the OP... the only switch is between the field and the house.

Just my $.02,

3ds
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double vision
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:12 am  Reply with quote
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I was going to stay away from this thread, but the last two posts hit the nail on the head for me. I teach some very basic obedience and the rest is exposure and letting the birds and time afield teach the dog. I'm a poor trainer, but I always seem to produce good dogs. They have everything they need inside them. My job is not to mess it up. In house switch off.
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WyoChukar
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:20 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2124
Location: Hudson,Wy

The last comments remind me of something I try to tell "control freak" dog handlers/ hunters. "The dog has the nose, you don't". Trust the dog.

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setterpie
PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:35 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 27
Location: NWPA

JonP wrote:
Over time, dogs equate certain stimuli with certain activities.


Ain't that the truth. My setter has learned that if I'm putting on one of two certain pairs of jeans it means I'm getting dressed for hunting.

My take is give them time, they'll figure out what certain things mean. And if they don't, you have to wonder how useful they're going to be in the field. Laughing
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