Often I get to watch other pointing breeds and learn from other trainers. Jared Moss is working with this young english setter male “Jimmy”. I was able to watch Jared work with this dog this week at our weekly training day. I must admit that English Setters are starting to grow on me. Jimmy looked great on point and had plenty of style. He had a great temperament and was pleasant to be around. I was equally impressed by his nose and the distance at which he would point.

There are many fine pointing breeds out there today. But, if you research the pointing breeds back to the beginning it comes to two main breeds (English Setters and English Pointers). These two pointing breeds date all the way back to around 1650. Originally they were used to set the birds so they could be netted. Today these two breeds are alive and well and are quite popular in the USA. Some consider them to  be the very best of the pointing breeds. If you get the chance to watch them work you may tend to agree.

Sometimes I get a little hunting done with my own dogs. Wild birds are few and far between but we do have a good Chukar population in Utah. The terrain that they prefer is steep and rocky and you better have some good hiking boots. One of the things I like about Chukar hunting terrain is that it really can’t be done from a truck or ATV. This helps to keep the sport fairly pure as the “limit hunters” feel its too much work for a full bag of chukars. If you run into any fellow chukar hunters in Utah they usually have some nice pointing dogs along side.

Chukar hunting is also nice to stretch your dogs range a bit. The objectives are not so obvious as a ditch bank or fence row as when pheasant hunting for example. The terrain all looks the same in chukar territory. Rocks and rock slides, lots of sage brush and some assorted grasses. The lack of objectives forces your dog to use their nose more than their brain at times. It is really a joy to watch supposed close-working dogs stretch out and run big to cover the terrain. Lizzy is pictured above checking in.

The daunting thing about chukar hunting is that you often find the covey at the top of a steep hillside or outcrop. Typically you only get one or two shots when they flush and fly fast to the very bottom of the hill you just painstakingly climbed. You are left with no other choice but to follow and hike back to the bottom for another chance to shoot. This process seems to be repeated over and over. Up and down, up and down until your feet are blistered and/or you finally give up until the next time. That is Utah chukar hunting.

Often I meet or read about a fellow breeder that is just flat doing it right. My friend Allen Davis in Wyoming is one of those guys. His bird dogs get to see more wild birds in a single season than most will see in a lifetime. The secret, he takes his bird dogs hunting every chance he gets. The results? He has some amazing bird dogs with intelligence and wild-bird prowess to spare. He hunts his dogs annually on several species across several western states. And when hunting season ends, he competes in a few field trials to see how his dogs stack up. Yep, his bird dogs (Setters and Brittanys) have won their share of ribbons too. Take a look at his dogs at Table Mountain Kennels website. He has some nice hunting photos on his website and sometimes has puppies for sale.

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We have been working with this young brittany puppy. He is about seven months old and is starting to hold his points better. Once you get a dog pointing you can introduce the gunfire. We use a blank pistol to simulate gunfire, you can work up to a 12 gauge shotgun as your dog progresses. You can see in the video above that we like to make sure the dog is intent on chasing the bird. Wait until he is a good distance away from the gun and intent on chasing the bird. Then you can fire once or twice. Watch carefully to see if your dog flinches or turns to the noise. You can see Turbo does not even blink. We use a carded pigeon so the bird flies and then eventually drops, simulating a dead bird. You want to have the gunfire before the bird hits so it will be a natural transition when you shoot a real bird for your dog.

After Turbo gets to the downed bird you can see he picks it up and naturally wants to bring it back to us. If you are quick you can head him off and gather him in for some praise. A long lead helps with this so you can grab it if he tries to shy away with his bird. Most young dogs will want to run away so you don’t take their bird. Try not to let this happen. Be sure to pet them and praise them good before you take the bird with your chosen command “Give”or “Release”. If you take the bird right away, they will not enjoy the retrieving as much. I know some trainers that don’t give praise until the bird is released to hand. I don’t get hung up on this with young dogs. They brought the bird back, praise them up big. Simple.

Like automobiles and trucks people seem to almost naturally drift to one make or another. Some are drawn by looks, some by fit and finish while others want power and reliability. Even though I drive a Ford, I am a self proclaimed Chevy/GMC man. But, this is not a post about cars and trucks. This is an exploration of a few of the pointing breeds that I have had personal experience with. Often this is the first choice folks are faced with when entering the wonderful world of bird dogs.

German Shorthaired Pointers seem to be the state bird dog in my home state of Utah. Open the classified ads in the local paper and you will find several litters of pups to choose from anytime of year. In Utah, shorthairs are everywhere and for good reason – they are nice dogs. The GSP was my first bird dog and is a fine example of the versatile hunting dog. They point hard, have good noses and are a very durable dog for hunting quail and chukar in this desert climate. They can be very energetic and are one of the larger pointing breeds. I no longer have a shorthair in my kennel.

The American Brittany was the next dog to become a part of my hunting life. I grew up with a brittany and was anxious to have one again especially since I have a family of my own now. I think the brittany really excels in a family environment and is a great fit for small children. Some don’t care for the thicker coat of fur, but I don’t mind the extra grooming and brushing burs out. Several times when hunting quail my brittany went into thick brambles that my shorthair wouldn’t even try. The thick coat and smaller size can have their advantages. The result, we shot more birds that day. I think their noses are every bit as good and their temperment a cut above.

English Pointers are one of the original bird dogs when the kings had kennels full of fine hunting dogs. I think they are one of the most beautiful bird dogs and I consider them the Aston Martin of bird dogs. I had to try one and see how they were as pets and companions. The female we had was an easy keeper, no barking and really gentle with my kids. Found her to be an excellent bird dog and an intelligent hunting partner. For nice style and brag dog instincts you just can’t beat the english pointer. I sold her to a friend so I could try another breed.

That brings me to the English Setter. In the photo above is the sire “FC/AFC Riley’s Runnin Hideaway MH” to our english setter female Jess. We bought Jess from Ben Garcia at Hideaway Kennels. She has been a surprise at every turn. A few trainers had told me they found setters to be late bloomers and slow learners. Not Jess. She is sharp as a tack and is blowing me away with her big running nature. She points with style and has the people skills of a brittany. So far I am really liking my english setter. But, I remain a brittany guy.

There are several other pointing breeds that are worth a second look. I have a hunting partner that swears by his German Wirehaired Pointers, the ugly dogs. There is another buddy of mine that has a trained yellow lab that hunts upland game like none other. I’ve seen Vizslas, Weimers, Griffons, Frenchies and Braques of all kinds. There is a pointing dog for every personality and hunting style out there. What breed is your breed?

Had a fun training day with our young male brittany “Turbo”. He had plenty of prey drive but I was having a hard time getting him to point the birds. We had plenty of wide open space so I got a strong flying pigeon and carded it. The idea was the bird could flush and fly but not more than 70-100 yards. I planted the bird and then walked Turbo into the scent cone. As I expected he went right in to try to grab the bird.

This was a wary pigeon and a strong flyer and he wanted nothing to do with Turbo and flushed fast and far. Well, Turbo gave chase but did not see where the bird landed due to the heavy cover and brush. After a few minutes he scented the bird and went right in again to grab it. The bird flushed and flew. Turbo gave chase. This happened 5 times in succession. At this point I was having a hard time keeping up. The above picture is how I found him. He finally got the idea that he had to point the bird. The light came on.

The very first field trials were developed to see how dogs would stack up against each other in realistic hunting situations. There are many competitions today created for the hunting dog breeds from agility to akc hunt tests, from conformation shows to horseback field trials. The whole concept exists so you can see how your dog performs based on others. Whether comparing bird dogs to others in their own breed or competing against several pointing breeds, the events can be extremely helpful. It gives you a measuring stick for gauging your training and your dogs natural instincts.

I am a father helping to raise seven children with my wife, so leaving for days at a time to field trial across the midwest is not really an option. But, I have found something that has proven to be almost as valuable. I get together every week with a few guys who each have several bird dogs. These are usually half day training sessions or hunts where we can run anywhere from 12-20 dogs through a quail field or hunt chukar or pheasant. With enough dogs you start to get an idea of where your dogs are in comparison with the others. There are no judges or awards, but we are learning to recognize the better performing dogs and thereby make better selections for breeding or buying.

If your not able to go out and compete with a bird dog club or field trial, get together with some friends and hunt several dogs together. It won’t take long to see who the top performers are. Likely you will be able to identify and focus on some areas of dog training where you can improve. You don’t need 3 horses and six figure outfits to compete in this style. Just get together with others and run some bird dogs on live birds. The more the better. It works nearly as well and you will save a bundle in gas and perhaps even save your marriage. Some bird dog clubs even sponsor fun hunts on a Saturday where ribbons are awarded to the top dogs. Another great way to compete on a smaller scale.

I like to run more than one dog at a time. Besides the fact that you can get twice as much accomplished, it is just plain fun. Dogs seems to work naturally as a team, the whole pack mentality shining through I am sure. I was running these two young female brittanys on quail and it felt like honoring and backing seemed to happen naturally. Intelligent pointing dogs will stop if they see another dog on point, even if they can’t smell or see the bird. I feel that this is as natural and deeply ingrained as the pointing instinct itself.

Of course, for one reason or another you will have the dog that developed the bad habit of stealing points. That is the maneuver of going in past the original dog on point to claim the point for himself. This can be avoided by establishing the ground rules early on. Even when working very young puppies, if they can point they can honor. I like to bring a pup in on an adult dog that is holding point and watch for the young dogs first reaction. If you watch carefully they will honor, even if just for a moment. This is where I stop them and keep them until the bird is flushed by my training buddy. Teach them the rules early on and bad habits will not be as big a problem.

Invariably when one finds oneself in the companionship of a bona fide bird dog, one feels immediately inadequate for the job at hand. The job of which I am speaking is bird dog training. It’s not until much later on that you realize that said bird dog has mostly trained you the owner. There is much written on the subject of gun dog training, but I find myself often drifting to the elder authors. Arguably, not much has been discovered in the last century about training dogs for hunting upland game. The sport is ancient and we can benefit much by studying writings from decades ago.

One such tome that I enjoy studying very much is the book entitled “Wing & Shot” by the late Robert Wehle. Not only was the book published before I was born (1964), thus making it old by my reckoning. It is still one of the most respected books and Robert Wehle himself one of the greatest students of bird dogs. He was most noted for his creation of the powerful line of english pointers – the Elhew Pointer. His knowledge and life studies of bird dog genetics make him an expert in the broadest sense. When you take a look at the list of champions from his kennels, you can see the proof is in the pudding.

In this age of DVDs and YouTube videos I highly recommend taking a winters eve or two this year to review some of these great bird dog training books. Bob Wehle is just one of many worthy authors on the subject. A recent search on eBay revealed many more bird dog training books for sale than I knew existed. Many of which are out of print and hard to find. The best example for my learning style I feel is still getting out and spending time with birds and bird dogs. There is no replacement for the real thing, the going and doing. But, there is always time for a good book by the fire perhaps after a fine hunt or long day. You will find new ideas and answers to your questions if you simply take the time to read a book.

I have been having a great time these past few months working with a young english setter puppy. She is out of Hideaway Kennels in Colorado and from the same breeding that produced last years national champion (NFC Nauvoo Valley Cash Money). Jess has been a joy to work with and train and I have really been impressed with her bird drive and great nose. She points her birds with style and class and her range is blowing me away. She is a true all-age dog. Looking forward to getting her back to Ben Garcia for a few AKC field trials.