We have been having a great time using the new quail recall pens to train young bird dogs. This young german shorthair went nuts the first time we ran her on the bobwhite quail. She chased and chased until she figured out that she was never gonna catch them. After a few days of chasing birds she settled down and started pointing them. Luna learned pretty quickly that creeping is not okay on covey birds because you never know when a single is gonna bust out of the brush at your feet. We don’t give many commands while working these young dogs on quail. We just let the bobwhite quail train the bird dogs and they seem to get the hang of it. This is definitely a great way to accelerate the learning process. The best part is the birds call back to the pen and you can do it all again the next day, and the next…

When introducing young pups to birds for the first time I like to use a clipped wing pigeon. This is done by plucking or cutting the main 4-5 flight feathers on one wing. The bird will still be able to lift off and flutter, but not fly away. Some puppies will point the bird, some will charge right in while still others will stalk it slowly like JJ in the picture to the left. I really want to see their prey drive and how much they want to get that bird. It is amazing how differently each pup in a litter reacts to the same situation. I use this drill as a yardstick to measure where I need to start their bird dog training. Generally, bolder dog can move along at a faster clip and progress a little more quickly. The timid or reserved pup will take a little more time as you build her confidence and keep things lighter.

At some point I like them to actually catch the bird and mouth it a little. This is a great time to test the pups retrieving instincts. All puppies love to pick things up, its the getting them to bring it to you that is the tricky part. Some pups will bring a bird right to you without much coaxing, while others will run away to enjoy their bird. Either way be sure to pet them up real good before you take the bird away.

Annie training with Chris Colt of Cove Mountain Kennels

These past few months have been a little bit sad for me since my best dog training buddy Chris Colt took a job in a neighboring state and moved. Chris runs Cove Mountain Kennels and trains hunting dogs for others and is good at what he does. I was always glad to plant birds for him or do whatever I could to be helpful. I learned a lot from being around him and watching him work with pointing dogs. He is really good at reading dogs and bringing them along at their own pace. Training pointing dogs can be a lot of fun, sometimes even more fun than hunting behind them. But, without a good training partner it can get a little ominous and not quite so fulfilling. I’ve got a couple of new brittany pups to work with this spring and am on the prowl for a couple of new dog training partners in central Utah. However, If you ever get up to Idaho and need your gun dog trained or tuned up for fall, give Chris a call. You won’t be disappointed.

Mowgli is the latest addition to our kennel. Mowgli was whelped on June 13th of 2008 and is a liver and white American Brittany. He was placed with us by some nice folks who found him to be more than they bargained for. He is a very high energy dog and has a little more size to him than the average brittany. He may be a little bigger than the brittany standard but after speaking with brittany expert Ben O Williams about hunting the open country I have been leaning towards the larger brittany males. Chasing chukar here in Utah requires a dog that can really cover some ground.

Mowgli was started immediately on bird introduction with a clipped wing pigeon and he showed excellent bird/prey drive. A few days later we fired the starter pistol over him while he was chasing a carded pigeon and he showed no signs of noise/gun sensitivity. We will try a 20 gauge shotgun fired at a distance and work up to a 12 gauge at closer ranges to be sure there is no problems with the gun. He loves to get out and cover ground and has won the hearts of my children. He handles well for my 6 and 8 year old daughters on walks to the park and is patient when they insist on combing his thick coat.

I sent in his AKC registration papers today and look forward to learning more about the pedigree and breeding which was from a small family kennel in Alpine, UT. Mowgli is at the perfect age to get serious about his hunting dog training so I am excited to have a second dog in my kennel while I am working on breaking Annie to be steady to wing and shot.

I got my shipment of 800 quail eggs yesterday from cumberland gamebirds. I was a little disappointed because they were supposed to arrive on Friday which means they sat in a cold truck somewhere over the weekend. I am hoping the hatch will turn out okay. I am using the old GQF Sportsman 1202 incubator with the updated float and humidity pan. My friend came over to help set the eggs since he knows a lot about raising birds. After a little tweaking into the evening I got the temperature and humidity stabilized at 99.5 degrees and 51% relative humidity. I am anxious to try this strain of bobwhite quail called Georgia Giants. They are supposed to be nearly twice the size of normal bobwhite and stronger flyers.

Now I need to get my plans together for building a better flight pen. I have read that it is important to keep the birds isolated as much as possible to keep them wild. One online quail farmer even suggested feeding the birds at night with the use of a headlamp. I have been looking at some very cool quail pen designs like this one at quail ranch ok or this one from Mississippi State University extension service. One of the nicest quail pens I have found is at Straubs Game Farm in PA. I like their sight barriers and their innovative waterer.

The quail recall pen is getting good use now that the quail are getting the hang of using the funnel and getting back in the pen each day. We made the mistake of letting quite a few go the first day and then we flushed them scattering them quite far. After 2 days only 2 had recalled out of about 12-14 that were released. We hit the books and learned that there is a training period for the birds to learn to recall and use the funnel. The key during the first few days is to let them out and not flush them so they stay close and figure out the entrance. After about a week of this you can start flushing the birds and begin using them for dog training.

After the mistake these are the 12 or so bobwhite quail that were left in the recall pen. We have more quail to restock the pen with and think about 25 is a good number for this size of pen. We will be finding a more permanent home for the recall pen for the summer months as the farmer will be wanting to cultivate this ground soon. We hope to use the quail recall pen for dog training during the summer months on private property.

I am working with a six month old german shorthair named Ace. He has had little training, and doesn’t even respond to his name most of the time. He is well-bred and has a very easy-going personality. My hope is to get him started on birds as I work at the pheasant farm this fall. Ace should be a fun dog training project for me.

This morning I took him out with a clipped-wing pigeon to begin his formal introduction to birds. Pigeons are a good choice for a first bird contact because of their small size and availability. I clipped about 2-3 inches off of this birds flight feathers. I wanted him to flap his wings and make a lot of action, but not be able to fly very far away.

Ace loved every minute of this first introduction to birds. He chased and played with the bird for a minute or two then brought me the bird. I threw the pigeon out a couple of times more and he gave chase and brought the bird back. I was pleased with the results and after about 10 minutes we ended the session. I’ll try to have a daily touch with birds of some kind for a week or two until he is pointing and holding his birds.

Read a cool article today in the pointing dog journal about an even cooler new dog training product. The Higgins Remote Releaser, was developed by Brad Higgins at HigginsGunDogs.com. Now the remote bird launcher is not a new idea in hunting dog training. Remote launchers have been in use for nearly two decades. The typical remote bird launcher has a catapult or spring-like mechanism that forces the bird up and into flight. This works pretty well unless like me you have a hard time holding the gun, the check cord, the ecollar remote and the bird launcher in two hands. The training scenario can go fairly smooth if you have a couple of buddies to help you out. But, if you are training your dog alone like I often do – forget about it. I usually hit the bird launcher button too early or too late, and even if I do get it right I miss an important correction for my dog because I am not paying attenting to his cues.

The Higgins Remote Releaser is a new concept that gently lifts the lid of the releaser letting the bird decide when it is time to flush. The releaser works almost silently using a hydraulic lift arm and gives a more realistic flush because the bird sits tight until it feels pressured by the dog to take flight. This is great for training a dog to be steady to the flush. After a few times of creeping in too close the dog learns to hold points at a safer distance giving you a better chance at a clean shot. I have yet to get my hands on this product, but can’t wait to get one and try it out. It really looks like Brad Higgins has got a great idea and a killer hunting dog training product. Click over to his site and learn more about the new Higgins Remote Releaser.

A few weeks ago I had a friend who was trying to decide between two well-bred german shorthaired pointer puppies. We thought it would be interesting to see how the two pups performed when placed in an enclosure with some live chukar chicks. The goal was to find out if one pup had more natural desire or prey-drive than the other. Take a look at the movie and see which puppy you think has the most potential as a hunting dog.

The real question is whether or not this test is conclusive? While one puppy definitely appears to be more interested in the birds, both could turn out to be great hunting dogs. I would guess that the more agressive dog may be a little more challenging to train and will probably be more head-strong. In the end, my friend chose the puppy that hung back (honored?) from the other puppy while still interested in the chukars. Which puppy would you choose to take home?