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.

Got to work with an english pointer that my friend had recently acquired this week. We wanted to see her style and training progress and generally determine her overall value as a hunting companion. We planted some valley quail for her and proceeded to hunt her as realistically as possible. The quail had moved from the rabbit brush where they were planted. She had her first point on the original location, I kicked the bush to be sure and then tapped her to relocate. She found them about 20 yards over the rise and nailed an intense point. I moved around front and flushed the quail for her. She held solid until the flush and then I shot and… missed! Oh well, we tried her on a retrieve later and she did great. We both decided she was ready for a season of hunting wild birds. Nothing can teach a young bird dog more efficiently that the birds themselves. If the proper training and foundation is there, then the more days afield hunting, the smarter your gun dog will become.

I have found that most pointing dogs have a natural retrieving instinct. The key is to nurture this without burning them out on retrieving. Especially if you have kids helping you train young dogs. I think 3-4 tosses of the dummy or knotted up sock are the maximum. You can tell in the second video below that Lucy is starting to lose interest (her 4th retrieve of this short session). When I see the puppy start to lose interest I put it away for the day and move on to something else.

As your puppy gets a little older and wants to go away from you rather than bring it right back, there are a couple things you can try. One is to throw the dummy in and enclosed area where they can’t go anywhere. The other idea is to use a lead and coax them back in gently with the here command. Both ways have worked for me in the past. But, if you keep the session short (2-3 throws) your puppy will usually be glad to bring it right back. The key is to keep it positive, have fun and try to end on a positive not. End the session before they get bored, that way they will be hungry for more.