I have joked around for the last few years that the “Pointing Lab” was a mythical creature, like a dragon or a unicorn. People swear they exist but nobody has ever really seen one in real life. Now I’ve seen a lot of nice labs, and I have even seen a few that actually pause before they flush the birds up. But, I have never seen an actual bonafide pointing lab up close and in action. For me there was only one way to find out if they really existed. I got online and went to GunDogBreeders.com and I bought an 8 week old male yellow pointing lab. I figured my pointing dog trainer should be able to handle it.

Well, the first thing that happened is that my kids insulted me by saying this is their favorite puppy we have ever had (I raise brittany dogs as a hobby). This yellow lab pup named “Ace” promptly won the kids over by fetching sticks and balls and anything they could throw and he could carry. He had good manners and put up with the abuse and annoying things that kids tend to do with young puppies. Ace has been a joy to have around and he is at my feet constantly following me around the yard. He hardly ever barks and he’s even tidy about where he uses the bathroom.

This month we brought him home a fat goose to sniff and play with to see if he liked the smell of feathers. He liked it a lot and even tried to haul off with the big old goose that was twice as big as him. There is a reason that labs are the most popular hunting dog in the USA bar none. I think I am beginning to find out why. Next week he will go spend a few weeks with a pro trainer and we will see if there is any pointing dog inside. If nothing else, I can always learn to hunt waterfowl.

I had the opportunity last week to visit with Ben Garcia of Hideaway Kennels. He has an amazing bird dog training operation in Colorado. I was dropping a female brittany puppy Sis off to continue field trialing with Ben. Also, I was able to watch and meet a few potential stud dogs that he has at his kennels. It was nice to meet these stud dogs in person and get a feel for their temperament and personalities. You get a lot better feel for a dog when you can watch him run on birds and point.

I was able to spend a couple of days with Ben and watch him work. He is a very accomplished bird dog trainer and field trial handler. We will be having him out again this fall to teach a bird dog training seminar in Utah. He is one of those rare trainers that has a natural feel for dogs and what they are thinking. His training methods and systems provide the dogs with the best opportunity for success. I really enjoy training bird dogs, but watching a pro is very humbling. It was fun to learn some tips and tricks to help me with my own bird dog training.

Had a fun time this week training my English Setter Jess. She is doing really well and stands her birds nicely. She has a great nose and runs a nice gun dog pattern. She opens up at times to the edge of All Age. We are to the point where we need to switch to bobwhites and no more pigeons. She is ready to go to the next level.

In the video you will see that she marks the bird, goes to and picks it up. Then she proceeds to take her bird and run off with it. Some would think this is a big problem. I think it will be pretty easy to get her turned back to bring the bird in. The main thing is she likes to carry the bird. A little encouragement and a few retrieving drills will get her coming in. One thing at a time.

In regards to pointing dogs, I asked my training buddy the other day. “Would you rather have a dog that points and doesn’t retrieve well, or a good retriever that does not point well?” He answered wisely that if the breeding is sound, both pointing and retrieving will come quite naturally. But if he had to choose, he would take the pointer that doesn’t retrieve well. The thinking that you can always force fetch or teach the trained retrieve.

Brings up a great point in selecting a bird dog. When you see the dog that performs all the tasks with precision. You don’t really know if it is natural or if there was a lot of time and training put into the dog. As a breeder I want the dog that has all the tools genetically present. The more natural the easier the training will be.

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.

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 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.

Stuff we should be doing right now and probably aren’t.
By Steve Smith

It’s almost March, which means in parts of the country it’s, we hope, turning toward spring. Other parts, those far north or buried in snow — usually the same thing, but not this year — there’s still a good portion of winter left. In any event or anyplace, the hunting season is a long way off. But there are things we should be doing and attending to that will make the final preparations for opening day easier.

Keeping/getting the dog in shape. In most of the country, spring is a cool time of year. Dogs don’t overheat like they can in the summer, so you can work them longer, and where there’s a will…. In Michigan, running a dog in the winter, especially a pointer, just isn’t in the cards: The snow’s too deep, and I personally don’t think it’s good on connective tissue to have a dog drag the back legs against the resistance of deep snow in a full-out run.

I found a place near home that works well enough — it’s a parking lot for snowmobilers near a groomed trail. The county or somebody plows it, and I go after work — my dogs meet me at the door and insist that we go work out. It isn’t like Sam can get much exercise just cruising the lot, so I toss bumpers for her (and my Lab) to retrieve. I toss them like 40 or 50 yards, and each dog gets a couple dozen fetches. Do the math: That’s over a half-mile of flat-out running. I know; that’s not far, but in the middle of the winter, it’s better than nothing, which is what I have done in past years. Sam looks good and feels good. If you haven’t worked out the dog since the end of the season, don’t wait until August to start. The days are getting longer. It won’t hurt you to get a little exercise, too.

Check out your gear and guns. If anything needs work, repair, replacement, or you wished you had one last season and didn’t, now’s the time. The gunsmith is going to only get busier and more backlogged the later it gets. If it’s something you need or want, you can sometimes get good deals on big items if you negotiate a little because it’s usually a long way between sales of fall stuff in the spring. I need a new framework for the blind on the duck boat; the one I want is on sale now, but I’ll bet it won’t be in September. I should buy it soon.

Need a new e-collar or maybe you’re going to a GPS or telemetry tracker of some sort and A Close Relative By Marriage would rather use the cash for hallway carpeting? Start saving now so you can pick it up mid-summer, in time to learn how to use it. Or buy it and get the grief out of the way so that when you pull it out next fall, it’ll be old news. That’s what I do. It isn’t the old, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” because you aren’t going to get either. It’s just the way it is.

You should also give some thought to shooting some clays on a more or less regular basis, even fewer than a half-dozen afternoons spread over from now to the opener will keep you relatively sharp. One thing to be aware of is, as we get older, we lose our eye faster if we don’t shoot, and we get it back slower when we start. I was in Georgia hunting quail in mid-February — I got to hunt with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who is a crack shot — and I hadn’t pulled a trigger since Thanksgiving, and for the first time in my shooting career, I could see where the layoff really hurt. I only hunted two days, and I didn’t start shooting like I know I can (which, admittedly, isn’t all that great) until the afternoon of the second day; until then, I got cheerfully outshot by a politician.

By Steve Smith (Editor)
The Pointing Dog Journal
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This past week I was able to attend the 2010 American Brittany Club Western Futurity competition in Sonoita, AZ. There is a field portion and a show competition to evaluate the litters from 2008 brittany breedings. While some dogs were owner handled and trained, many folks prefer to pay someone to handle and show their brittany dogs in competitions. These professional trainers/handlers are good at what they do and have all the gear and knowledge to do it right. I was able to meet a few of these pro trainers and see what they were like in person. What a fun trip it turned out to be.

Ben Garcia owns and runs Hideaway Kennels in Colorado and is a respected handler and gun dog training expert. It was great to meet him and ask him about some ideas I have had on putting on a skill level based training seminar with 2 or 3 dog trainers. Can’t wait to pick his brain some more and develop a curriculum for a 3 day seminar to be held in Utah.

One of my hero’s in the dog training world is California based pro trainer Paul Doiron. He has handled and trained an astonishing number of field champion brittany dogs. You couldn’t go wrong sending your brittany to Paul for a few months of training.

Another California brittany man is Tom White who ended up winning quite a haul in the Amateur All Age stakes in Sonoita, AZ. He and his partner in crime Margaret Hostmeyer are know for their tireless efforts in their local brittany club as well as for their brilliant brittanies.

Last but not least is my good friend David Downing of Blueridge Brittany Kennels in Texas. He is one of the few trainers that is actively paricipating in both show and field competitions handling and finishing several dual champions. Dave introduced me to Hank Hartnek of Sunquest Brittanies in Arizona. Hank was in charge of securing the field trial grounds and greasing the wheels for future use of the property.

My custom dog box arrived today from Diamond Deluxe, it was a pleasure working with Warren Brown and his team. The box was exactly what I had specified and better quality than I had hoped for. I am excited to have the last part of my dog training truck and get it all put together. I tried to design it to leave room for an ATV (four-wheeler) on the back of the flatbed. It looks like the fit is gonna be just perfect. I still have to go to Home Depot and get some bolts and L-brackets to permanently mount the aluminum dog box. I was really surprised how light it was and how well-built the dog box is. I’ll try to take another picture when everything is installed.