# Need some help with pointer



## cedarsedge (Sep 21, 2006)

I'm going to help a friend start working with his GSP. He is a little under 1 yr old, I have alway had retrievers so I know very littel about pointers.

I know he will need to be introed to birds and CC, his OB is good and has been exposed to gun fire, but little else. What are some good things to start working on that we can work on together?

Bobm this should be right up your alley 

Dan


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

If he was mine I would do only one more thing now, and thats make him come to multiple toots and turn on one toot. Just take him out on a CC at first and toot once give a hand signal and walk in that direction as soon as he seems to get it then take the cc of and drill that and come on the whistle. This is important because he will be alot farther away than a lab, if hes hunting correctly, you will be hoarse trying to handle him in the windy midwest like Nodak.

I would not FF him even if he needs it( very rarely do GSPs need it I haven't FF one of mine in 35 years) until next year. Just do some simple retrieves just one or two each session hes not going to want to do a million of them like a lab will. Keep it a play game for now.

Thats it until next summer then I would whoa break him gently and teach him to honor.

Birds birds birds, a lot of birds so take him out and let him develop his pointing skills. If you dont have wild birds use pigeons not quail on a dog that age, he will catch quail.

Tie a 20 foot peice of string to akids clean sock put the sock over the pigeons head seed a field with pigeons. work him up on a CC and when he establishes a point have your buddy hold him while you walk ahead and pull the string the sock will come off the pigeon and it will fly, lot cheaper that a bunch of launchers and you can just wind the string around apiece of cardboard and stick it in your pocket then move to the next bird in the field.

If you have access to wil phez I would just let him work those after the chicks of this year are flying strong.

A shorthair needs a lot less training than a retriever, pointers hunt independent of the hunter, they learn what they need to hunting. Good OB come sit heel and bird exposure is all they really need.

Try to hunt him with just one gun until hes really connected birds falling and gunfire.

Is the owner going to use a ecollar on him?


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## hunter9494 (Jan 21, 2007)

no matter what you do, you need to let the dog learn how to handle wild birds in his first season. he will make lots of mistakes, he will bust birds and run through them, but he will learn from this and learn not to crowd wild birds and point and be steady.

do not hunt him with a lot of people or other dogs. too many shots by a group of guys on the first day out can ruin him, even if he has been introduced to gunfire previously. keep it simple, take him out with no more than 2 hunters and be prepared to let him learn how to handle his birds.

don't over handle him, he should be checking in and watching you occasionally. i have never needed to teach a dog to move left or right on command with a whistle ( i use hand signals, teaching this is fine, just don't overdo it or he will be looking to you for direction instead of hunting), at least not a pointing breed. as soon as you do that you are 2nd guessing his intent and nose and directing him to where you THINK the birds are.....let the dog hunt, he will learn where the birds are most likely to be, but yes, he must come when called and a whistle is fine for that.


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

> Is the owner going to use a ecollar on him?





> I know he will need to be introed to birds and CC


I took it with this statement he meant Collar Condition him.

Definitely teach him the whistle to come because he should be out far enough that he won't hear you yell and there is nothing more annoying than an owner yelling at his dog all day.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I took CC to mean check cord but that just shows my age :lol:

Hes right dont overhandle, but teach it so you can if necessary sometimes its useful, especially near roads

My dogs typically range out to 500 plus yards so the whistle is important for me


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## kgpcr (Sep 2, 2006)

Right now train one thing. basic obedience and desire. teach the dog to love to hunt!!! if its not your dog will not enjoy it and you will have a dud! BIRDS must be fun. My lab was out with me shooting pheasants at 4.5 months old. I made sure she loved it. I created a machine. she now loves to hunt and at 6 months old did so well in ND my buddies put up thier dogs to hunt over mine. When she was young her retrieving desire just was not there. I made it fun for her and now she is a machine and if i hit her in the head with a 2x4 she would not care as long as she got to retrieve. TRAIN DESIRE WHEN THEY YOUNG. you cant let them be wild but do not sweat the small stuff!


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## wirehairman (Oct 31, 2005)

I am assuming this will be the dog's first hunting season. If so, remind your friend it is a long term investment and the first season is about the dog, not the birds.

Let the pup develop his hunting and pointing instincts naturally. At first, the pup will likely tear out every bird and hightail it after them. Encourage him and enjoy the show. They're only a pup once.

At this stage, I just want a pup to learn (1) that they love birds above all else and (2) that they can't catch them. Slowly, you should see the pup chasing the birds less and beginning to pause before ripping them out.

When he finally does truly point a bird, do your best to quickly flush the bird and shoot it with one shot. (It may not be popular, but this is the one and only case where I will shoot a hen pheasant.) This is where the light bulb goes on in the dog's head, and they realize, "Heh, I point it, he shoots it, and I finally get the bird!"

After that, sit back and be amazed at how effective a good pointing dog can be when given some slack to develop naturally.


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## kgpcr (Sep 2, 2006)

wirehairman said:


> I am assuming this will be the dog's first hunting season. If so, remind your friend it is a long term investment and the first season is about the dog, not the birds.
> 
> Let the pup develop his hunting and pointing instincts naturally. At first, the pup will likely tear out every bird and hightail it after them. Encourage him and enjoy the show. They're only a pup once.
> 
> ...


*Wise words. The first year is aobut the dog. You want them to love to hunt and love to find birds. Truer words were never spoken. For every dog was was not pushed enough i will show you 50 that were pushed to hard when they were young! Take your time and you will have a lifelong friend and a great dog!*


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