Training Brittany to point

[Cruiser]

Does anyone have tips on how to train a young Brittany to point? He is 8 months and I have taken him out a few times. He gets really excited and loves to go out and is not gun shy at all, however he tends to just chase birds when he gets on a scent without pointing or holding. My other Brittany passed on a couple years ago, but was an incredible natural hunter that pointed and would hold on a bird, and he had no formal training just experience.   Thanks for any information.  I figure if he does not improve I will have to get some professional training.

[wildweeds]

He's a baby be patient.......,my reccomendation for those with no patience is a pointer,and by pointer I do not mean a  setter of any color,wirehair,german shorthair,weimeraner,vizlsa,Braque du burbonais,epanguel breton,spinone or a POINTING LABRADOR.

[Happy Gilmore]

He's a baby be patient.......,my reccomendation for those with no patience is a pointer,and by pointer I do not mean a  setter of any color,wirehair,german shorthair,weimeraner,vizlsa,Braque du burbonais,epanguel breton,spinone or a POINTING LABRADOR.

start training the Pointing Labs earlier though...lol 

[JODakota]

Does anyone have tips on how to train a young Brittany to point? He is 8 months and I have taken him out a few times. He gets really excited and loves to go out and is not gun shy at all, however he tends to just chase birds when he gets on a scent without pointing or holding. My other Brittany passed on a couple years ago, but was an incredible natural hunter that pointed and would hold on a bird, and he had no formal training just experience.   Thanks for any information.  I figure if he does not improve I will have to get some professional training.

Taking him out a few time by the time he is 8 months old isn't going to cut it. My Britt is 8 months old as well and he gets out a few times a week will still occasionally flush a bird. Its his first year, per him have fun and build up that prey drive. Don't expect a lot out of him yet.

[Happy Gilmore]

An 8 month old pup needs to be on a steady diet of birds. Minimum 10 a month. Regardless of breed. They need to remember the bird is in the field every time you have an outing. Pups are lackluster when the dog itself has no expectation of what will happen when it goes afield.

A pups expectation is what makes the difference between a good and bad dog. The pups owner has the job of building a picture in the pups mind of what the expectation should look like. This is true for any hunting dog to the highest level trial dog.

[jetjockey]

You don't train a dog to point, you bring the instinct to point  out in it.  The easiest way is to put the dog on wild birds that will flush every time the dog tries to bust them.  One of the worst things you can do is use lousy birds and teach he dog they can catch them.  If you don't have wild birds, a launcher is your best bet.  When the dog smells the birds and tries to bust them, launch the birds.  Won't take too many times before you have a solid point.  Brits are pretty easy to train, and this is one of those things the dog will train itself on if you get it into birds.

[AspenBud]

He's a baby be patient.......,my reccomendation for those with no patience is a pointer,and by pointer I do not mean a  setter of any color,wirehair,german shorthair,weimeraner,vizlsa,Braque du burbonais,epanguel breton,spinone or a POINTING LABRADOR.

Yep.  (an acquaintance’s dog)

Rock Scent Pointing a Pigeon at 15 Weeks

[AspenBud]

You don't train a dog to point, you bring the instinct to point  out in it.  The easiest way is to put the dog on wild birds that will flush every time the dog tries to bust them.  One of the worst things you can do is use lousy birds and teach he dog they can catch them.  If you don't have wild birds, a launcher is your best bet.  When the dog smells the birds and tries to bust them, launch the birds.  Won't take too many times before you have a solid point.  Brits are pretty easy to train, and this is one of those things the dog will train itself on if you get it into birds.

 

I'm not disagreeing with any of this. I will say however that some dogs figure the game out faster than others. I have one who would point birds in launchers or planted birds all day long. But once we started going after the real thing it took him a while to catch on. Wild birds run, wild birds don't exist in primo scenting conditions, and wild birds are more apt to flush. It used to drive me nuts watching one of my Pointers stop in the middle of some cover, see his head whip back and forth with a wild look in his eyes, take two steps foward and see a woodcock (we were in the Midwest) fly up behind him with him none the wiser. Or worse watch him blow right by a bird only to have me bump it while following him. Then one day something magical happened, we were out in a light snow in late March, the woodies were flying north again, and the dog stopped in the middle of a nasty tangle of plant matter and started pointing them. The dog pointed his first brood of grouse that Fall and we never looked back.

Wish I could say the same for my shooting.

Keep getting the dog out. If the dog has any natural point it will start to come out, the dog just needs to learn from its mistakes. Worry when they turn two.

[Birddogman]

Looks like the pointer scented it about 10 steps back......if you pressure the bird you encourage the bust!

Part of teaching a dog is "knowing" your dogs tells.  That's why I agree with wildweeds, take time to get to know your pup, make the training a game.  10 birds/month, or only wild birds....no one recipe fits every dog.  Seek a good trainer who will train you and the dog. 

[Happy Gilmore]

Looks like the pointer scented it about 10 steps back......if you pressure the bird you encourage the bust!

Part of teaching a dog is "knowing" your dogs tells.  That's why I agree with wildweeds, take time to get to know your pup, make the training a game.  10 birds/month, or only wild birds....no one recipe fits every dog.  Seek a good trainer who will train you and the dog.

I don't know any trainer who would recommend no birds for a dog unless it had another serious issue.

[beagledog]

The pup will figure it out.
What you need to do is watch and learn your dog and the way it will hunt
My grandpa always said you don't teach the dog to hunt it will teach you

Every dog is different so don't try and compare it to someonelses dog. Teach it what you want it to do for commands and learn to hunt together as a team and you will have fun doing it

[Heredoggydoggy]

Maybe he's pointing at the start, and you don't recognize it?  My buddy had a couple of Brittanys, and although they are good bird dogs, they aren't flashy pointers.

[wildweeds]

Maybe he's pointing at the start, and you don't recognize it?  My buddy had a couple of Brittanys, and although they are good bird dogs, they aren't flashy pointers.

[JODakota]

Maybe he's pointing at the start, and you don't recognize it?  My buddy had a couple of Brittanys, and although they are good bird dogs, they aren't flashy pointers.

Hilarious statement

[Birddogman]

Maybe he's pointing at the start, and you don't recognize it?  My buddy had a couple of Brittanys, and although they are good bird dogs, they aren't flashy pointers.

HA!  Good one. 

[Don Fischer]

You don't train a dog to point, you bring the instinct to point  out in it.  The easiest way is to put the dog on wild birds that will flush every time the dog tries to bust them.  One of the worst things you can do is use lousy birds and teach he dog they can catch them.  If you don't have wild birds, a launcher is your best bet.  When the dog smells the birds and tries to bust them, launch the birds.  Won't take too many times before you have a solid point.  Brits are pretty easy to train, and this is one of those things the dog will train itself on if you get it into birds.

 

I'm not disagreeing with any of this. I will say however that some dogs figure the game out faster than others. I have one who would point birds in launchers or planted birds all day long. But once we started going after the real thing it took him a while to catch on. Wild birds run, wild birds don't exist in primo scenting conditions, and wild birds are more apt to flush. It used to drive me nuts watching one of my Pointers stop in the middle of some cover, see his head whip back and forth with a wild look in his eyes, take two steps foward and see a woodcock (we were in the Midwest) fly up behind him with him none the wiser. Or worse watch him blow right by a bird only to have me bump it while following him. Then one day something magical happened, we were out in a light snow in late March, the woodies were flying north again, and the dog stopped in the middle of a nasty tangle of plant matter and started pointing them. The dog pointed his first brood of grouse that Fall and we never looked back.

Wish I could say the same for my shooting.

Keep getting the dog out. If the dog has any natural point it will start to come out, the dog just needs to learn from its mistakes. Worry when they turn two.

yep, just because your dog is trained does not mean it will point wild birds. But, give it a bit and it will connect the training with the wild birds. what will happen is that the wild bird is gonna change the rules a bit.

My Bodie pointed the first pigeon I ever put out for him. He also pointed the first wild birds he ever found. A friend's dog from the same bloodlines had no interest at all in birds till she was about 5 mos. Now she's a machine. Your dog will start pointing when its the right time.