Tips on training upland bird dog

[erickson3t]

I had an english setter fall in my lap over a year ago.  I got him when he was about 1 and decided to try my luck with training him for pheasants. I am brand new at this and feel as though I'm in over my head. When I got him he didnt know simple commands. Now he knows sit, stay and come (the basics) however in the fields he can care less about me.. he points and holds birds just fine which you would think would be the hard part. Currently I keep him on a 30 ft check cord tied to my belt when I'm in the field because he will literally run from me and I have lost him for half morning before.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.. I believe I might hav jacked things up introducing him to the 30ft check cord before establishing a bond when I first got him.. is this fixable?

[Fishmaker57]

Yes, you can correct this but it will take some effort. You will need to go back to the basics.....get the Gun Dog, by Richard A. Wolters. It is still the best. IMO.

[Duckhunter14]

Definitely fixable. You may want to talk to a professional trainer and get some advice on this. It sounds like some collar training may help you solve the problem. Once the dog realizes he’s hunting for you and not himself, and there are consequences for ranging too far, you may have an amazing partner on your hand if he’s holding points. Good luck! I hope it works out.

[3dvapor]

Ha, Ha very normal for a setter pup to just take off and chase tweety birds across the sage brush all day.  Personally id visit a trainer with force fetching and introduction to the electric collar.  The ecollar will reinforce your commands and make your hunt very enjoyable,  the trainer will help guide you through it.  Setters are awesome dogs.

[CackleBird98]

Agree on the electric collar, they're an absolute necessity as far as I'm concerned, have one for both my labs, it's like always having them on a leash but without the hassle

[erickson3t]

Thank you all for the advice. I do have a cheap yard trainer ecollar which I use in the field and am looking into buying a new one. I will definitely look into a trainer for us.

[joe_dumy]

Seriously read a book or two before strapping on a e colar. You can ruin that dog in a hurry. Make sure to zap your self a couple times before hitting the dog with it as well so you know how strong it is.

[erickson3t]

Will do! I rarely ever knock him and when I do it's at a 1.. mai ly using the beeps. I definitely dont want to jack things up any further.

[Bushcraft]

A handler needs to be trained on how to appropriately use an e-collar before he/she straps one on to a dog.  There is a wealth of knowledge out there and I'd invite you to learn from a variety of different approaches and see which one works for you.

It's not that hard, but it's amazing how many people screw it up and begin going down the road of ruining a perfectly good dog.

[jagermiester]

Work every single day on one thing. (Name?) Here!
When you give this command it should be 100% no matter what.
Once you have that down it sounds like you have yourself one heck of a free hunting dog. Awesome deal!
FYI you do not need a shock collar to tackle this feat. My suggestion would be introduce the collar and use when in the field otherwise be consistent and diligent and teach your dog that when you say here or come the dog has only one option. Reinforce positive and negative!

[AspenBud]

Your dog needs to learn to recall.

Work on that every day in your yard. Attach your  check cord on the dog and call the dog to you. Reward the dog for doing that right. When your dog consistently comes to you on the check cord stop holding it and keep working on the command. Once you are sure the dog will come with a check cord on or without stop using it and repeat.

Once the dog knows the command in your yard and in other areas (dogs don’t generalize well) you can overlay an e-collar on low level power. I would recommend tossing in tone or vibration before going to low level Edison.

When the dog will come back 100% of the time after that you are ready to go. You might miss this season doing that but that’s dog training.

Buy a Garmin Alpha or Pro 550 Plus or Dogtra Pathfinder. Range isn’t a bad thing if your dog is steady and those units will give peace of mind and save you time finding the dog.

Don’t be afraid to hack the dog in if you don’t like the range. Big running is not always appropriate depending on the areas you hunt in.

[Lady Grouse hunter]

JOIN A local club dude...

[Lady Grouse hunter]

YES AND ALL WHO STATED DO NOT USE AN E-COLLAR UNLESS YOU HAVE EXP. WITH IT ZAP YOURSELF FIRST. SEE COLLARCLINIC.COM

[Lady Grouse hunter]

O.K. I'M BEND NOW,,, BUT WILL GIVE YOU SOME GOOD EXPERIENCE AS I WENT THROUGH THIS WITH MY RED SETTER... Reggie was a Hard-Headed  but biddilbe dog(see what I'm saying?) He had jerked me up the gravel driveway 200 yrds long and was bleeding off a 30' check-cord...
OUCH! I did get a collar but before I EVER learned to use it,,,I'D had enough of being drug around and bossed as well and things needed change in order IF I was to keep this dog and make a good bird finder/house pet out of him!!!

SOO I had found searched & then enrolled in two found spring training classes and a clinic designed just for Pointing Dogs. Finally,,, I started to get the grip on things...His name was BOB GRIBBLE the man to teach one how to use doggie edicates... Bird dog classes called B.E.D.O.G. {Boeing Emplyee's Dog Owners Group)No need to be a member either... Google it..
So lookinto this for Classes.... I believe he still does this out in the Kent Valley. F.B. him as well.
He had taught us how to use a half-hitch on the rear end, Whoop (not whoh) and other such technics,,, & NO collars used in his young dog classes....
It was a mere $150.00 for 4 weeks, 2 times per weekfor 3 hours in-field... I had also joined a local club (GSBDA) BUT DID SEe saw how good or bad some of these folks did or did not know how to train a simple pointing dog.
Now please remember ALL dogS haVE POINTING instincts  but we need to know how to puLL AND PUT these into play and meet they're needs SOO TO control they're boysterousness as well...
PATIENCE IS A VURTUE here,,, if you don't have it,,, just re-home theSE poor misunderstood dogs as its us, not them...
I'll take him/her

[wildweeds]

Best Setter trainer around, hands down Quicksilver Kennels in Moses Lake. He has Training days throughout the year for do it yourselfers.

[salish]

Lot's of great advice here. I think chatting with a good pro trainer might help you a lot, even if it's just to ask some questions. I have an English setter I took to a trainer outside of Spokane last year and I can't begin to tell you how helpful it was. If you would like the trainer name PM me. Good luck.