The Trials and Tribulations of Chukar (a Brittany)

[TEX-X]

finished.... ready to field trial

[jetjockey]

10 Key....   Everything TEX X said is pretty much right on.  Well, all except the part about Brits lack of ability.  I still can't figure out why the GSP in this picture was so good at backing, but so bad at finding birds.  My 1.5 year old puppy smoked the 4 year old GSP....  All day long.

A broke dog is a dog that is steady.  If you watch the second video, my dog doesn't move after the flush, or the shot.  My dog is fully broke and won't move until I walk up and release hear by tapping her on the head.  The other dog is supposed to be fully broke, but he isn't.  He is broke to wing, because he broke after the bird when the gun was fired.  You may hear different people describe different levels of "broke", but a dog will be broke to wing, broke to shot, or fully broke and won't move until released.  Its just a level of how "steady" the dog is.  You will also hear people refer to dogs being broke to flush.  What that means is the dog will stop and watch a bird fly away if it accidently flushes one.  Again, a true broke dog will not move until after its released if it accidently flushes a bird.  It all depends on what you want from a dog.  Field trail guys have to have a dog that is fully broke.  But for a hunting dog a dog that is broke to the shot is just fine IMO.

TEX.  I grew up in Maple Valley and went to college at CWU.  But I live in Georgia south of Atlanta due to my job and wife.  However, I get back home a lot to hunt and fish.   The south is pretty much the heart of bird dog country.  Its pretty crazy how many trials, quail plantations, and hunting dogs there are down her.  Id still move home in a second though.

[jetjockey]

BTW TEX.....  Heres a picture you should appreciate..........  Yep, shes about as hard core as they come.  Shes still mad that McCoy went down.....  First one is of "her" dog on the couch, and the second one is on a horse at a field trial just outside Nashville this fall.  Yep, "her" dog won....   Looks like Im gonna have to get another dog.  Hookem Horns!!!

[TEX-X]

i'm still irritated that Mccoy got hurt     southern women are the best...... UNTIL YOU CROSS THEM    i'm sure you know that....  I figured by your name you'd be up here on the base....  i'll be moving back down south within the next few months... ready to get back down there and get back to seriously chasing quail

[Machias]

Is that a horse or a mule?

[10Key]

Thanks, your explanations of broke make sense...

So in other words, broke means that the dog is fully obedient/subservient and pretty much "asks" before acting?

[Machias]

Thanks, your explanations of broke make sense...

So in other words, broke means that the dog is fully obedient/subservient and pretty much "asks" before acting?

10Key I have an observation, could be wrong but this is the sense I get from your post.  You want a dog that acts like a robot.  Only does anything when you tell him and not before and he needs to do it correctly every time.  Your basically trying to make this pup be a push button robot.  Do yourself a favor and check this book out at the library, "How To Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves" by Joan Bailey.   A broke dog is nothing like you described above.  You will kill any Independence the dog has.  You want the dog to have some Independence, to hunt for you for sure, but he has to be able to go out and find birds for you.  Check this book out.  You won't regret it.  Then keep in mind your pup is the equivalent of a toddler and your already trying to teach him to drive the car.  Good luck with your pup and keep it fun.

[Rowdy]

Thanks, your explanations of broke make sense...

So in other words, broke means that the dog is fully obedient/subservient and pretty much "asks" before acting?

10Key I have an observation, could be wrong but this is the sense I get from your post.  You want a dog that acts like a robot.  Only does anything when you tell him and not before and he needs to do it correctly every time.  Your basically trying to make this pup be a push button robot.  Do yourself a favor and check this book out at the library, "How To Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves" by Joan Bailey.   A broke dog is nothing like you described above.  You will kill any Independence the dog has.  You want the dog to have some Independence, to hunt for you for sure, but he has to be able to go out and find birds for you.  Check this book out.  You won't regret it.  Then keep in mind your pup is the equivalent of a toddler and your already trying to teach him to drive the car.  Good luck with your pup and keep it fun.

 

I'm not going to tell you how to train your dog but I absolutely agree with the others who said to slow down.  I followed the Joan Bailey book for my pup's first year and I will do it again.  It's a very easy read.  Pointing dogs need some independence, you want them to seek game and point it for you and it's hard to do that if they're right next to you waiting for a command.  Enjoy the pup, be patient and have fun. 

All I was worried about the first few months was house training, kennel (command), and exploring (taking him to many places so he could chase butterflies, meet people and dogs, go in the water if he wanted, and just be a puppy).

Sounds like you're having fun and that is good.  Enjoy, pointing dogs are a blast.

Jake

[10Key]

Thanks all for the advice, I appreciate it.

I will slow it down some (I already have) and look into the Joan Bailey book.

I'll keep the posts going.

[jetjockey]

10key

Being broke refers to how the dog handles the birds once they are found.  It has nothing to do with how the dog hunts for the birds.  A lot of guys (including myself) want big running pointing dogs that range out 200+ yards when hunting.  A big running dog will almost always find more birds then a close working dog simply because they cover so much ground.  A dog MUST handle the birds well when they are that far infront of you, otherwise you will never get a shot at one.  If a dog points a bird out of gun range, the bird decides to flush, and the dog chases, you will never get a shot.  Same thing goes for a dog that accidently flushes a bird it didn't smell.  A broke dog will wait for you to get there before being released to either relocate to find the bird again, or retrieve the bird you just shot.
 A broke dog might not always do what you want them to do.  They have good days and bad days just like everyone.  But they will handle their birds very well and will wait for you to release them before they chase, retrieve, or start hunting again.   Heres an example for you of why you want a dog that is at least broke to the shot.  I was hunting quail 2 weeks ago down here in Georgia.  I saw on the GPS that my pup was on point 150 yards away. As I walked over the ridge I watched a bird flush about 10 yards infront of her.  She didn't budge.  I walked down to her and as I got close, 3 more birds flushed between 5 and 10 yards infront of her...   Killed 2 of them and she still didn't move.  If she had broke on the first flush she would have spooked the other 3 birds and I would have never got a shot.   Hopefully that makes sense.  Let us know how training goes.

[10Key]

Being broke refers to how the dog handles the birds once they are found.  It has nothing to do with how the dog hunts for the birds.  A lot of guys (including myself) want big running pointing dogs that range out 200+ yards when hunting.  A big running dog will almost always find more birds then a close working dog simply because they cover so much ground.  A dog MUST handle the birds well when they are that far infront of you, otherwise you will never get a shot at one.  If a dog points a bird out of gun range, the bird decides to flush, and the dog chases, you will never get a shot.  Same thing goes for a dog that accidently flushes a bird it didn't smell.  A broke dog will wait for you to get there before being released to either relocate to find the bird again, or retrieve the bird you just shot.
 A broke dog might not always do what you want them to do.  They have good days and bad days just like everyone.  But they will handle their birds very well and will wait for you to release them before they chase, retrieve, or start hunting again.   Heres an example for you of why you want a dog that is at least broke to the shot.  I was hunting quail 2 weeks ago down here in Georgia.  I saw on the GPS that my pup was on point 150 yards away. As I walked over the ridge I watched a bird flush about 10 yards infront of her.  She didn't budge.  I walked down to her and as I got close, 3 more birds flushed between 5 and 10 yards infront of her...   Killed 2 of them and she still didn't move.  If she had broke on the first flush she would have spooked the other 3 birds and I would have never got a shot.   Hopefully that makes sense.  Let us know how training goes.

That makes perfect sense to me...thanks for the clarification.

[10Key]

January 10th:

We worked on some check-cord assisted fetching...He did okay, but not nearly as well as the first time we attempted it.

It was a great day weather-wise, so I decided to take Chukar on a walk at Log-Boom Park. He was able to meet a couple of dogs and people and experience dock-walking for the first time. I had a rod in the car, but I decided it was best to give Chukar my 100% attention, so I left it behind. He is doing really well on a leash...of course he still wants to chase down any human and or dog that comes by, but he is figuring our pace and such.

[10Key]

January 11th/12th

On the 11th, we were outside for a bit, no formal training. He has made a noticable transition when we are outside. When he roams to explore, he is always looking/listening for me. When I see him in the zone, I go and hide from him. It doesn't take long for him to make contact and go back to his thing. the first several weeks outside, this did not happen.

On the 12th, we stayed inside after work and didn't do much, but I have to tell this one. I came through the front door and released Chuk from his pen and as per usual, he was going hog-wild. This went on for a bit, then he started to get into "devil-dog" mode. For those of you that don't know, this is when Chukar has one thing and one thing only on his mind, biting, biting everything in sight! I leaned over to give him a down sign/tap and he jumped up and grabbed onto my lip. It all happened so fast, it felt like my lower lip had been split in two, I could taste blood immediately. After grabbing my mouth and mumbling, "Mother-Chukar" under my breath, I went to the bathroom mirror to see the horror. It turns out that it was a surface tear of the lip, but it sure bleed like a stuck pig. I am a wussy when it comes to blood, so I was fearing the worst. After a few minutes the lip quit bleeding and Chukar came over to console me...no more leaning over to Chukar when devil-dog is out.

[10Key]

January 16th:

We worked on fetch in the yard without a check-cord...See the pics and video below.

Chukar doing an awesome job, "SIT!"



Chukar hallin' tail after a "come" command


Chukar catching some air before I toss the ball


Here's a video clip of us playing "fetch"

[TEX-X]

you're doing a great job by keeping it simple, fun, and not pressuring him to be perfect... keep up the good work!