are you not worried about the wings developing the bad habit of sight pointing?
Not sure what you mean? This is my first bird dog and I'm just trying to get her used to the bird scent. If you have any recommendations please let me know.
Most Bird Dog people I know will use the wing on a string once or twice just to see what the pup will do. If the pup points it, attacks it, smells it, none of it really matters and probably doesn't tell much about how the pup will turn out. My pup never saw a wing on a string and didn't see his first pigeon until he was almost four months old. The first pigeon he saw was wing locked and my pup flash pointed then went in for the attack. This was done with a well known trainer because like you I was new to bird dogs. Since then I've attended seminars, read books, watched videos, and sent my pup to a trainer for gun breaking and birds while I went through a divorce.
There are a lot of good books out there, a lot of good trainers, and a lot of knowledgable people on this site which I'm sure would be willing to help. My advice is to be patient and let the pup be a puppy. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy him as a bird dog but only one shot at laying a good foundation. I try to get out and train with birds once a month during the off season and do lots of yard work at home, if you ever want to get together or just talk about the pups don't hesitate.
Jake
