Encouraging A Dog To Look Up?

[Jax13 251]

One of rews pups so she'll be about 20 months I think.

 

She was never going to be a lamping dog but may do the odd night if I fancy a change. I shoot a lot as well so tend to use the rifle in the dark and the animals in the daylight.

 

primarily she was for working over the ferrets and she marked up and worked the nets really well but I was hoping to get her on the end of a couple of bunnies a week through the summer to get her more clued up and onto a few more runs than she will get working around the nets (so that I can ultimately rely less on nets when ferreting certain locations)

[bird 9,594]

Bit of a fine line

 

Pssttt ing dogs onto game tends to lead to over excitement , heads rotating , frantic rushing on etc

 

Personally I'd let the dog figure it out, they aren't daft but a guidance from a slip lead may help for the early stages

Spot on , ive read this post few times lol, so this what i think from what my dogs do in the day, norm if any game in cover/ brambles my 2 dogs will deff give a mark, norm my big lurcher dog yeh lol , goes in the to the cover or tries to get, and what ever bolts , be it a rabbit,fox , bird , and my other lurcher will try to catch what ever came out. Now on open ground or say if a rabbit was 30ft from a hedgerow , norm my dog will pick up the sent of the rabbit and give chase when it gets up,but i can get them to walk by me , and as i approach the rabbit , they deff catch it even if just one dog , because what ever way the rabbit wanted to run, they be right on top of it easy. . mind you few times ive walked a field , and a big rabbit sitting tight , and my big dog ran right past it like a rocket , when he seen or picked the sent of something bigger by a wood , you can't win lol

[terryd 8,045]

Bit of a fine line

 

Pssttt ing dogs onto game tends to lead to over excitement , heads rotating , frantic rushing on etc

 

Personally I'd let the dog figure it out, they aren't daft but a guidance from a slip lead may help for the early stages

 

Yes I can confirm this happens having watched my dog do a kangaroo impression at warp speed heading across the field. Bit like putting a dog in a wait then releasing they/mine tended to zoom off until I made it a mundane experience.

Bit like the fella training the deer dogs. He spent a year teaching it a solid wait and stop on the shot. Then when he shot the first deer and the dog stopped he did not release it just waited for ages then the dog slowly released its self and edged in to dead deer calmly where as if he released it the dog would have dashed in. Made perfect sense and let the dog work things out for its self. Endless learning curve this dog lark for this owner anyway