Guys with young pups, try this.

[30338]

So you have a young pup, 8-10 weeks old or a few weeks older. Now is the time for some important imprinting on those little brains. You'll need:
Check cord, 15-20' long
Grassy area preferably uncut and shin high, or clumpy grass
Small wire cage or bird launcher(I used wire, cut it myself, zip tied it to create a basket)
Buy 3 pigeons, cheapest you can find

So you have your little skull full of mush in the kennel in the car or garage. Take a pigeon and a bird launcher, or a cage like mine with 20' string attached. Get a wind read and plan your approach before you place your pigeon. Put the pigeon in the launcher or cage. If cage, put a flat rock on it to keep pigeon from getting loose. Stretch string if using my method downwind of bird.

Go back and get pup who did't see any of that taking place. Get them on the check cord and start walking back and forth down wind of the pigeon. The first time they smell the bird, they may or may not lock up. As soon as you see them point, grab the string and wait. In about 10-15 seconds they'll jump towards the cage and you flip bird out. Pup watches bird noisily fly away and perhaps considers chasing. But at this age they are so slow they give up.

Immediately repeat same process. This time they will point for 45 seconds to a minute. Then when they move a foot or jump towards cage, off goes the pigeon. Their thinking, what the heck those things are fast.

Immediately repeat same process. This time they may go as long as two minutes. When they move towards the cage, off goes the bird again. End of lesson.

Make sure the cage is hidden and they can't see it. Change locations each time as well. If a guy can repeat this drill about 2 weeks later it helps as well.

Doing this and basic training steps, you'll be on the way to a great bird dog.

 

[TSAMP]

I think its worth noting that a launcher can be a fairly terrifying contraption to a puppy. I think you can do more harm than good with one at the age range you reference. You can dizzy a pigeon or even lock its wings and allow a pup the ability to play with the bird and create stimulus, but again a full grown pigeon might terrify an 8 week old pup. Let a pup be a pup. I really don't mean to shoot holes in your process and every dog is different. I think this exercise is better suited with a dead bird or even a wing at this Age range.

Just my opinion and it's worth exactly what you paid for it.

 

[Sheepdog]

Definitely no launchers till gun broke.

Don’t make it complicated. Let that pup have a ball with the birds. There’s plenty of time for training once that pup is nuts for them. Quail are much better than pigeons for a young dog. Their smaller and much less intimidating for them. Once that pup is hard after quail then move up. Once good with pigeons then move up to pheasant. You might get lucky and get by with making mistakes with a bold dog, mess up though and you’ll wish you slowed down and did it right. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

 

[30338]

I've done this with my last two dogs from solid hunting lines. Its all fun as the pup is on a lead, can't jump on the launcher or the cage and typically scents the bird at 5 to 10 yards. The pointing instinct is reinforced with it. The whole purpose of this is getting a pup with strong drive to understand it cannot catch the bird. So using a dead bird or something is defeating the purpose.

I've gone to great lengths to keep my dogs from ever catching birds, or playing with ones that had a wing clipped. But again just what has worked for me.

Not sure how flipping a cage over and having a pigeon fly off is in anyway causing an issue for a pup, but everyone makes their own decisions on how to train. This was just something that has worked great for me.

 

[Oregon]

Anybody know why puppies are so dang cute?

 

[30338]

Tired pups equal cuter pups.

 

[2ski]

I think this sounds like alot of pressure to put on a very young pup. I would advise not to go this route. Let the pup be a pup.

 

[jmez]

I've done this with my last two dogs from solid hunting lines. Its all fun as the pup is on a lead, can't jump on the launcher or the cage and typically scents the bird at 5 to 10 yards. The pointing instinct is reinforced with it. The whole purpose of this is getting a pup with strong drive to understand it cannot catch the bird. So using a dead bird or something is defeating the purpose.

I've gone to great lengths to keep my dogs from ever catching birds, or playing with ones that had a wing clipped. But again just what has worked for me.

Not sure how flipping a cage over and having a pigeon fly off is in anyway causing an issue for a pup, but everyone makes their own decisions on how to train. This was just something that has worked great for me.

I do similar with mine. I won't use a launcher when they are that young though. Don't want to scare them. I also always do it with 2 people, I'm on the check cord. I dizzy the bird, have my helper flush it. I let the puppies chase them until around a year old.

I also don't wait for the puppy to move or jump in on the bird before flushing. Little pointers will generally point and not start moving in until they are about 6 mos old. As soon as they want to move in or pounce on a pointed bird I stop doing this with them until I start breaking them.

I would never let a pointer catch a bird, or play with a live bird. Most of them are going to eat it. Now you've taught them that they can catch a bird on their own, and that they taste good.

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[30338]

I enjoy watching Stonnie Dennis on youtube and what he accomplishes in low stress training environments with very young dogs. Some cool ideas he shares there. I've been particularly successful with his heel training.

Sounds like a lot of folks are concerned with my suggestion for young dogs. If that is the case, certainly don't do it. Best of luck with the pups everyone.

 

[Crippledsledge64]

So out of curiosity, where in the world do you buy pigeons? My female lab is 13 weeks out and I’m thinking about introducing her to birds in a bit (people seem to have different views to what age is right)

 

[jmez]

I catch mine at local farms. Check craigslist. Talk to dome bird dog guys.

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[cuttiebrownbow]

Get quail. You will get a two great flushes before they tire out and then put your dog on a lead and find the bird for the 3rd round. This time you can typically just catch it and dispatch it for the freezer for future dog training or just eat the tasty fellas.

I plant the birds in large fields. Work my pup, keep track of where the bird lands, then circle and work it again. That helps keep my scent away from the birds for 1/2 the sessions anyways.

Pigeons would be great if I could build a loft but due to my location and proximity to areas I train at that just isn’t possible.


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[cuttiebrownbow]

Also, I would bet you don’t have much to be worried about with bird introductions. Your pup is probably around the right age for it and I like to hold a bird and let them inspect it, then remove flight feathers from one wing, then give it a toss and let your dog have at it.

My current pup, a timid fella who I am extra cautious with, was still fine at 11 weeks when I let him run down a bird like this. He didn’t care about wings to his face or anything.

Now, my guy is a pointer so I only do that once because I didn’t want to encourage bad habits but with a lab I would probably let my pup have some fun and get a handful of bird to do that with.


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