Pointing Birds: Upland Bird Dog Training – Part 1
hi cat here from standing stone kennels
and today we’re going to teach your
puppy and our puppy how to point some
pigeons so today we’re gonna head to the
field with rogue we’re gonna have our
bird launcher set out I’m gonna show you
at the beginning of this how we go ahead
and set one how I’m gonna hide it in the
grass a couple things to keep in mind is
your wind direction today we don’t have
a lot of wind but we still do have a
wind direction so we’re gonna want to
keep that in mind when we’re working
rogue into those birds another thing to
keep in mind is where you’re putting
your launcher you want to make sure that
you know exactly where that launcher is
so you can help your puppy and that your
puppy cannot accidentally work into that
launcher too closely we don’t like using
flags or ribbons or things like that to
mark where our launchers are because
we’re working with puppies they can get
pretty distracted and just zero in on
that flag run in there without using
their noses as well as down the road
they can start keying off of that visual
instead of using their nose and they
just head straight to the flag instead
of searching the field so instead of
that we use physical landmarks so I know
where certain clumps of grass are that
work really well to hide a launcher in
and then I just need to keep in mind
where those are so I’m going to show you
how we go ahead and load this launcher
it can be loaded a couple of different
ways so I’ve got my homing pigeon here
and I typically like to just fold that
pigeon in like this close that arm back
across there and there’s this rolling
bar when you push this red button it
locks into place so that’s one option
the other option is there is this little
trapdoor that you can once you’ve locked
everything into place you can take your
little homing pigeon make sure he’s all
folded up nice and tuck it in this way
you just want to make sure his tail
feathers are out of the way of that trap
door so that they don’t get caught and
ripped out because you know we want to
use these homing pigeons over and over
and over so then you just lock that
little trap door into place I’m going to
show you how it launches
so I’ll let you back up get into place
so launch is pretty quick really
responsive to our remote which is really
important for timing so I’m going to
show you how we set one out in the field
a couple of things last things I want
you to keep in mind is if your puppy and
your timing isn’t perfect and your puppy
works in on top of the launcher
accidentally don’t launch that pull your
puppy out go to the next launcher
because if you launch this right in
their face you could startle them or
they could have a negative association
with the launchers and the birds and
that’s something we don’t want so being
very attentive to where your launchers
are at so that you can help your puppy
work downwind and at a crosswind will be
really important so we’ll go set this
out here so I’m going to set my first
launcher fairly close to where we’re
gonna start we’re gonna go back up there
to start for a couple of reasons one I
want Rogue to get on a bird fairly
quickly so she’s encouraged by being out
here and searching what we’re looking
for as well I know exactly where it’s at
and we don’t have a ton of wind so I’m
gonna wanna bring rope in come down this
direction and then swing her in across
that scent come this way I don’t want to
bring her in this way where she gets to
work into that scent all the way up to
that launcher because first of all I’m
not going to know exactly when she
catches scent of that bird and second of
all we can teach a creeping behavior
well they worked in work and working in
the right on top of the bird instead if
we have a crosswind she’s gonna work at
across as soon as she touches scent
she’s gonna turn that’s gonna be my
indication that she’s got scent and boom
I’m gonna launch that bird
so that she can associate that smell
with the bird as well as she’ll sink hey
I might have over-pressured that bird
even though she didn’t I want her to
think that so that she’s gonna be more
cautious on her next bird but I’m gonna
immediately launch that on the first
bird on the next bird I’m just going to
have to see how she’s reacting to this
first bird before I know am I gonna have
to boom launch it again when I work on a
crosswind where am I going to be able to
hold that launch a couple of seconds and
that’s all gonna depend on your puppy
it’s all gonna depend on what rogue does
today I’m not gonna be able to explain
as much when we’re in the field that’s
gonna just kind of be a watching process
then at the end I can explain what
happened on each of those birds because
like I said timing is really important
paying attention to where my launchers
are and where rogues at is really
important as well so let’s head back up
and hit the field that’s why again I
said it’ll be nice to get her on a bird
fairly quickly so she understands we’re
out here to hunt we’re out here to find
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I’m gonna hold that that lunch because
she went melt that bird and then bounce
right in she was ready to take that bird
out so we don’t want to give it the
opportunity to get right on top of that
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and we’re gonna take care of some more
business all around here in the field
you’re just gonna stop let her finish
that and then good thing doc sunshine
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so on that one
she kind of got behind me when she
caught Sun of it and then I popped that
bird but she was far enough away from
That Bird that she got to see it and
chase so she’s gonna put a little bit
more association between that now and a
bird because she didn’t feed the bird
won’t build the launcher this pumpkin on
top of the launcher so now she has a
better understanding of hey I used my
nose I found this bird if she does it
that’s fine
another thing that we can do is come
back to like our second launcher and
sometimes having that launcher in the
exact same place and working that same
situation will allow them to
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come on come on using again it again you
were able to see that’s great
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so as you saw in the first bird she was
really close to the launcher and then
she basically take it out as I was
launching and because she was so close
she didn’t see that bird hop or fly
again nothing we could do differently in
that situation other than hopefully have
her catch scent of that second launcher
a little bit farther away her nose and
that there was a bird there then on that
second bird she was a little bit farther
away which was good and she was able to
see that bird when it was launched and
she was able to chase so we’re making
that association then we come back on
the third bird you see a little more
slowing up a little more hesitation
where she’s not just
full out trying to take it out and we
launched that then we were able to come
back into that same launcher with that
same location with another bird and you
could see a little more hesitation on
that fourth bird that she had so that’s
just something that we’re gonna keep
building on it’s not like we need to see
her pointing Birds her first session
yeah that’d be great that would be
awesome but it’s not something that
typically happens with every puppy
so her next session we’re gonna
hopefully be able to see a little more
hesitation a little more pause again if
we have to go back to the same launcher
again in her next session that’s
something that we can do then once we
see a lot of confidence which we’re
seeing now she’s not startled by the
launcher she’s having fun chasing we can
introduce gunfire as well on the flesh
of those birds just to continue showing
hey these birds are gonna be shot and
we’re just conditioning more gunfire as
well as more bird exposure so let us
know if you guys have any other
questions and check back in with Rob’s
next live video training session
