Casting a dog out

[amotley]

I've brought my dog in doing sit here heel drills that we recently started upland hunting and she insist on staying on heel instead of getting out in front is there drills to run that get them to learn to hunt

[Mark L]

Get out in an open area and just keep turning so that the dog is in front of you as you walk. She will get the idea after awhile. Also, you can plant a few birds a little upwind of where you start walking, (20 yards or so) she can pick up the scent and go towards it. Once she gets a few birds under her belt, she will do just fine.

Mark

[amotley]

Thank you Mark.

[Jennifer Henion]

I had the same problem when my first dog was young. Similar to what Mark said, I was told to find a field with some cover, keep dog in truck and plant a couple of dead birds in two different spots. Get dog out of truck and approach the first spot, tell dog "Hunt em up" in an excited voice and point out the cover trying to get him to smell up the bird. Keep saying "Hunt em up" dog smells bird and gets it.

Then resume your walk in the field "ok lets go". then when you approach second bird, repeat the "hunt em up" cue and excitedly point to the brush. "go on, get in there" finds the bird and bingo. Now you have a command/cue to tell the dog to get out in front and find some birds.

Jen

[John Robinson]

I had the same problem when my first dog was young. Similar to what Mark said, I was told to find a field with some cover, keep dog in truck and plant a couple of dead birds in two different spots. Get dog out of truck and approach the first spot, tell dog "Hunt em up" in an excited voice and point out the cover trying to get him to smell up the bird. Keep saying "Hunt em up" dog smells bird and gets it.

Then resume your walk in the field "ok lets go". then when you approach second bird, repeat the "hunt em up" cue and excitedly point to the brush. "go on, get in there" finds the bird and bingo. Now you have a command/cue to tell the dog to get out in front and find some birds.

Jen

We used to do the same thing, only we used live pigeons. We would spin them by hand to make them dizzy, then plant them in some cover and either memorize the spot or mark it with a small ribbon. Then I would quarter my dog through the field toward the planted birds with a guy and shotgun at my side. After scenting, flushing, shooting and retrieving a couple of these planted birds the dogs figure it out and learn how to quarter out in front of you.

John

[FPA Ammo]

I had the same problem when my first dog was young. Similar to what Mark said, I was told to find a field with some cover, keep dog in truck and plant a couple of dead birds in two different spots. Get dog out of truck and approach the first spot, tell dog "Hunt em up" in an excited voice and point out the cover trying to get him to smell up the bird. Keep saying "Hunt em up" dog smells bird and gets it.

Then resume your walk in the field "ok lets go". then when you approach second bird, repeat the "hunt em up" cue and excitedly point to the brush. "go on, get in there" finds the bird and bingo. Now you have a command/cue to tell the dog to get out in front and find some birds.

Jen

I did the same thing when getting my pup ready this year for pheasants. Only I was using freshly shot ducks from the weeks prior. I would make sure to get them a little damp and drag them through tall grass leaving a pretty good scent trail to all the dog to get his nose on the ground follow the trail. Obviously I made it easy at first only making the trail 30 feet and gradually went longer and harder with s curves and goofy thing like that. I would also go out at night so he had no visual and could only use his nose.

after a couple of time of using "hunt em up" he knew to look for that bird and get his nose on the ground.

2 weeks ago I had him on his first hunt and was surprisingly shocked of how well he did and so where my buddies and couldnt believe my pup just turned 10mo old

[Ray Kirkpatrick]

Find a local HRC club and join in for upland hunting training. They will have birds, gunners will walk out in front and encourage dog to quarter. They love new people with young dogs.

[Bridget Bodine]

I did the same thing when getting my pup ready this year for pheasants. Only I was using freshly shot ducks from the weeks prior. I would make sure to get them a little damp and drag them through tall grass leaving a pretty good scent trail to all the dog to get his nose on the ground follow the trail. Obviously I made it easy at first only making the trail 30 feet and gradually went longer and harder with s curves and goofy thing like that. I would also go out at night so he had no visual and could only use his nose.

after a couple of time of using "hunt em up" he knew to look for that bird and get his nose on the ground.

2 weeks ago I had him on his first hunt and was surprisingly shocked of how well he did and so where my buddies and couldnt believe my pup just turned 10mo old

That is great that your dog did well on his first hunt. I would caution you however about teaching your dog to have his nose on the ground. A good bird dog will carry his head high to be able to scent the birds from a further distance. Tracking a wounded or running birds is where the nose needs to be on the ground.

To the OP get some birds,put em out let the dog find em, then get some more birds......