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6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing #6475793 10/01/16 02:01 PM
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pharmvet Offline OP
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I'm wanting to work with my 5-6 month old pointer pups some. What things do you recommend? I'm looking for some simple, basic exercises that will benefit them when I get them on wild birds. What have you personally found to be productive and worthwhile.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6475827 10/01/16 02:30 PM
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Teach them to come when called. Take them walking and keep them to the front. That's assuming that you have already socialized them.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: bill oxner] #6475853 10/01/16 02:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
Teach them to come when called. Take them walking and keep them to the front. That's assuming that you have already socialized them.
This!


Bobby Barnett

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6475859 10/01/16 02:55 PM
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pharmvet Offline OP
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Yes, they are socialized. So far I have taken them out walking with me like you mentioned. I have shot a 22 pistol around them when we are out walking. Yesterday for the first time I tied them out for about 20 min while I washed out the kennel.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6475926 10/01/16 04:27 PM
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Play fetch


Originally Posted By: Fooshman
I'll take a Black Female every time.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6475931 10/01/16 04:32 PM
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Walking with them so that they go with you, is one of the best things you can do.
You could start whoa post training. Could start them on a training collar, but I would be careful here--it is really easy to screw up a dog with these. If you are going to train on wild birds, pass everything that is not pointed. Work on crate manners. Flick the dog on the nose or slam the crate door at them when they try to bold out of the kennel. U should be able to get them remain in the crate until release. This gets the dog to understand you are the alpha--letting a dog bolt out of the crate and begin hunting without permission is a good way to start a hunt and dog on a downhill slide.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476038 10/01/16 06:43 PM
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leave off the frigging e-collar, introduce them to noise, like above get them coming to you.


hold on Newt, we got a runaway
Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: colt45-90] #6476107 10/01/16 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: colt45
leave off the frigging e-collar, introduce them to noise, like above get them coming to you.


I concur. Too much, too soon. You can take them hunting when season starts. I've shot a lot of birds over 6 to 8 month pups.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476142 10/01/16 08:40 PM
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I would say put the shock collar on but don't use it. Get him use to wearing it and not become collar wise.


Originally Posted By: Fooshman
I'll take a Black Female every time.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476144 10/01/16 08:40 PM
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As, I said I'd be careful using a e-collar. I start dogs on the collar after they have been on the whoa post for 3-5 weeks at low or med 1 constant on a garmin 550. on their flank. The collar becomes a substitute for the check cord on the flank at the whoa post. Most people run into problems on the collar because they only use it to correct rather than communicate. They don't see any higher levels until I start to take away the chase when they have already seen a lot of birds and are staunch.
It is just a tingle (I test on myself first.) I really don't use the collar much after the dog learns to whoa other than to whoa them -- this can be often be done in the field at level 1, but it depends on the dog.
Also, the first three or four times the dog points, just flush the birds.
Then, the next couple of points have a buddy stand away from the dog and shoot.

Last edited by Mundo; 10/01/16 08:50 PM.
Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476719 10/02/16 11:36 AM
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I would start them fetching, at least a ball. You have an advantage because you have two pups.
When one does something right, pile the praise on him. The other dog will often try to get in on that by copying his mate.


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"Give me an Army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle... Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war." - General Patton


Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476752 10/02/16 12:53 PM
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Took some tips from a friend of mine that does some training and started getting them used to being tied and to give to collar pressure. Shredded a checkerboard pattern in hay meadow behind kennels to work them on birds a bit later. I really wish I had a functioning Johnny house. I have access to flight conditioned birds. Got a blank pistol, bird bag and quail harness on the way. Having lots of fun with all this.





Last edited by pharmvet; 10/02/16 12:55 PM.
Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476766 10/02/16 01:11 PM
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I built several Johnny houses. It took me just a few hours and cost under $200. I checked my first pasture and found that I had to mow double. I did figure 8s after that.

Here is a look inside of my last Johnny house.



Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476773 10/02/16 01:20 PM
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Where can I find plans for a Johnny house?

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476834 10/02/16 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted By: pharmvet
Where can I find plans for a Johnny house?


I'll post some on this thread after I do a few chores.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476839 10/02/16 02:08 PM
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Last edited by Barny Topwater; 10/02/16 02:09 PM.

There is time, and you must take it, to lay your hand on your dog's head as you walk past him lying on the floor or on his settle, time to talk with him, to remember with him, time to please him, time you can't buy back once he's gone" GBE
Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476895 10/02/16 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted By: pharmvet
Where can I find plans for a Johnny house?


Phantom Kennels
http://www.phantomkennels.com/

Last edited by Chet; 10/02/16 03:15 PM.
Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476918 10/02/16 03:14 PM
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My neighbor was an architect. He drew theses up like a blueprint. I drew them up on plain paper.






Here's the back view. I added a wire carte. It made it easy to get to the birds. There is one fault in this picture. The sides should not overlap. The front and back should be 48 inches wide where the Johnny house will fit between the wheel wells of a pickup for moving. This plan has worked for me for over 20 years. I gave this one away last year.



Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476935 10/02/16 03:30 PM
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I'm willing to build one. Do the quail return to the house to be used for multiple training sessions as we'll in reality as in theory?
What percent of the quail you release do you feel return to the house on average?

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6476943 10/02/16 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted By: pharmvet
I'm willing to build one. Do the quail return to the house to be used for multiple training sessions as we'll in reality as in theory?
What percent of the quail you release do you feel return to the house on average?


It seems as if it depends on the year. I learned to buy more roosters than hens and to work the roosters Keep them in there for a couple of weeks before you start working them. I netted some and returned them. Here's an example.

A little side note. My birds were not recalling all that well, so I used Cookie to point them while I netted them;



Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6477031 10/02/16 04:47 PM
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Lion country supply sells a plans for a good but heavy johnny house. Build it on skids so you drag it around.
Actually I find I use pigeons more--they recall better and are great for taking away chase. Dog can't run down slow fliers out of the launcher. Only problem is getting good homers started but once you do that you can use birds over and over and over again.
Chain gangs are a near must for training multiple dogs. The dogs learn to stay in place and learn by watching when not in the field.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6477039 10/02/16 04:52 PM
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Bill's plan is similar to the Lion Country house. I notice he is using a recall trap in addition to the house funnel. Often birds are easier recall to the trap than the house. I would add a door to block the funnel on the house after dark. Less predator problems.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: pharmvet] #6477057 10/02/16 05:07 PM
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Teach them what Here means and get them on some wild birds.

Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: Mundo] #6477065 10/02/16 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: Mundo
Bill's plan is similar to the Lion Country house. I notice he is using a recall trap in addition to the house funnel. Often birds are easier recall to the trap than the house. I would add a door to block the funnel on the house after dark. Less predator problems.


That is a varmint trap beside the Johnny house. Two people can and have loaded my Johnny house into the bed of a pickup truck. You have to drive slow with it standing. I know. I lost it on hwy 359 near my house once. No damage.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: 6 month old English Pointer pups. What simple things should I be doing [Re: scalebuster] #6477116 10/02/16 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted By: scalebuster
Teach them what Here means and get them on some wild birds.



Yep. Young dogs on pen raised quail is a bad combo.

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