Some people call them naturals. I have a friend who is running a 10 month old pup in an open NSTRA trial this weekend. We'll take them through some socialization which includes the basic commands,but most have to grow up, or go to a professional trainer.

Ever had one?

one and he was much better at 3 than at one and died at 4

Joe, my first pointer at 14 years old. He taught me so much about quail hunting. You may laugh but you could turn him loose and sit at the truck. He'd go find the birds and come get you. He'd then crawl back to them and stand up on point. My Dad sold him to a preacher when I left home after high school. That preacher told me about how he made a bet with a couple guys in his church about Joe doing that. The bet was if he did it they had to put $10 extra in the plate on Sunday. Sure enough Joe did it. That preacher came by my work one day and brought me a pup that looked just like Joe. It was his son. The preacher knew I was mad at my Dad for selling my dog. Anyway this dog at 6 months old was looking like he was going to be even better than Joe. My wife at the time was going to shoot a hawk over the chicken pen one day and stuck that shotgun out the back door real quiet and shot. The pup was asleep on the porch and she cause him to be gunshy. Never could get him over it. Looked like a million bucks until the 1st shot was fired. Then he would be back at the truck. He was a good pet until he died. I did divorce her but not for that.

I have a 4 year old female setter that at 9 months started pointing on her own. She bumped her first two birds and to this day has never bumped another. The first bird I ever killed for her she retrieved back to hand. We had never worked on retrieving prior. A complete natural. All my hunting buddies get all giddy when it comes her turn to run because they know every time down, she creates a ton of excitement. She is a bird finding machine and I am talking wild birds.

Show us a pic of that setter NorthTXbirdhunter!!

20150123_090424-1 by elcasador, on Flickr
My uncle got me this black gsp, Shadow, for my 11 or 12th birthday. He was the runt of the litter and his boss gave it to him for me. I never trained him, just took him dove hunting and he was a natural retriever. I don't recall him ever loosing a bird.
When I was about 13 I was dove hunting the second split with my older cousin north of Alvord. We walked through a dried creek and walked a bit and noticed Shadow was not with us. I called and he didn't come so we back tracked a bit and there he was. My cousin asked me, does your dog point? I said, I've never taught him. My cousin replied, we better see what he's pointing at. I'll never forget that first point! We walked to the point and sure enough flushed a covey of about 20+ birds. My cousin and I had a blast that day!
I have not had another dog like Shadow till I brought home a pup a little over a month ago. He's not gonna be as lean as Shadow, but he's worthy of the name in my eyes. Meet Shadow II.

20150215_131143 by elcasador, on Flickr

had "1", he was the runt of the litter and so timid the breeder have him to me. he won the Verdigris field trial in Coffeeville Ks. in 1970..105 dog field. during the week in hunting season, I would hunt by my self, hunting hedge rows in S.W.MO. after twice the birds getting up on opposite side of the row, he figured out to go to the end of the row and work back to me.

Bleu (French Brittany) was all natural (point, back & retrieve) for his first three years, then decided at four he didn't want to back anymore for some reason, just a couple of sessions with Daisy, some pigeons and remote launchers helped me get him back to where he needed to be.

You fellows have certainly been lucky!
Out of all the birddogs I have had, I can't point to one that didn't need a little bringing along. Heck, most of 'em probably never got polished to what they could have been.

Duckedup I sent you a photo of her a couple of years ago. Please check the archives. I can't send photo at the moment.

This is from a hunt in Kent County just this past February.

Beautiful dog NorthTXbirdhunter! Of course, I'm partial to the shags!

My Jenny had only some very rudimentary "fetch and retrieve" training as a pup from the rankest of amateurs (me). But she is a natural. She learned in the field-and it didn't take long. When she pointed her first woodcock and I shot it, the light came on and that was basically that. She works close, covers ground well/thoroughly, locks on her points, is not gunshy, and finds/retrieves like a champ.

To say I am pleased with her would be a gross understatement.

Here she is doing her thing.

The 10 month old pup had 3 clean finds, with 3 retrieves, and a back in the trial Sunday. That put the little sucker in the top third of the field while competing against several champions.

Duckedup,
Upon review and verification of the past owner/breeder, your female and this female of mine have the same dam, but different sires.

NorthTXbirdhunter, it's a small world! Who's the sire of your dog?

MR Outrageous

Very nice! Heavy Sunrise breeding!!

I think it would be a predominate Grouse Ridge Reroy breeding top and bottom.

Hmm... I must have looked up the wrong pedigree for M.R. Outrage