I have seen it said several times "I can make a dog hunt closer, but it's hard to make one range farther". Please tell me how you keep a dog in closer? One of my 10 mo old pups has started ranging farther than I like.

More birds. Collar condition.

Please elaborate about the collar conditioning. Constantly correcting the dogs becomes tiring. I guess that's why ranches have "handlers". Would you say that if you want a dog to hunt closer without constantly correcting it, that you just have to get one that's bred that way?

Put a GPS on the dog and welcome the range. Only downside is you will have to clean more birds

You answered your own question. Most were born that way.

Let them roll. You can hack them back in closer but I always liked one that would get out there.

I have one that ranges a little further than I would like. I use to call him or whistle at him when I wanted him to turn, but I noticed my other dog would turn or come to me and it was screwing her up. I trained him to turn to the lowest setting tap on his collar. Now I can hunt quietly and keep control of him. If I let him go, he will get out to his natural distance.

How far are we talking Pharmvet? Just out of curiosity.

500 yds sometimes

The pup needs a lot of yard work first. It has to learn its name and whoa first. Collar condition and shooting perfectly pointed birds and a bunch of them is the only way to pull her in. Then there is the checkcord but that is a lesson for another day.

If he's cking back in with you let him roll.

By letting them roll, I think you are setting up further problems like self-hunting, not coursing, and intentionally bumping birds. The pup will not be in tune with you and I promise you that pups would rather see birds in the air, than point them. I would rather work forward than backwards with training meaning getting the pup somewhat steady and listening to me before letting him roll. With as bad as the birds were running this year, a green pup would have come unwound. That sets your training back to almost zero with a pup this old at 11mo.

That's why I stated if he's checking in with you. Meaning if he's hunting with you and not on his own.

I've spent the last two seasons reining my GSP in - the only time he hunts close is when he's tired or his pads are sore. Other than that he wants to range way out (500+) and it appears as if he's hunting for himself not me. Plus, once he gets that far away I have a hard time controlling him when I can't see him. I usually apply pressure via the e-collar around 150 yards or whenever I feel like he's going to be out of eye-sight. I want him to pay attention to where I am not where he wants to go. This year I got to where I can run him w/out a whistle and just bump him with the collar to switch directions and look for me. He's gotten much better but the last hunt this year he was on a mission and we were hunting big draws. I finally brought him back in, grabbed his ear and let him know I was less than thrilled and he finally settled in. On the flipside, my buddy turns his loose w/GPS and we'll chase those damn dogs all over the country side. Half the time when we get to them on point the birds are long gone and they have a hard time tracking to reset. We found way more birds this year with close hunting dogs than we did with the big running dogs. The big running dogs would push the birds whereas the close hunting dogs would make the birds hold and did a really good job of tracking and getting back on singles. There were a bunch of singles that we would have walked right past w/out a dog hunting close.

Exactly! my point. Good synopsis.

I agree as well! I was hunting a dog this year that was ranging out to 500 yards. The GPS would go off and say the dog was on point. Most every time we got to the dog, the birds were long gone.

I want my dogs in 150 yards or closer (within eye sight). You find more birds and don't stay pissed off trying chase dogs all over the country.

Let him drag a split chain to slow him down. Whoa him when he gets out farther than what you want, walk up to him and start him again. I like my dogs to stay in sight depending on cover.

If your hunting in weak cover the birds are going to run whether your dog is 10 yards or 1,000 yards. I pass spots loaded with quail cause the cover isn't enough for good dog work

Makes no sense to me to force a dog how to hunt.

On dragging a split chain, you have to make sure you have a garmin on the dog. I had a wild one like that 20 years ago and it got stuck in a V of a plum thicket branch and we looked for that pup frantically for 6 hours, miracle my dad saw his nose pop up when we drove by honking at sunset or he would have been coyote bait.

I am with NorthTx, once you have a pup that is showing you the fire to run out 300 to 500 yds, then its probably time to do a little controlled retraining on here command or using the tone on your collar to turn them to try and get them hunting with you and turning when you turn etc., or their second year when they are adults might get frustrating. To run a 100 to 150 yd wide optimal side to side pattern in front of you and actually be at a pace where you can smell birds, the physics get hard if the dog is pushing out 300 or 400 yards in my opinion. As far as a foot or mule hunter, its impressive to watch if you have open country, but you are missing a lot of ground and birds. Now if you are on a horse, then then its fun to just follow the dogs and have the whole s@#% show rolling like a bat out of hell!

If short ranging dogs find more birds why do field trailers at Aames run big running dogs


2017 National Champion; Lester's Sunny Hill Jo

Why do the field trialers need a Kentucky Thoroughbred to go find that champion? You are comparing apples to oranges here. Back in the mid 90's I was able to foot hunt behind an Ames Natonal Champion. All it did was back my dogs all season. She never beat me on Bird count in the field and it wasn't even close. I have a male Setter right now that I will run against any National Champion that wants to hook it up. They will never ever out bird him and he will go run their race or come in and foot hunt with me. Whatever I ask him to do.

I suppose each type of dog has its place, but as for me, a dog that hunts fairly close (100 yds) to me is so much more pleasant to hunt that I hate to even take the big runners out of the box. I like to foot hunt and it infuriates me to have 300 yds of prime cover in front of me while I'm waiting on my dog to come back around from the latest 600 yd circle.

I am right there with you. I am at about a 250 yard limit. A smart dog will adjust to you and the cover.

I agree as well. I hunt by foot. I want my dogs with me. If the dog is out at 300 yards plus, I feel like I'm chasing the dog and missing birds.

O suppose if you hunt with an ATV or on a horse, a longer-ranging dog would be more suitable since you could catch up with him easier and faster if he points.

I hunt strictly off the UTV these days and just as when I walked I want my dogs close enough that i can get to them promptly when they point and hunting the area I think looks like it holds birds. Of course this happens only some of the time and they all get into gps country regularly but I keep them in check so the long ranger's know when it is time to turn around. I have one young Setter that I am having a hard time coming to an understanding about the range situation with and he may belong to a big runner man next season because I will not tolerate it.