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At What Age #5894510 08/25/15 03:24 AM
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Catch Dog Offline OP
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What is a good age to take a pup out for some wild bird training/hunting?

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894545 08/25/15 03:41 AM
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BOBO the Clown Offline
kind of a big deal
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Depends on the dog breed and the handler.

Some after 6 months, seen others not take until after 18 months.


Donate to TX Youth hunting program.... better to donate then to waste it in taxes

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gtgoh/mobile
Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894668 08/25/15 10:32 AM
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stinkbelly Offline
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Bobo is right. Smart dog breeds can go earlier. I had mine in Kansas chasing wild pheasant at 8 months old.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894722 08/25/15 11:47 AM
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bill oxner Offline
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I've seen them hunt, point, and back as young as 3 to 4 months, but they cant keep up with the older dogs at that age.


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


[Linked Image]




Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894760 08/25/15 12:15 PM
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LABIRDDOG Offline
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At 6 months. Exceptional dogs.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894780 08/25/15 12:37 PM
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scalebuster Offline
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As soon as they know what whoa and here mean. Just don't run him too long and let him have fun without much interference from you. Unless he's doing something that could hurt him.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5894810 08/25/15 12:55 PM
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bill oxner Offline
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You can take them out younger while hunting from a vehicle, and keep them in the dog box until you get into the action.

Here's Yeats pointing wild birds at 4 months old. He backed the first dog he ever saw pointing. He never had any negative reaction to the gun.



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


[Linked Image]




Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5895058 08/25/15 03:22 PM
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MS1454 Offline
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I introduced mine to birds as soon as I get them. Then as soon as hunting season starts, I take them along. It just depends on the age and that determines how long and often I hunt them.


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

Re: At What Age [Re: stinkbelly] #5895191 08/25/15 04:27 PM
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tigger Offline
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Originally Posted By: stinkbelly
Bobo is right. Smart dog breeds can go earlier. I had mine in Kansas chasing wild pheasant at 8 months old.


And still chasing


Tigger
If it isn't white it is not a birddog.

KC
Lying is lying. Don't bitch about one doing it and condone another. That's called hypocrisy.
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Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5895223 08/25/15 04:42 PM
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Jake and Daisy (far right & far left in my sig) had a few limits of blues shot over them by the time they were 5-6 months old. They were just pups and did pup things and made pup mistakes, but both turned out great. (10 yrs old this year). I introduce gun fire immediately upon getting a pup home. BB gun, Pellet gun, toy cap gun, then distant shotgun. I now have a nice starter pistol / blank gun, so that will get worked in on future pups. Fact is, if I have a pup and it's bird season, that pup is going hunting.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
Haven't had it in years but never spit any out.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
I am a sucker for happy endings and strapped cowboys.
Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5895255 08/25/15 04:53 PM
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NorthTXbirdhunter Offline
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Nothing about training pups is set in stone or should be dated i.e. gotta start them at this age or that. You have to be your own best judge as to the maturity level and willingness of the pup. Like has been stated on this forum many a time...Let a pup be a pup! You have plenty of time. The worst mistake we as hunters can make is introducing the report of a gun to a pup. All I can say is to start real light (22 crimps) and work up slowly and only shoot when a pup is in pursuit of a bird. 99% of gun shyness is man-made.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5895260 08/25/15 04:57 PM
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On the other hand a 20 gauge was shot at a distance for the red setter pup pictured above. There was no reaction so we took him hunting.


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


[Linked Image]




Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5896142 08/26/15 12:33 AM
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My American Water Spaniel went hunting for the first time at 3.5 months. I shot so the birds would fall on land or really shallow water. He would sit in the crook of my arm.

He retrieved buffleheads and teal. Not to mention my empty hulls from my 20ga.

Shot a big Can. He couldn't move it so he sat down by it and barked for me to come get the bird.

This dog is my best hunting buddy ever. teal season marks his 4th birthday. He's still teaching me stuff.

Last edited by Windrider; 08/26/15 12:35 AM.

Thought for the day: Ducks were almost hunted to extinction long before camo was invented.
Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5896246 08/26/15 01:30 AM
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beatarmy Offline
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As soon as they can run...just be sensitive to their age...my setter was born in jan and went in November the year she was born. Mostly on a check cord. I introduced her to gunfire by walking up to a skeet range from 1/4 mile away. She has never been gun shy...she runs toward gunfire now because it means birds. Richard Walters said 6 months.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5896579 08/26/15 04:18 AM
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kgbill Offline
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We had our last 2 pups out dove hunting on sept. 1 at 9 weeks old. They ran around, acted goofy, and fetched a couple of crippled dove when we held the older dogs back. It was all over but the bragging then. They tried to play catch up with the older dogs most of quail season, but they watched and learned. We kept em booted, let em out when they wanted to go, and left em in the box when they didnt. By the end of the season we had 2 more good, hard driving dogs on our hands. Just use common sense, read the pup, and take em for a walk off the leash every day you're able to. It'll work out great.

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5916617 09/07/15 04:38 PM
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What about taking a Vizsla to a trainer at 9 months old? Good idea or bad idea?

Re: At What Age [Re: Bird Bum] #5916682 09/07/15 05:23 PM
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kindall Offline
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Originally Posted By: Bird Bum
What about taking a Vizsla to a trainer at 9 months old? Good idea or bad idea?

Pick a good trainer, and its a good idea.



Shopping with your husband is like hunting with the game warden.
Experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted.


Re: At What Age [Re: kindall] #5916693 09/07/15 05:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: kindall
Originally Posted By: Bird Bum
What about taking a Vizsla to a trainer at 9 months old? Good idea or bad idea?



Pick a good trainer, and its a good idea.


Yep. You should have them back for most of quail season.


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


[Linked Image]




Re: At What Age [Re: Bird Bum] #5916777 09/07/15 06:40 PM
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Green Horn
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Thanks. Any suggestions on a trainer? Know anything about Collier outside of Decatur?

Re: At What Age [Re: Catch Dog] #5917868 09/08/15 12:45 PM
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kindall Offline
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Send Kevin (CCBIRDDOGMAN)a pm. He knows Mr Collier.

There's a couple of members who sent their vizslas to Buck, with Backyard Training Kennels.
They had good reviews on him.



Shopping with your husband is like hunting with the game warden.
Experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted.


Re: At What Age [Re: kindall] #5919454 09/09/15 04:21 AM
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Thanks Kevin

Re: At What Age [Re: Bird Bum] #5922298 09/10/15 07:25 PM
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Mundo Offline
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Originally Posted By: Bird Bum
What about taking a Vizsla to a trainer at 9 months old? Good idea or bad idea?


Use someone who has worked with Vizsla's in the past. They are notoriously soft--more negotiation than all those hard headed german breeds.

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