HIT COUNTER

Pointing Drills










Pointing= To indicate the presence or place of game by point. When a dog goes on point it will usually lock up tight to indicate to the handler that game is present. In our world of drahthaar it is the handlers job to flush the game so the hunters or self can  shoot and then dog is sent to retrieve game. In the VJP test pointing is one of the areas the dog is judged on so we like to work on this alot especially myself because this is what i will be using Hessian for most.
 To train or condition the dog to pointing the best thing to do is get the young pup accustomed to field searching and using its nose preferably where wild game is present. Sometimes this is not as easy as it sounds so we are reduced to planting birds. This is where extreme caution comes into play. Never plant birds free (without devices to keep dog from getting bird) unless you are sure that either bird will flush before dog gets to close or handler is close to and in control of dog via checkcord or something. It really slows things down if your pup catches birds, This i learned the hard way. So these are the two most common ways we train.
 First is a Bird Launcher or pop box. These come in both manual and remote versions the latter being the most expensive from 2 to 4 hundred dollars, but well worth the investment.Locate where the launcher is to be placed, do not walk straight in to the spot instead walk in from a side and after placing launcher walk out the same way and try to work dog into launcher staying away from your path in, we do not want the dog to cheat and follow your scent trail to the bird. We place the launcher near or in moderate cover so the dog cannot see it, we want the dog to use its nose not it eyes. We mark the area with colored ribbon or tape so we can work the dog into the launcher. Once the launcher is in place we put a bird into it, close it up and walk away the same way we walked in. Continue to place launchers in this same manner. Once all launchers are in place it is time to get the dog and work him slowly into the area where the launcher is placed using the wind to your advantage. More than likely the dog will catch scent of the bird and lock up on point. At this point calmly praise the dog and try to get hold of dog before releasing bird. The young pup may just run in on bird or after point creep in on bird at which point you launch the bird eventually teaching the pup it can not catch birds.
  The other way we work on this is free planting birds which is most likely the same thing the judges will do at test time. This is when you want to be sure that the pup already points, you do not want the dog to get this bird. We locate an area to plant bird again do not walk straight in, walk in from a side, walk out the same way. Mark the area with tape or ribbon, clutching the bird in your hands extend arms straight out from your body and rotate your arms in a small circular motion for at least 30 seconds. Then tuck the birds head tightly under its wing, grab its legs and pull straight out for at least 10 seconds. At this point the bird should be very calm if not start over. Once the bird is dizzy, head under wing, and legs stretched out place bird in light cover so it still has a escape route. When all bird are placed it is time to get the dog and work the dog into birds always working into the wind.
 Things to remember are: Know your dog before choosing to free plant birds, Always walk in from a side where the dog can see you before flushing bird, Never walk directly in to plant bird, and do not rush let the dog soak up the point. Take pictures. By the way thanks Zac.

1 comment:

  1. That explains alot! what a huge bundle of information! you need to write a book. Training is fun there is sure alot to do. props on the web site very informative.

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