Understanding Natural Ability & Trained Ability

The distinction between natural ability and trained ability is a question I often hear when presenting a seminar.  It’s a good question because each ability is distinctively different and requires different training methods.

Let’s begin with natural ability.  Natural ability is inherited.  That’s why it’s so important to check bloodlines before you buy a puppy.  You need to buy a puppy from a respected breeder who is known to breed dogs for the qualities you require in a hunting dog.  Field champions are born…not made.  Through outdoor exposure to scent, birds, etc., you can help your dog develop his natural abilities…but you can’t teach them. The number one natural ability inherited from a blood line is a nose.  You can spend thousands of dollars on professional training; however, no one can improve a dog’s nose.  I learned this very early in life.  My father and I had both English setters and beagles.  Setters for birds and beagles for rabbits.  An outstanding beagle had a nose often twice as powerful as the average beagle.  The same is true of bird dogs.  

In addition to a dog’s nose, prey drive, handling the scent (stay steady or relocate) and learning to hunt into the wind are all examples of natural ability.  None of these abilities are taught; they are allowed to develop throughout the first year.  And, they can only develop if the pup is exposed to multiple wild bird species, changing scent conditions and changing seasons.

Natural ability is the foundation for a good bird dog…so buy wisely.

So, what then do we call trained ability?  Trained ability is often a behavior that violates natural ability.  Trained ability includes remaining steady to the flush.  Natural prey drive makes a dog want to chase the bird when it flushes.  We don’t want that for a few reasons.  One is for safety of the dog.  Shooting at birds that are flying over a chasing dog results each hunting season in hundreds of dogs taking lead.   It’s sloppy and unsafe hunting.  Another reason is that a chasing dog will frequently flush another bird which will be out of sight or range for the hunter.  There are too many things that can go wrong when a dog chases on the flush.  We correct that by teaching the dog to stay steady during the flush.  That steadiness is a trained ability.

Other trained abilities are some of the obedience commands such as recall, whoa and heal.  No dog has a natural instinct to perform any of these commands.  Compliance with these commands is taught.

There are two abilities which are border line between natural and trained.  The first is the honor , which is backing another dog’s point.  This is a much debated subject.  Some breeders claim that their bloodline is known for natural backing.  I believe that today’s modern bloodlines do have some tendency to honor another dog’s point.  The centuries old training of the versatile breeds to be a one dog show make me feel that they’re the least likely to develop honoring as a natural ability.  I’m sure it might exist in some of the versatile blood lines but it’s not an easy natural ability to develop. 

The second ability which is border line between natural and trained is the retrieve.  I’m referring to pointing dogs and not the retriever breeds.  This is an ability which I feel the versatile breeds, due to centuries of training, might have more “natural” than “trained” in their blood.  I’ve watched amazing retrieving skills, on both land and water, by many of the versatile breeds.  I personally feel that retrieving develops a little harder for the traditional setter and pointer.

That’s an introduction to the difference between natural ability and trained ability.  Buy from good blood lines for your natural ability and work hard with the trained abilities and you’ll have a true “brag dog.”

Paul Fuller is host of the Bird Dogs Afield TV program.  Paul’s website is www.birddogsafield.com.

Guidelines For Training A Pointing Dog

Now that you have a new puppy, what comes next?

The first thing you do is take the puppy to your veterinarian for a puppy check-up. The next step I would recommend is enrolling in a local puppy obedience class.  A puppy obedience class will introduce you as leader of the pack, provide an excellent socialization experience for your pup and provide introductory commands such as stay and come.  It won’t be a complete obedience training experience but will provide a nice head start.

Here is a general list of rules and guidelines for training your pointing dog.  Clip and save these rules and guidelines and review them frequently throughout the entire life of your bird dog.

General Rules & Guidelines for Training A Pointing Dog 

1. All dogs are different.  What might work for one dog, might not work for another.  Get to know and understand your dog.  Is it a little on the timid side?  Is it strong willed…afraid of nothing?  You need to know the personality of your dog.
2. Dogs are not machines.  They may complete a training exercise perfectly and you say:  “Wow, he’s got it now.”  The next time out it’s like starting all over again.  This leads to…
3. Patience, Persistent and Consistency.  Yes, those are three golden words when it comes to pointing dog training.  Don’t lose your cool; don’t become angry.  Your dog will recognize and appreciate your patience.  Training is a series of building blocks.  You start with one very small success and build from there. But don’t be a wimp either...be persistent.  And, be consistent.  Don’t keep changing your training technique or your expectations.  Practicing these three golden words will lead to mutual trust between you and your dog.
4. All obedience training begins in your yard, (or at obedience school) not in the field.  If mistakes are made early in the training schedule either by you or your dog, they should be made in the yard, not in the field.  Early experiences in the field should be positive and not contain a lot of correction.  Early correction is done in the yard.
5. As a pup, praise for a job well done will go much farther than punishing failure.
6. The most important command, without any reservation, for a pointing dog is “whoa”.  This command, if learned properly, will save your dog’s life, will be used for teaching a steady point, will be used for teaching steady to wing and shot and will be used when teaching honoring point.  Teach it at six months and do it well.
7. For the first year, don’t be overly concerned if your dog chases birds.  What you don’t want is the dog catching birds.  This is typically not a problem with wild birds so let the dog chase.
8. Professional trainers always say they would rather get a dog at one year old that has had no training than a dog that has been pressured to learn too early.  A good timeline is  three years to completely finish a dog.  So, there is no rush.
9. E-collar training is used to correct non-compliance for a command already learned and understood; it is never used for teaching a command.  If you don’t understand how to use an e-collar, seek professional advice.  Used incorrectly, it can set back the training process and even ruin a good dog.
10. In the December 2007 edition of Shooting Sportsman, columnist Tom Davis interviewed the famous pointing dog trainer Gary Christensen.  Gary trained one of the greatest bird dogs of all time…Elhew Snakefoot.  Tom quoted Gary as follows:  “The most important thing in dog training is what you don’t do.”  In other words, don’t pressure your dog to develop too early.  If you’ve done your homework and bought a pup from parents with a good performance and hunting background, the natural abilities will develop without a great deal of help from you. It’s the learned abilities such as steady to wing and shot that take a little more work.

 Those are my ten general rules and guidelines for training a pointing dog.

Paul Fuller is host of the Bird Dogs Afield TV program.  Paul’s website is www.birddogsafield.com.

Preventing & Curing Hard Mouth

A dog that retrieves birds must deliver the bird suitable for the dinner table. Crushing or chewing on the bird is unacceptable behavior. This is referred to as “hard mouth”.

Dog breeds that are historically known for retrieving may never have a problem with hard mouth. They may be genetically inclined, over hundreds of years of training and breeding, to deliver the evening meal in edible form. That was their original purpose. Retrievers are an example.

For pointing dogs, the versatile breeds may naturally retrieve more often than the pure pointing breeds such as the English pointer or English setter. The versatile breeds, such as the German Shorthair, Brittany, Viszla, Griffon, etc., were developed by the working class of old Europe to handle all facets of the hunt.  These breeds were truly responsible for delivering the evening meal. Hard mouth was unacceptable then as it is today.

As with all training, it’s important to start your dog correctly, as a puppy, rather than attempting to correct the problem at a later date.

Here are some methods to prevent hard mouth. When your puppy is three to four months, and before any contact with birds, begin putting your fist in the puppy’s mouth. If his teeth are too sharp, then wear a thin leather glove. Do this once a day initially. If the pup tries to bite down on your fist, then force your fist deeper into his mouth.  He’ll let up on the pressure.  Do this drill until there is no biting.

Simultaneous to the “fist in the mouth” drill, you should have your pup in a puppy obedience class. If you’re a beginner at training bird dogs, the structure of a class will help you develop your skills and be better for the pup. Any and all further training will be easier with an obedient dog.

The next step is to do yard drills for retrieving. I use a small dummy for pups. Keep them on their lead and start with short throws…five to ten feet to begin. After they pick up the dummy, pull them back to you immediately.  Don’t allow them to chew on the dummy. After the dummy, use frozen game birds such as quail. Dogs are hesitant to bite down on a frozen bird.

As your puppy grows and you’ve built a good base for preventing hard mouth, be careful not to ruin your training.  One example would be playing tug-of-war. This is a no-no. You’re encouraging hard mouth with this old game. Another mistake made by an inexperienced handler/owner is to jerk a bird from the dog’s mouth. This, to the dog, is a sign of competition and he’ll resist dropping the bird.  

With proper obedience training, after locating a downed bird, your dog will not have time to chew or crush. He’ll come to you immediately with the “here” or “come” command. When he arrives, give him the command to “drop”. You should have a bird ready for the table.

One situation in the field which you’ll need to be cautious about is running two dogs. If you are running two dogs, they should be taught to honor point and then only one dog released for the retrieve. Two dogs fighting over the same bird is a problem. Hard mouth will come fast. Avoid competition among dogs at all times.

If you haven’t done the groundwork to prevent hard mouth from the beginning, how is it cured once developed? There are two cures for serious hard mouth and, if you’re a novice trainer, both require assistance from a professional. The most commonly used method and most successful is to force fetch your dog. Proper force-fetch training will insure a prompt and rapid retrieve with no post-shot damage to the bird. The e-collar can also be used. If done improperly, however, both the force-fetch and e-collar can ruin a dog. Again, seek the assistance of a professional trainer when attempting to cure hard mouth.

Paul Fuller is host of the Bird Dogs Afield TV program.  Paul’s website is www.birddogsafield.com.

Don’t Expect Too Much From Pup

During the past few months, several folks have told me that they’ve purchased a puppy and are preparing their new pup for the upcoming bird season.  What could be more exciting than having a new best friend and hunting companion this fall?  Especially, if you’ve spent hours, days and weeks training the pup.

No matter how much time you’ve spent with your pup, no matter how much training the pup has received either by the owner or a professional trainer, don’t expect too much.  Delmar Smith, the pointing dog training guru of the 1970s, commented in his book, Best Way to Train Your Gun Dog, about new owners of young dogs calling him and crowing that they have a “natural”.  They have a puppy sure to amaze all observers during the upcoming bird season.  

Delmar always chuckled at these proclamations since he knew what often happens with these phenoms…they fall apart under real hunting conditions.  These conditions include wild birds, multiple scent cones, wild flushes, running birds, blowing wind and all the other factors which affect a pointing dog’s performance.  Factors that your pup may not have encountered during training.

There are simply too many variables for your pup to perform consistently at an early age; therefore, don’t expect too much since they are not machines.  Even in the upper echelons of pointing dogs, a champion- level dog will sometimes simply forget about staying steady to the flush; he’ll break and chase as though he’s never received two minutes of training.  Mike Gaddis, in his fine book, Zip Zap, discusses the frustration during witness of dogs breaking during either flush or shot during preparation for the National.  These dogs have seen the finest trainers and training methods known to date.

I’m not aware of any of my dog friends training for the National; however, secretly, we would all like to have a “brag” dog.  A dog that is the envy of our hunting friends.  So your new pup falls apart on opening day; don’t in the least be discouraged.  A puppy being confused and losing focus is a true “natural”.  If you remain patient and consistent with your training methods, the pup will eventually be your “brag” dog.

Here are a few tips to help you and your pup.  First, if your dog is under one year, don’t be upset with your dog breaking point, chasing birds or even bumping birds.  All of these mistakes are normal for a pup and there should be no punishment or scolding.  

Secondly, under no circumstances should you use an e-collar for correcting a puppy for mistakes in the field. Put the e-collar away.  After careful study and yard introduction, you may begin using the e-collar after the pup’s first year in the field.  An e-collar is never a substitute for well thought-out yard training.

Thirdly, don’t carry a gun the first few days of hunting this fall.  Handle your pup rather than hunt over him.  Invite your son, daughter, wife, friend, or whomever, to be the shooter.  You can’t properly handle a pup in the field and carry a gun.  Your pup needs 100% of your attention.

And last, if you have the time, take your dog west to Saskatchewan or Manitoba where you can get 100 flushes per day.  He’ll figure it out in a hurry.

The above are suggestions for right now.  For the long term, simply plan on a continuous training program right through next summer.  You’ll be amazed at the maturity your young dog will demonstrate during his sophomore year of hunting.  Your “brag” dog might be only one year away.

Locating A Good Grouse Covert

How fortunate we are to have the “king of game birds” available in thirty-eight states...and all Canadian Provinces.  Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) provide the ultimate challenge for the pointing dog and upland hunter.  It’s a hunter’s desire to locate good grouse cover, be given a solid point and then rewarded with a straightaway shot after the flush.  

The chances this fall of experiencing the above scenario can be greatly increased with pre-season scouting.  You may have some reliable coverts you visit every year; however, grouse coverts mature and at some point in time are no longer productive.  Pre-season scouting should be performed to add two or three new coverts each year to your inventory.

Grouse are territorial.  They pick a territory according to available habitat.  The habitat must have a year around food supply, good cover and water.  All three ingredients must be present.

I still search for new grouse cover the old fashioned way.  During non-hunting season, I drive the back roads looking for likely grouse habitat.  There are two things I look for initially; (1) a ridge of hardwoods with (2) stands of conifers just below the hardwoods.  If you’re really lucky, you might find hardwood growth in different stages with conifers interspersed.  Working from the top of the ridge down, we start with a hardwood stand such as birch, aspen, or oaks, then stands of conifers, then aspen or birch in the 7-15 year stage and then alders.  Somewhere in this mix we want water.  We could have a nice seep higher up with a trickle down to a small stream.

Let’s examine each habitat ingredient.  Conifers provide much needed cover.  Avian predators have a difficult time penetrating conifer trees plus the conifer provides much needed protection during storms. You won’t find grouse unless there are conifers present.  The hardwoods both above and below the conifers provide winter food; they feed on the catkins and buds of these trees.  As we work down the ridge past the conifer stands and the aspens and birch , but before we come to the alders, we should look for a myriad of food sources.  A couple of trees we don’t often look for but offer outstanding grouse food are the black cherry and the hophornbeam.  Black cherry buds provide more protein and carbs than any of the more recognized budding trees such as the aspen or birch.  The hophornbeam catkin is second only to the black cherry in carbs.  

We mentioned that good grouse cover contains a year round food supply.  Buds and catkins are late season and winter food.  How about summer and early hunting season?  Well, as we navigate down are grouse ridge and approach the bottom, we’re looking for thick and thorny cover.  For grouse, the thicker and thornier, the better.  Near or even mixed- in, we look for low berry producing shrubs.  These will typically be found in damp soil such as a seep or near a small brook.  Due to the wide distribution of grouse, listing wetland indigenous shrubs for your specific area would be difficult.  You may have blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, bunch berries, strawberries, winterberry and on and on.  Study which berries are available in your area and learn to identify them.  Grouse feed heavily on berries until the berries are gone in late fall.

Here’s an important tip.  Grouse are territorial and typically stay within their territory (10-20 acres).  If, however, there is an abundant supply of berries in a certain location, grouse will make a long journey to join the feast.  Don’t ask me how they know about the feast…they just do.  I know a grouse guide in Ontario, Canada, who takes his hunters to wild cranberry bogs.  The bogs are along a river.  When the cranberry crop is good, he’ll often have 50 flushes in 100 yards.  When there are no cranberries, there are no grouse.

Grouse prefer a ridge that gets an early sun and that means facing the east.  If there has been a frost, they’ll hangout under their conifer roost until the sun thaws the frost.  They’ll then start their journey down the ridge.  They’re in no hurry unless there is a berry feast waiting.  A berry feast often results in an all day feeding binge.  If feeding on buds, however, a typical day means wandering down the ridge, finding a nice sunny spot to linger, then moving on to the budding trees for an early afternoon feed. After “budding” as the old-timers call it, they’ll head back to their roosting area.

Of course, an exact pattern cannot be predicted.  Here’s an interesting behavior worthy of discussion.  Many grouse hunters feel you only see grouse on the gravel roads in late afternoon; after they’ve been “budding”.  The opinion is that they only look for gravel for their crop after they’ve eaten.  I can’t subscribe to that.  I’ve seen grouse picking up gravel as early as 9:00 am.  Have they already fed?  I would be surprised.  

The ideal grouse ridge I’ve described above is located in the big woods; however, what about old abandoned apple orchards?  Well, if you have one located on your GPS, congratulations!  Old abandoned apple trees provide grouse ice cream.  I hunt an old abandoned farmyard in Maine that has three apple trees on a woods lot corner.  Abutting the apple trees is a stand of white pine.  Beyond the white pine are aspens.  There is always at least one grouse under or around those apple trees.  Everything they need is within a 50-yard circumference.  

A good friend was hunting Upstate New York last fall.  He discovered an old abandoned apple orchard.  The first apple tree he approached produced a nine- bird flush.  Wouldn’t we all like to have about a dozen of these special areas in our GPS!  

Grouse hunting will be more fun and productive if you’ve conditioned your legs, heart and lungs.  So, with strong legs, heart and lungs, good luck finding those very special coverts that will produce good dog work, plentiful shooting and the finest wild table fare provided by nature.

Paul Fuller is host of Bird Dogs Afield TV.  For more information on Bird Dogs Afield, go to www.birddogsafield.com.

Feeding & Conditioning Your Dog

Your best friend needs your support to ensure he’s ready for the hunting season.  Has he been a couch dog all winter and spring?  If so, you need to execute a conditioning plan immediately.  A hunting dog’s desire is often greater than his heart or lung capability.  If not conditioned properly, this desire can lead to serious injury or death.

Let’s begin with the fuel that runs the engine.  There are many dog foods on the market today which are advertised to the sporting dog owner. Most dog foods have the basic nutrient groups, i.e., water, carbs, fat, vitamins and minerals; however, it’s the level and quality of each nutrient that separates Native from the other brands.

Native Performance Dog Food excels in quality ingredients.  Native uses only the highest quality natural meats and grains with no corn, wheat or soy and no by-products.  The Native aim is to deliver to your dog the most bio-available ingredients to ensure maximum nutrient digestibility with low stool volume and a long and quality life.

The two ingredients typically listed at the top of every dog food ingredient label are protein and fat.  Protein is usually listed first and has a higher content than fat.  What is the purpose of protein?  Protein is important to every single cell in a dog’s body (and your body).  It is an important building block for healthy bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. When your dog is working hard, tissue is being broken down and needs to be continuously repaired. Protein is responsible for this repair work.  Protein is a macronutrient; along with fat and carbohydrates.  A body, however, does not store protein as it does fat and carbs.  This means a body needs a large and steady supply since there is no back-up supply to draw from.  Thus, protein must have a high content level in your dog food.

Protein can be obtained from both animal matter and vegetable matter. For my dogs, I personally like getting the high protein source from chicken.  Animal matter delivers protein more efficiently than vegetable matter.

The second ingredient listed on a dog food label is fat.  Fat is what delivers energy.  The formula is simple: fat equals calories and calories equal energy. Also, fat has over twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein per gram which makes fat very important (since it results in energy) for the canine athlete.  As with protein, chicken is a very efficient provider of fat.  

Native is the only dog food that provides a level system of protein and fat to meet the exercise and stress demands for year-round feeding.  If you’ve been using the old fashioned system of feeding your dog less during off-season and feeding more just prior to hunting season, then you need to look at Native.  The change in quantity of food is not good for your dog’s digestive system.

Here’s how the Native system works.  There are four levels.  Each level has the same ingredients.  What changes with each level is the protein/fat level.  Therefore, you don’t change the quantity of food to achieve greater protein/fat content, you simply change the level.  Level 1 has a 24/14 protein/fat content and is formulated for the dog getting only 2-3 days of exercise per week.  Level 2 has a 26/16 protein/fat content and is for the dog getting 2-3 days of vigorous activity per week.  I use Level 2 as a maintenance dog food for off-season.  Level 3 provides the magic 30/20 protein/fat content that satisfies most of our bird dog hunting season requirements.  Level 4 offers 35/25 protein/fat content and is used by many professional guides who run their dogs several days each week.  Again, with the Native level system, you do not need to upset the digestive system of your dog by changing the quantity or by changing brands and content.  Check out Native and locate a dealer at www.nativedogfood.com.

There is more to a good feeding program than just ensuring your dog gets a high quality food.  Research by dog food scientists show that it takes at least eight weeks for the beneficial change in protein/fat level to be effective.  Therefore, if your hunting season begins October 1^st, you need to make the change August 1^st.

We’ve covered the fuel that runs the engine, now let’s put the engine to work.  The heart and lungs are the key parts in that engine.  And those parts are inter-related.  The heart muscles feed off oxygenated blood from the lungs.  Both the heart and the lungs must be in excellent condition before the beginning of the season. 

I exercise my dogs almost every day of the year.  It may only be one mile of walking for me (three for dogs), but we hardly ever miss a day of exercise.  That program is stepped-up in mid to late July.  Since July and August are hot months, we exercise in the morning before either of us have breakfast.  By mid-August, we’re doing three miles (nine for the dogs) per day and by mid-September, we’re shooting for five miles (15 for the dogs) per day.  This puts both of us in prime shape for an October 1^st opener. 

You, the hunter, must look at yourself in the same manner we’ve looked at the feeding and conditioning of your dog.  You want to enjoy the hunt and that enjoyment will be greater if you’re also eating well and have conditioned your heart, lungs and legs.  If you haven’t studied human nutrition, make an appointment with a nutritionist.  It’s not about eating a candy bar mid-morning…it’s about a solid foundation of proper food.

Be sure that both you and your dog have a well conditioned heart and lungs before the season begins and you’ll find the hunt to be much more enjoyable…and safe.

Paul Fuller is the host of Bird Dogs Afield TV.  Go to www.birddogsafield.com for more information on Paul's TV program.

Using Bird Launchers

Prior to World War II, bird dog training was done on wild birds. Birds were plentiful and easily accessed by most trainers. With millions of soldiers returning home after the War, housing was in great demand. Forests were cut for lumber to build homes, suburban sprawl gobbled up habitat and wild game birds retreated to distant cover. And the pen-raised game bird was invented.

The pen-raised game bird provided, and still does, unlimited opportunity to train bird dogs. Unfortunately, however, they don’t fly like a wild bird. And, sometimes, they don’t fly...period. Now we’re faced with many potential problems...creeping, chasing, sight-pointing and much more.

Early on, pro-trainers began developing methods for getting the bird in the air. This was the beginning of the bird launcher. Early home-made launchers were crudely made of wire mesh and a spring. Whatever would get the bird in the air was considered an advancement in training tools.

Today, there are numerous commercially-made launchers to fit any budget. There are foot activated launchers, string activated launchers and electric launchers. Without question, the most practical and effective launcher is the electric version. Through the use of a remote, the electric launcher allows the trainer to precisely control the flush of the bird. The advantage over a hand-planted bird is huge. The dog trainer is in control of the entire process which is not the case with a hand-planted bird.

There are many applications for the bird launcher. Teaching a dog to be staunch on point is one application. You know the bird isn’t going to run away and tempt the dog to break point. If you’re teaching steady to wing and shot, you’re in control. There is plenty of time to work a check cord before the bird is launched. The electric launcher is an outstanding tool for teaching a dog to stop on a wild flush. Or to stop on multiple flushes using multiple launchers.

Electric launchers are also ideal for teaching backing. You have time to handle the dogs properly prior to the flush.  

Launchers come in different sizes to accommodate different size birds; from quail to pheasant, there is a size just right for your birds. Your author uses the DT Natural Flush Bird Launcher; however, there are many excellent brands on the market.  

Dog trainers using launchers will soon discover many uses for their new training tool and ask “how did I get along without this training aid?”

Paul Fuller is the host of Bird Dogs Afield TV.  Go to www.birddogsafield.com for more information on Paul’s TV program.