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Introducing Gun Fire (part 2)

(from The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals)
By Martha H. Greenlee and David A. Webb copyright ©

Bill Gibbons likes to introduce gunfire around birds, at the instant the pup makes a dive to catch the bird he’s chasing. The pup is usually so excited he ignores the noise. Before Bill begins he wants the pup to chase and catch a bird. Until the pup does this, he’s not ready to be shot over.  Some puppies may point the bird, flush it, and even chase aggressively. However, other pups may be afraid of the bird, and, instead of catching it, they re-point it. A pup that re-points may not be ready to be fired over.

To begin, Bill puts out a couple of pigeons with cardboard tethers in an open field as if he were introducing a pup to pigeons. He might pull some flight feathers from one wing of the bird if it is a strong flyer. He puts the check-cord on the pup and lets him hunt a little before bringing him into a bird. The pup will either point or pounce. It doesn’t matter which he does as long as he doesn’t catch it. Once the bird is in the air, Bill drops the check-cord and lets the pup chase it.  Bill watches to make sure that the pup runs aggressively and catches the bird. Only if he catches the bird is he ready to be shot over.

Now, Bill works him on a second bird. Once the bird is in the air, Bill lets go of the check-cord and the pup chases again. He doesn’t fire yet but waits for the instant the pup makes a dive for the pigeon. Now, Bill fires the blank pistol. At this time Bill is at least 50 yards away. He carefully watches the pup for any signs of concern. Does the pup notice the report of the gun?  Most pups are so fired-up they ignore the noise, but once in a while a pup will hesitate. If the pup hesitates at the sound of the shot, Bill works him on a third bird. This time he does not fire. He wants the pup to enjoy catching another bird before he puts him up. Bill gives him a couple of days to think about it before re-introducing gunfire. Once the pup ignores the gunfire, Bill can shoot earlier―while the pup is chasing the bird. At this time, Bill also begins to fire multiple times and gets closer to the puppy.
Once the pup is ignoring the blank gun or cap gun, he’s ready to be introduced to the shotgun―but only after he has been fired over for a couple of weeks and he’s oblivious to the noise. A light load works best before moving to a heavier gauge. Remember to introduce the bigger gun in stages, the same way you introduced the blank gun. 

Once gunfire has been introduced, continue to be careful when you shoot around your pup. Since you can make a dog gun-shy at any time, here are a few common sense rules that apply throughout your pup’s hunting career.
• Never take a pup to a skeet or trap range to see if he is gun-shy.  You will have a gun-shy pup from this type of noise exposure.
• Never fire a shotgun when you are behind a young or inexperienced dog.  Fire when you’re in front of him so the noise doesn’t startle him.
• Use one gunner, especially the first season.  Four or five people shooting over a young dog is the fastest way to send him, panic stricken, fleeing back to the truck.
• Shoot only at the birds that your dog points.  If he’s pointing, he’s anticipating the shot.  If you shoot at wild flushing birds, the noise may frighten him.

As your pup’s training progresses, the noise of gunfire will become a reward.  The sound tells him that birds are in the air.  If you are careful, if you introduce the gun intelligently and use common sense, your pup will thrill to the sound of the shot for the rest of his life.
 
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By Martha Greenlee

Introducing gunfire is a big deal and something you really want to take the time to do right. Hunters have more problems with gunfire than field trialers because hunters use shotguns not blank pistols. Mix in the excitement of birds flushing wild and one or more hunters shooting when the dog isn’t expecting it, and you have a recipe for disaster. Think about how loud noises can startle you, and you can imagine what it is like for your dog. If you or your buddies are behind the dog and shoot, your dog isn’t expecting it. Even the most seasoned dog can become gun-shy. So, please be careful. It is always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to gunfire. You can always find another bird. 

Introducing Gun Fire (part 1)

(from The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals)
By Martha H. Greenlee and David A. Webb copyright ©

Introduce gunfire to a Brittany puppy when he is at least 5 months old. Take your time with this lesson and pay close attention to his initial response. When done correctly, a pup should ignore the noise. If your pup stops, changes his gait, or turns his head during the introduction, he’s telling you he’s not ready. Back off and give him some time to mature before continuing. Most gun-shy dogs are man-made. While some pups may be more noise sensitive than others, a noise sensitive pup can learn to enjoy gunfire if he is properly introduced.  

The professionals we work with introduce gunfire in a couple of different ways. Gene Stewart likes to introduce it away from birds. This is the safest method and we recommend it to anyone who is a beginning trainer. Bill Gibbons introduces gunfire around birds―when the pup makes a dive at a bird he is chasing. More experienced trainers may prefer this method. Both use a .22 caliber blank pistol but a cap gun also works. 

Gene Stewart likes to introduce gunfire while the pup is running in the field. When the pup is about 5 months old, Gene starts taking him for runs afield. Once he is confident running on different grounds, Gene fires a blank gun when the pup is about 50 yards ahead. He watches to see if the pup stops or changes his gait. If he does, Gene turns and goes a different direction, ignoring him. The pup quickly forgets about the noise and runs to catch-up. If the pup does this, he’s telling Gene he’s not ready. Gene gives him a little time off, maybe a week, before trying again. Once the pup is ignoring the gunfire, Gene will fire closer.

Now, Gene is ready to introduce gunfire around birds. He does this while the pup is looking for the bird. Gene puts out a couple of quail along a tree line as if he were introducing the pup to birds. As the pup hunts the tree line, Gene waits for him to flush a bird and chase it. When the pup chases the bird and it lands again, he gets excited. He’s racing around trying to find the bird, but he doesn’t know exactly where it is. At this time Gene shoots. The pup knows the bird is there, but he doesn’t see or smell it.

In part 2 of this article, Martha describes the way Bill Gibbons introduces gun fire, and she also shares a few  do and don’t tips.  Stay tuned! Or sign up for email posts (by filling in the form to the right sidebar of the website) if you want to receive the next segment in your email box!

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By Martha Greenlee

Many field trialers start out as hunters. At the end of the season, they wonder what to do with their dogs for the rest of the year. That’s how I got hooked. I realized I could compete in field trials in the spring, train in the summer, and be ready to hunt again in the fall. Field trialing meant I got to work bird dogs year round.

Field trialing is a sport, but it also serves a purpose. Dogs that win field trials are often the better dogs to breed to because they carry better genes. The best bird dogs are born and field trials are a way to recognize these dogs. For a dog to win, he must be mannerly on his game. Good manners show that he can be trained to a high level. He should have an attractive gait and run without effort, which is so important in producing dogs that can hunt all day. Intensity and style on point are also important qualities to look at. You can’t make a bird dog. You can’t teach him how to hunt. The more natural talent a dog is born with, the easier he will be to train. 

Attending Your First Field Trial

(from The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals)
By Martha H. Greenlee and David A. Webb copyright ©

If you have never been to a field trial, you might consider attending one.  Field trials are family events, so plan on bringing your family, your Brittany, and spending the day outdoors.  Who knows, you might decide that you want to compete with your dog in the field.  Field trialers usually don’t start out field trialing.  Some of them begin bird hunting with their dogs before getting hooked on the sport.  Others begin by showing their dogs in conformation or obedience or buying their Brittany pups as pets.  There are many different organizations, including the American Kennel Club and the American Field, that sponsor field events, and the rules vary depending on which organization sponsors the trial.  For more information on events in your area, contact the American Brittany Club.

A field trial is made up of different stakes (individual events).  Each stake is defined by a dog’s age and ability.  Here is some information about the different types of stakes that may be offered if you plan to attend an AKC walking or horseback field trial.
• To compete in a puppy stake, a puppy must be between six and fifteen months old.  If a puppy has game contact, the handler may be required to fire a blank gun.  Puppies run for at least fifteen minutes, but no more than thirty minutes.
• To compete in a derby stake, a derby dog must be between six months to two years old.  A derby dog must establish point.  If handlers are within gun range, they must fire a blank gun.  Derby dogs run for twenty to thirty minutes.
• To compete in a gun dog stake, a dog has to be at least six months old, be steady-to-wing-and-shot, and back (honor) if the opportunity presents itself.  Gun dogs run at least thirty minutes.
• An all-age stake is the same as a gun dog stake, but an all-age dog must show more independence and hunt beyond gun range.
Each stake is made up of braces.  A brace is a pair of dogs that run together.  The number of braces depends on the number of entries.    If twenty dogs are entered in a gun dog stake, there are ten gun dog braces.  A running order is determined by a drawing and is printed up before the day of the trial.

When it is time for a specific brace to run, the two handlers take their dogs to the line on leads and break them away (release the dogs).  A thirty-minute course can cover two to three miles of ground.  The handlers walk or ride behind the dogs and try to keep them on course by singing and using their whistles.  Two judges, one for each handler, follow.  Two scouts, one for each handler, look for the dogs if they get off course or are ridden past where they are on point.  The scouts must stay behind the judges.  The gallery, which is made up of people on foot or horseback, follows and must also stay behind the judges.  At a weekend trial the gallery may have twenty to thirty people in it, while at a national championship, the gallery may be in the hundreds.

Quail or other game birds have been released on the course, and the dogs have to find and point them.  Dogs are judged on their desire to hunt, on the way they cover the ground, and on their manners.  The dog that comes closest to the standard for each stake wins.  Winning dogs receive points towards their field championships, and winning handlers receive ribbons and trophies.

Field trials are competitive events, but they are also social events for dogs and handlers.  Dogs enjoy the friendly atmosphere and interact with other dogs and people on a variety of grounds.  Handlers are competitive, but this competitive spirit does not interfere with the sportsmanship and the fellowship that are integral elements of the sport.  Since field events are held throughout the year, they are a way of enjoying hunting with your dog year round and sharing the comradery that comes with the sport.

photo © Mike Dhondt

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By Martha Greenlee

I remember how daunting it was when I first got serious about bird dogs. Not only did I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I needed birds for training. Where would I buy them and how would I keep them. I didn’t know where to start, and I made a lot of mistakes. The biggest mistake I made was training on birds that did not fly well. It took me a while to realize that pen-raised birds should act as close to wild birds as possible. If I wanted the bird to be the teacher, the bird had better get up and fly. If birds were sick or poorly conditioned, they were going to teach the dog a lot of bad habits. 

While it’s ok if your dog catches an occasional bird, you want to be careful about it becoming a habit. If your pup learns he can catch birds on the ground before they fly, he is likely to stop pointing. There is a big difference in a dog’s mind between catching a bird before it flies and catching it after it lands. Once I put in the extra effort into using good birds, the training started to turn around.

Introducing Birds

(from The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals)
By Martha H. Greenlee and David A. Webb copyright ©

The age that you introduce your Brittany pup to birds depends on the personality of your puppy. Three months old may be fine for a bold pup, but you might wait until the pup is 5 or 6 months old if he is timid. Your pup should be confident when he runs on different grounds. He may be self-assured in the yard, but he also needs to be sure afield. If he acts unsure in any way when he’s out running, he’s not ready to be introduced to birds.

Once the pup is running with confidence on different grounds, you can begin to introduce him to quail or pigeons. These birds need to be good flyers so your pup can’t catch them. Match the size of the bird to the pup. Small birds (quail) work best for young puppies. Larger birds (pigeons) work fine for older pups. The flapping wings of a pigeon may hit a small pup in the face and frighten him. Be observant. If he acts uncertain, if he hesitates or looks back at you at any time during the introduction, he’s telling you that he’s not ready. Let him get a little older before you try again.

To introduce your pup to birds when he is 3 to 5 months old, do the following.
• Take 2 or 3 good flying quail to a small field.
• Dizzy each bird by holding the body and spinning its head just enough so it’s head droops to the side.
• Toss the bird down along a tree line where there is enough cover to hold it.
• Plant each bird separately so that you have 2 or 3 objectives to walk to.

Now go get your pup. Do not take him directly to a bird.  Let him run free and hunt on his own. He is still young enough to want to go with you. Walk in the general direction of the bird but don’t call him or in any way indicate where the birds are. This is the reason for putting out 2 or 3 birds. All you want to do is work him on one bird. If he misses the first bird, continue to walk to the next bird. Don’t try to call him back over ground he’s already hunted.

Once he finds a bird, he may point it, pounce on it, bark at it, and so forth. Whatever he does, let him do it on his own. If the bird flies, let him chase it. If he starts to chase but stops and looks back at you or comes back to you, he’s telling you he’s unsure. Wait a week before working him on birds again.

A puppy has a short attention span so train him in 15 minutes sessions. Be careful not to tie him out or let him lose interest. Continue to work him on birds as long as he’s not catching them, and you can pick him up at the end. Be quiet while your puppy learns about birds and scent. When he gets older, you will have to correct him for chasing birds, so, by being quiet now, you aren’t indicating your approval with your voice.

An older pup needs to catch a bird and taste it. If your pup is 5 months or older, you can work him on pigeons. Pigeons don’t hold like quail and will fly off unless tethered in some way. To make a cardboard tether, cut an 8”x10” section from a cardboard box. In one corner punch a hole. Then cut a piece of yarn about 18” long. Double the yarn and tie the two ends together. Push one end of the doubled yarn through the hole and separate it to make a loop. Take the other end and put it through the loop. This forms a half hitch between the hole and the edge of the cardboard. Now form another half hitch with the tag end of the yarn and slide it over one of the pigeon’s feet. Placing the cardboard tether on only one foot puts the pigeon off-balance.

The bird is able to fly, but the cardboard spins around forcing it to land. For strong flyers, you may also want to pull a couple of flight feathers from one wing.
• Dizzy the pigeon by holding the body and spinning the head just enough so it droops to the side.
• Toss it down in a small piece of cover in an open field.
• Keep the pigeon away from trees because the cardboard can get hung-up in them.

Now go get your pup. Attach a 12 ft. check-cord to his collar, since, at this age, he may not listen to you. If he’s never had a check-cord on, walk him around until he gets used to it. Once your pup is comfortable hunting at the end of the check-cord, bring him in to the bird downwind and across the scent. If he points the pigeon, quickly walk in and flush it. If he dives for the bird, stop him with a gentle tug on the check-cord to prevent him from catching it. You don’t want him to catch the bird until it flies. Once the bird flies, drop the check-cord and let him chase it, or hold onto the check-cord and run with him to catch it. When he catches the bird, let him do whatever he wants. Once your pup starts to lose interest in the pigeon, take the check-cord, turn, and walk in a different direction. Encourage him to go with you by pulling on the check-cord with quick gentle tugs. Praise him if he brings the bird to you but don’t make a big deal out of it if he doesn’t.

These early experiences with birds are part of the foundation that his future training is built on and are key to having a hunting dog you will be proud of. This is where the desire to hunt takes form and where he learns to enjoy his work. Remember to be quiet and let him have fun.

photo © Vic Williams & courtesy of Lindley’s Kennel

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By Martha Greenlee

If you own a Brittany, you already know that Brittanys are an active breed. If he’s a hunting dog and lives in the house, you can help him stay calm and out of trouble by exercising him. Try roading him—letting him pull in a harness, two to three times a week to drain off some of his energy. If he’s a field trial dog, he needs to be in top condition. Try a combination of roading and running. Roading builds muscle and running builds lungs. Once you find a program that works for him, it’s important to stick with it.

My vet recommends waiting until a pup is a year old before working him in a harness. He cautions that any type of vigorous pulling can damage growth plates (on the bones) and suggests waiting until growth plates close, which is around a year old. If you have any questions, you should check with your vet.

Conditioning Your Brittany

(from The Brittany: Amateurs Training with Professionals)
By Martha H. Greenlee and David A. Webb copyright ©

The Brittany is a bird dog and an athlete. In order to perform in the field—hunting or field trials—a Brittany must be in excellent physical shape. Too often people expect their dogs to hunt half a day in temperatures that exceed 70° F. Do not hunt your dog in such weather unless he has been conditioned. If your dog is out of shape, begin gradually to condition him and don’t have unrealistic expectations for an older dog.

In conditioning your dog, you must learn to “read” him—be sensitive to his needs. Being aware of your dog’s needs is most important during hot weather. Be sure that you water him early and often. Depending on the weather conditions of your area, you may want to use electric clippers to shave his coat, or you may take him to a dog grooming shop and ask them to give him a “field cut”—a short cut appropriate to the weather conditions of the area.

To hunt birds, a hunting dog needs to be able to work in the uplands for several hours at a time. During the summer months before the fall bird season, the best way to condition a dog is to “road” him—letting him pull in a harness, which is attached, to a moving vehicle (such as an ATV, bicycle, sled, and so forth) or to a horse. Start the dog with ten to fifteen minute sessions twice a week. Then at regular intervals increase the conditioning sessions to every other day.  Follow with a gradual increase in the amount of time for each session to thirty or forty minutes.

If you do not have a vehicle or horse for roading your dog, you can condition him by walking him in a roading harness on a check-cord and attaching a length of chain or cable to the roading harness. Use a chain only when you are roading on a smooth surface, such as level ground or a paved area. The chain should weigh about 5 lbs., and the cable should weight about 3 lbs. and be 8 to 10 ft. long. Because this additional weight increases the stress on your dog, you should reduce the time of the workout.

When preparing for a field trial—depending on weather conditions—it is suggested that the following conditioning process be used:
• Road from one to one-and-a-half hours every other day.
• Vary the time of day for roading.
• Lay-up (stop conditioning) two days before the trial.
• When conditioning in the summer, do not overdue it—varying the conditioning to the temperature, doing less conditioning during extremely hot weather.

Pigeons perfer to land on bare ground or short cover. They use their wings to get airborne, not their legs like a lot of gamebirds use. The top priority in using carded pigeons is making sure the bird has a clean escape. This is more important than having the bird totally hidden in cover, more important than just about anything.

The perfect set up for carded birds is strips of cover and clumps of cover. Most of the field can be short cover as long as you have strips and clumps of cover to block the dogs view of the bird. This set up keeps the bird from getting tangled up so it can’t flush.

Make sure you are using small enough cards and short enough string. You may have to experiment but the size of the cardboard should be about 6 in. X 6 in., with a 12 in string doubled up and tied off, then threaded through a hole in one corner of the card and looped over one of the bird’s legs. That leaves about 5-6 inches from the bird to the card.

The pigeons will get up wild a lot of times which will give you an opportunity to work on stop to flush, even before the dog is steady to wing and shot. All of this dovetails together after a couple weeks of training. What you will find out is all of sudden the dog is pointing rock hard and not moving at the flight and the shot and is green broke and ready to move on to more training.

Normally dogs will go through the whole training program on carded pigeons before any gamebirds are used to polish and finish the dogs.

Carded pigeons are not perfect but some of the benefits are:

• Since the birds fly out on their own, the dog cannot track the trainer to find the bird.
• Since the birds are not dizzied at all, they have use of all their natural instincts which they use to react to the dog, and those insticts are pretty good.
• The birds will often flush wild and that will give you an opportunity to train for stop-to-flush.
• You can get a lot of use out of a few birds, and then keep reusing them.
• Since the carded birds don’t fly completely off, that allows you to train the dog to go with you after the flush, even though he knows there are birds close by. That is a good habit to instill from the beginning.
• They are easier to hit when the time comes to start shooting birds for your dog!

Mo’s Take…..

Once a dog goes through the breaking process with checkcord work, we have gained the right to correct the dog in most situations. You still have to be real careful when you use the ecollar around birds, the dog must understand it. If they don’t understand it then we need to back up and do more checkcord work overlaying the ecollar.

I will give a couple of examples on what I expect to see when I first turn the dog loose to work birds.

The dog is running and points a loose bird, and as I approach the bird moves and starts to walk away. The dog will probably rare back and take this bird out.  When it does, I will stop the dog with the ecollar. This is not a new concept to the dog if your foundation training is good. Normally this type correction is safe since the bird is in the air, and the dog put it there.

I will encourage that dog to go on and take the birds out; then stop it with the collar. I expect and welcome the mistakes at this stage of training — stay cool headed and focused; do not get tough with the dog.  Most of the time the dog will stop creeping because it learns to respect the bird. Touching the dog with the ecollar while the bird is still on the ground is something I will do last if the dog still wants to creep. I do not like to use the ecollar too early in the training on dogs that creep. I try not to use the words “never” and “always” when I talk about training.

After several workouts the dog should be handling the situations better.

This example would be for a dog that is further along in training.  The dog will stop-to-flush if it creeps and causes the bird to fly, and the chase is out of the dog. With a dog like this that continues to want to creep, I will sometimes touch the dog with the ecollar for taking that step after it pointed. The timing is super important – you time the nick as the dog starts to lift a foot up, don’t nick if the dog is putting the foot down. Reading the dog, timing and training are critical when you are using the ecollar like this. If you do something, and you see a negative reaction that would be a good place to stop and figure why you saw the reaction; don’t continue doing the same thing if you are see a bad reaction.

Questions? Comments?  Please leave them below!