Gundog Training Forum

Aimeetess wrote: ↑Wed Oct 31, 2018 4:51 pm His hunting has got SOO much better since hunting for the real thing.

Funny that...

Well, I was hunting him on real pheasants but he was covering to much land and using his eyes so didn't help much, now hes been on the rabbits he hunts close to me and nose to floor, tail wagging constantly and drive of a little rocket going round!

I've had a collar and lead on him (its one of those 'flexi retractable leads' I hate them but the're AMAZING for this as he doesn't even realize hes on a lead and he doesn't stand on it) surprisingly hasn't flushed a rabbit yet to test the stop, grrr! But it has been good to test the stop in a heavily rabbity area, sometimes theres a slightly delay but with the collar and lead on I can push the 'stop' button and it gives him a jar.

That lead sounds like just the job for checking my wife's rush to go shopping !

Wullie

Aimeetess wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 1:52 pm

Well, I was hunting him on real pheasants but he was covering to much land and using his eyes so didn't help much, now hes been on the rabbits he hunts close to me and nose to floor, tail wagging constantly and drive of a little rocket going round!

Are u sure he was using his eyes or just air scenting? There's nothing wrong with air scenting especially with birds. Nose to the ground works great for rabbits but is not the most effective way to find birds. I do not hunt rabbits so I expect my cocker to use both ground and air scent to find grouse and woodcock. I wouldn't be happy with a dog that kept its head down. However i do recognize that is the style in the UK most likely due to high density of game.

Interestingly my one seems to always look for foot scent even with high density of birds, maybe its because i have always tried to get her to ignore birds in the open.

Cass wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:40 pm

Are u sure he was using his eyes or just air scenting? There's nothing wrong with air scenting especially with birds. Nose to the ground works great for rabbits but is not the most effective way to find birds. I do not hunt rabbits so I expect my cocker to use both ground and air scent to find grouse and woodcock. I wouldn't be happy with a dog that kept its head down. However i do recognize that is the style in the UK most likely due to high density of game.

Agree Cass. In areas where birds are not as numerous as in the UK (i.e. most of the US) then a dog that air scents will be much more productive.. Wise to remember that just because a dogs nose is not on the ground does not mean they are not using there nose and finding birds.

chrokeva wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 5:42 pm

Cass wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:40 pm

Are u sure he was using his eyes or just air scenting? There's nothing wrong with air scenting especially with birds. Nose to the ground works great for rabbits but is not the most effective way to find birds. I do not hunt rabbits so I expect my cocker to use both ground and air scent to find grouse and woodcock. I wouldn't be happy with a dog that kept its head down. However i do recognize that is the style in the UK most likely due to high density of game.

Agree Cass. In areas where birds are not as numerous as in the UK (i.e. most of the US) then a dog that air scents will be much more productive.. Wise to remember that just because a dogs nose is not on the ground does not mean they are not using there nose and finding birds.

I’ve regularly hunted and shot over Cockers on high densities of rabbits and they’ve continually switched between air and ground scents without any problem. Never had a dog that didn’t

Naj

ips wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 3:17 pm Interestingly my one seems to always look for foot scent even with high density of birds, maybe its because i have always tried to get her to ignore birds in the open.

Ground scent is a nice to have. A dog that can work ground scent is nice. This comes with experience. Generally, dogs aren't going to be useful in terms of hunting wild birds, if they haven't learned to find body scent on the air. Sight hunting is just chasing, and of no value.

Springfield Pointers wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 8:14 pm

ips wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 3:17 pm Interestingly my one seems to always look for foot scent even with high density of birds, maybe its because i have always tried to get her to ignore birds in the open.

Ground scent is a nice to have. A dog that can work ground scent is nice. This comes with experience. Generally, dogs aren't going to be useful in terms of hunting wild birds, if they haven't learned to find body scent on the air. Sight hunting is just chasing, and of no value.

Indeed, sight hunting i have always discouraged as its a big potential issue dogging in or beating. She now totally ignores (usually) birds in the open in fact she willingly turns away from them. The only time she chases for want of a better expression is if the bird flys very low, i think that in her mind its a runner because it didnt fly up.

The only time she chases for want of a better expression is if the bird flys very low, i think that in her mind its a runner because it didnt fly up.

Dogs are born optimists, and the world around is one big tease