That's a myth. The age of the dog only makes some training harder, but only if you haven't made a point of teaching the dog new skills regularly. Have you ever watched good trial dogs? They're skills are a result of years of training, not months.

This good guy is going off to finish his gun dog training in 30 days. He has had 1 month of puppy training already. My $.02 is to hire a good gun dog trainer in your area and spend the money for two months of training, at least. The trainer should give you an honest assessment of your dog's potential.



This photo is just because my GSP is pretty stinkin' cute ;-)

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Do you want to do train the dog yourself or are you willing to pay for it and what are your goals?

If you have some interest in doing it "yourself" I would recommend reaching out to your local NAVHDA chapter. They are typically very welcoming and helpful and can work with you to show you the basics to set a foundation and then depending on your goals can help you to get there.

There are also tons of additional resources and I can suggest those - but an oft mentioned item is that you can't have a bird dog without birds. NAVHDA chapters can usually point you in the right direction here as well.

The other alternative is to hire a trainer, which is typically quite successful.

Again, just depends on your goals and desires.

What part of the world do you live in? Game farms are still open and it might be worth the $300 to go chase a few birds around and see where you are at right now.

The only thing you have missed really is developing prey drive. As long as you did well with obedience and your dog has a very strong recall, head on out and chase some birds.

Upland Journal is my favorite forum for all things upland dogs and guns.

I missed the first 2 seasons with my golden retrieve, she is still a great dog in the field and puts up plenty of birds. Just doesn't have the drive I would like.

The other thing you need to think about, and spend this summer refining is how "finished" you want your dog. Most people consider finished as steady through the shot and fall, meaning the dog stands on point until you release them to make the retrieve. Your average hunter isn't spending the time to get a dog that refined. Steady through shot is fine for most and if you watch many bird hunting shows like The Flush, those dogs break on the flush nearly every time.

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It really is about the level of expectations for the dog. 40 years ago when I was a teenager we would take the family dog pheasant hunting with zero training. He would do a good job of flushing and retrieving birds and we would come home with a haul. As long as a dog isn't gun shy, instinct goes a long way.

Exactly, some people are happy with a good meat dog, if it is a good flushing dog all you really need to do is get them to stay in gun range. A finished flushing dog will sit on the flush and be released for the retrieve, which helps with multiple bird flushes.

Pointing dogs introduces a whole different realm of what is expected. My setter is a big running dog, and needs to hold a point long enough for me to close the 200 yards between me and the dog. That takes training, the pointing is natural, the hold forever is not.

The quality of the OPs breeding will dictate how much work is needed.

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I don't know anything about the training aspect, age of the dog, etc. But I can say that dogs make hunting a lot more fun for children! We go squirrel and coon hunting down on public land along the Potomac. Sometimes other hunters will be there running their dogs, and they are always kind enough to let my kids join in...the kids love it! It's a lot more action and no having to sit still, be quiet, etc.

Mars is very well bred and naturally points and stalks birds every chance he gets.

He comes from a great breeder and bloodline. Royal Flush Farms is where we got him and they are top notch.

They do started dogs there and fully trained dogs. We didn’t think we would hunt him so we just got him as a puppy.

We sent him to a trainer for three weeks and he is e-collar trained. As with most things dog related — the humans will probably require more training than the beast.

Looks like you are in PA. Pheasant hunting there is pretty much state game lands with released birds or on private game farms right? If you have the means I would go with hunting preserves as I hear the game lands can be pretty much a total charlie foxtrot and no hunting on Sundays correct?

You don't have much for grouse left either, so that would be a road trip to the upper midwest or north east. I would set expectations and what birds you are going to chase and build out from there. Nothing builds a better dog than bird contacts. That is what makes the prairies so popular in the early fall when the grouse are abundant.

The big thing to do now is gun introduction. If your dog is bird crazy, that usually goes pretty easy. Otherwise you can ruin a good dog in a hurry.

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We are in PA. In the city of Philadelphia to be exact.

Your comments on the lack of birding opportunities here kind of affirm what I was thinking. Travel will be required. That being said. We live right by I-95 and can travel.

Is there anywhere in the region worthwhile? South New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Vermont, Maine?

Vermont and Maine are still big time destination grouse spots. Once the dog gets a feel for handling birds you will have to go west and stand on a large expanse of prairie and just lose yourself in the void.

The other bird you will be searching for in your area is woodcock.

Time to learn way too much about forestry:

https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/

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NIce project !!
Seems like PA is on the migrating path of the great american woodcock.
Super nice bird for pointing dogs, not too difficult to train dogs on (well mostly young birds), and makes for lots of action when your dog finds a "flight".
Since it's a migrating bird, I don't know for how long it will remain in the PA area during hunting season.
And, well, it's not for every palate ;-).
https://www.outdoornews.com/...rd-can-save-the-day/

Louis :-)

I would second this quote. Since you already have a well-bred dog, you may want to consider getting the dog properly gun acclimated (by a pro, not a first-timer). Done well, the dog equates guns = birds. Done poorly, the dog may be gun-shy and either a multi-thousand dollar restart or permanently turned off to the sport he was bred for. My concern is solely for the dog's welfare and benefit.

I am finding that the cheapest part of owning a gun dog is buying the puppy. Getting the dog steady to shot and retrieve is a pricey endeavor ;-)

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DFL > DNF > DNS

Both my dogs were shot over without any proper gun introduction. My setter pup was shot over at 12 weeks when she froze and watched a rooster fly away. My golden was a couple years old before we got to go hunting and I shot at a ruffed grouse over her. Neither were phased and a hunting machines. NOBODY SHOULD DO WHAT I DID. I got lucky...

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