2014 Dog assesments

[setterguy]

Thought this might be a helpful and interesting topic...

Let's hear about your assessments on your dogs performance this season.

Where you expectations met? Did your dog do anything better or worse than expected? Any training tips that you found successful this past season that you saw results in? What two or three things are you going to work on for next year and what is your plan to accomplish those goals?

Maybe we can help each other out a bit with some ideas that have worked for us.

[brittman]

Quite a bit of season left.

Ruffed Grouse: Season went well and dogs did fine. My older dog did well and my younger dog ran good most days. There was one streak though where her owner missed every bird she (younger dog) pointed three days straight and killed every bird shot at over the older dog. Had some really good points this fall (both dogs) with the bird pinned between the dog and I. My son could have probably picked up one bird pointed ... which he subsequently missed when shooting.

Pheasant hunting has been really fun. My older dog was hurt and missed a couple weeks. The younger dog was absolutely fabulous during that time. She showed great patience on running roosters. Holding point until I passed her and then going again. This is nothing that I specifically taught her. She then moved on the birds and would either pin them by getting in front of them or pin them against cover type changes. She also followed a wounded running bird for over 150 yards (there about). She ended up pointing the wounded rooster with the distance traveled being so far ... when it flushed it dropped back to the ground and she caught it.

Older dog has come back well with good points and good finds.

Hope to pheasant hunt quite a few more times before season end.

[JMO555555]

Mixed review. Grouse my older dog was pretty much useless I would only use her to spell my younger setter. My younger setter on grouse was great not great at retrieving but in terms of pointing and holding the grouse was great! So one question would be how do I bring out his retrieving instinct? He's good at fetch and has a hi drive compared to my other setters but just not a great finder of winged birds!

Pheasants my older dog dig great but I ran her two hard hunted back to back eight hour days had to end the trip early but she was great pointing g holding and retrieving quail and roosters in southern Iowa. Younger male could not figure running pheasants out. He did point quail. Should I worry about him not figuring pheasant out if I hunt 90 percent ruffed grouse? I heard if you got a dog that can point grouse he can point anything? Overall I'm happy with both dogs.

[setterguy]

JM0555555 - You could get your dog steady to wing and shot. That could help them track the bird while in flight and they might have a better chance at locating the bird when downed.

I've also heard guys have luck, teaching to "hunt dead"

Play games where you hide a toy and give this command, drag something around so they have to learn to pick up scent on the ground.

As far as the younger dog not figuring out running pheasants - what makes him able to find, point and hold grouse is what is holding him back from moving birds.

Grouse dogs should stop at the faintest hint of scent and hold. Grouse are skiddish and will not take the pressure that many pheasants will. You can teach him to relocate when patted on the head, or something similar.

I just had to put down my best grouse dog last winter. She pointed the first grouse she ever came across when she was 6 months old. When she was 9 months, I took her to SD to pheasant hunt. I let her out of the truck, she takes three steps into the cut corn and goes on point. Of course there was no bird there but she smelled something....I give her the release command and she takes two more steps and goes on point again. Her instinct was telling her "I smell a bird, when I smell a bird I stop."

I put her away for the rest of the trip. She was only going to learn bad habits, creeping etc. I'm 95% grouse myself so I would rather not wreck what I had then try to teach her something she just wasn't going to do. Eventually as she got older I trusted her to know the difference but I waited till she had 3-4 solid bump free seasons in her.

[JMO555555]

Thank u will do! Hunt dead is something I have heard but not done. Setter guy do you train steady to wing and shot? I was worried about that as well when he pointed ten feet from the truck in Iowa! also where do you get your setters setter guy? I have berg bros setter I'm In lve with👌

[setterguy]

My current two are from Berg Bros.

As far as training to wing and shot, my last female did it naturally, she backed naturally and pointed and held the first grouse she ever came across at 6 months....really a very nice dog.

My older (3) dog I haven't. Yet. I'm working on him slowing down in the grouse woods first and he is a fantastic retriever so it really isn't an issue for me. My younger one ( 6 months ) I think I might. He's got all the makings of a fantastic grouse dog. Had him out recently and he works and handles like a 7 year old dog. At a nice distance, nice speed and handles well...but has not yet shown any interest in retrieving anything. We will see how it goes.

[ESSGuy]

Will start getting my 2.5 yr old steady again for spring field trials. After a fall of wild bird hunting he has forgot that he needs to be released by name before retrieving. Hope we can miss most of the heavy snow this winter, as it makes for better bird planting cover.

[bemidjibasser]

Well my 4 year old chessie retrieved his share of ducks and was his usual steady self in the blind. He does get a little...ok a lot excited and whines like a mofo on the first retrieve of the day which annoys the $hi+ out of me, but I can't be upset that he has that kind of drive and desire to retrieve. He made several blind retrieves and found birds that I never would have gotten without him... I am still amazed how he will break ice and keep going all day long. Ok, done bragging now!