Training Pudelpointer Pup

The emphasis on heel and come are for impulse control and cooperation. Once you establish that you run the show AND you develop the trust that the dog will come back, you can let it explore and run free on wild birds. All you have to do to set that up is shoot a quail or two over perfect points in training. The dog will figure out that if it wants to get the bird in its mouth, it will have to work for you to complete that process.
Thank you - that is very helpful!
 
Was your puppy produced from parents who did the German JGHV testing--e.g., the VJP and HZP--or from dogs that were testing only through NAVHDA? Either way, there is a lot of information relevant to training to be had from the German-affiliated clubs in the US and I know there is a Pudelpointer one, though the training is the same more or less across a few of the german versatile breeds.
 
Was your puppy produced from parents who did the German JGHV testing--e.g., the VJP and HZP--or from dogs that were testing only through NAVHDA? Either way, there is a lot of information relevant to training to be had from the German-affiliated clubs in the US and I know there is a Pudelpointer one, though the training is the same more or less across a few of the german versatile breeds.

NAVHDA. I appreciate it, I haven’t even looked into any of the German clubs - I’ll look into it


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I had a Pasture-Pudel Pointer pup one time. Pointing came natural, no training necessary. Notice that solid point, deadly steely focused eyes, and the slobber-licking tongue in anticipation of chowing down......

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Alabama. Not a lot of opportunity for wild bird exposure down here - hoping we can get on to a quail preserve just so she can run some birds in the fall. May take her to Kansas to run pheasants in November if she is ready for that. We’ll just be working with dummies and pigeons in the summer.


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Be careful as far as preserves go. It seems like a good idea but preserve birds are known for not flying well and if a young dog breaks and catches a bird it can set things back. I know at least one of the authors you’re reading recommends against doing this. It can be as dangerous as taking your young dog to the gun range to introduce them to gunshots.

Last season, during my long drives to the chukar mountains I listened to Upland Nation podcasts and learned a lot from the different trainers he brings on as guests. (It’s the first podcast I’ve actually listened FWIW….)
 
Alabama. Not a lot of opportunity for wild bird exposure down here - hoping we can get on to a quail preserve just so she can run some birds in the fall. May take her to Kansas to run pheasants in November if she is ready for that. We’ll just be working with dummies and pigeons in the summer.


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Now I will turn Heel....

If you have limited "opportunity for wild birds"......what did you buy the dog for???
 
I would echo the Joan Bailey book recommendation. She also wrote another book for older dogs “How to Have the best trained gun dog”, also recommend.

Neither of her books were written when ecollars were widely used. For good info on using ecollars (and general dog training), Craig Doherty’s book “Building a grouse dog” is good.

Group training days are good, but not all the groups or people in them are that good or might have very particular ideas that don’t necessarily make sense for you and your dog. So take advantage of these but if something seems off, do your own thing or find another group.

You mention that you have some more time now for a dog. If that’s the case, I’d recommend doing whatever you can to basically live somewhere with wild birds for as long as you can during your dog’s first season (and for that matter, all of them, lol). I was very underemployed during the fall of 2020 and moved to the grouse woods with my 6m old puppy that fall. We hunted every day. Before we went, he had a very solid program of gunfire introduction, would come when called and was used to off leash walks. He had a little planted bird exposure (that in retrospect probably wasn’t that necessary). But he basically taught himself how to hunt on woodcock and grouse and developed into a very enthusiastic bird dog up there. He seems to have more desire than a lot of dogs I’ve met on training days - perhaps that is just innate or maybe it has something to do with that first season. He was still a puppy of course and made all sorts of puppy mistakes, but I feel that fall really laid a good foundation for him.
 
Love me PP. She is natural and trained me a lot lol. My first dog ever and she is a joy in the field and around the house. Best decision I ever made.

Points and finds upland great. Took a little work but retrieves waterfowl’s now super as well.
 

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