A step too far....

Mike · A step too far....

Got Harley down to the snipe beds today had some really nice work and he found five snipe, strong indication prior to them jumping but I think he will need to retrieve a few before he points them.

After a few more casts he started pulling forward very strongly, I knew instantly it was deer and banged him down. He was steady to bambi number one and a harsh reprimand kept him seated to bambi number two..... unfortunately bambi's number three, four, five and six blew his tiny little mind Rolling Eyes

God knows how long it took before he came back...

I wonder if it is worth working him down here if he is only going to bump them? I don't really want him to ignore them like tweety birds but obviously don't have much chance of any retrieves prior to next season. Also anyone know when the Snipe will start breeding i.e. when should I leave them alone?

windem bang

Oh deer !!! Laughing

Seen it, been it , done it and got the tea -shirt !!! Laughing

I was beginning to notice that although Buck was pointing snipe he was beginning to creep about in snipey areas rather than really run. I'd rather he bumped every snipe in Britain than see him do that.

The deer chasing is up to you , Buck was seriously bad at that till I managed to surprise him in mid chase and bloody well terrify him! I've not had much trouble since then.

Bill T.

Mike

DesO'Neile · The Long Day.

It is some time since I used this, or needed to use it but it was very effective.

Max was a big spare orange and white pointer dog that I had had professionally trained, (The only one ) and he had been trained on pheasants. Max didn't do snipe, a big problem for a trial dog in Ireland.

The Long Day is a bit on a misnomer as it actually took three days. On a Good Friday Ryan ran him on the beech at Crawfordsburn in the evening for a good spell, about an hour. On the next two days he probably had two or three outings of about an hour on the beach or the Mud Flats so by the time Easter Monday morning dawned he had run very hard for an hour on seven occasions over the last two or three days. Easter was late that year so I couldn't go to Black Mountain but I took Max to Cave Hill. It is fairly flat on the top and with a little rain over the last two days there was a chance of a snipe, or two.

I stepped off the style and cast Max off. Before I had the lead in my pocket he was on point. Two hundred yards into the wind and seven further snipe later I decided it was enough.

I was sitting on the tail gate of the Citroen un lacing my boots when Max who had climbed into the big dog bed in the back started to snore. He was out to the world, flat on his back, all four feet in the air.

Big Will, my mentor, was of the opinion that the dog being tired would encourage him to point, and handle, something else he wasn't quite doing for me at the time. Well it worked but I have always wondered why. Perhaps it would work for you Mike.

Mike

Thanks for that Des, will give it a go.

Helen

Snipe breed from April to August.

Helen

Mike

Well, we took Harley for a 2 hour "walk" on Friday with my parents and to say he was knackered is an understatement Wink

For a dog who rarely gets more than 30 minutes training / exercise at a time it was a bit of shock to him!

So I got up nice and early on Saturday and headed down to the Snipe "bog". Things went well although he was showing much reduced range (it would be better described as erratic, some casts where very long and others very short) and pace Wink

He had a very strong indication and looked just as surprised as I was when the bird jumped in front of him and then a couple of flash points for the other four birds in the same patch. Had a very good false point (by that I mean he was moving at good pace and suddenly locked up, I understand false pointing isn't desirable!) and it took him only second or so to figure out the bird had moved on, he then took off boring straight into the wind. After his last efforts down here (deer chasing) I assumed he was on deer scent again, so blew him down. Was gutted to see four snipe lift to the sound of my whistle about 40 meters directly in front of Harley (who was sitting and looking at me as if I was a complete idiot.....), although with the pace he was moving I am sure he would have bumped them anyway Rolling Eyes

I think it is only a matter of time before he starts to point them as I am pretty sure that he has figured out that is what I want but he hasn't quiet got to grips with what he can get away with i.e. how careful he needs to be.

DesO'Neile

Paradoxically they learn a lot from a flush. You can grumble at him if he flushes but whatever you do don't chastise around game. Granny ....sucking eggs........and all that.

Mike

windem bang

I completely agree with Des - quote - " They can learn a lot from a flush."

Bill T.

Helen

We made the mistake with chastising with the flush - or rather chasing after flushing, with our setter. Rob shouted at her for chasing a grouse last year and it has taken a year for her to gain confidence around grouse. Rob started counting last week up at Otterburn and took her, Harvey and Milly with him. He said Dotty came on leaps and bounds. Really pleased with how she has come good as we were thinking that we had possibly ruined her. He allowed her to do pretty much whatever and she worked out that pointing and then looking for more scent after the flush worked for her.

It really is amazing how you train different dogs differently! A real learning curve.

Helen

Helen S

I'm glad I am not the only one trying to work this out Mike. I have also come across the misreading the dog phenomenon and all too rare game flushing when I didn't believe her.

Helen I did the same to Liesel on ducks. I must have been too strong with my sit to flush training and she just started to avoid going to the river bank we had been using. That is why I am a bit lost on what to do if she points something really close, I am quite aware she may peg but I don't want to put her off either. I am thinking this is where the "yard" training comes in with pigeons at close quarters?

Helen S

DesO'Neile

Helen S,
If you have pigeons great, but you can still do it without them. I have to disagree with your assertion that you over did the sitting/dropping. I feel you under did it..................away from game. You want the sit/drop so instilled that the flush or presence of the bird is nearly incidental. The way that works for me is to work at the drop well away from game. If the next time you go to game the dog isn't right then go away and work at it some more, away from game. Eventually it will work.

Helen S

Thanks for the encouragement Des. It seems we are on a bit of a see saw at the moment sometimes I feel I am being too strong with her when she backs off a bit and occasionally I look a complete idiot when I say nothing and my dog does her own thing!

I am hoping with the NZ season just coming up and newly acquired access to a shooting ground I can show her plenty of birds and give her the positive experiences she needs now. If I can manage to not **** up too often!!

Helen S

Emma_

We usually have a problem with the dogs chasing reindeer and that is really bad because if the reindeer owners see that they sometimes even shoot the dog!
I know some people contact the local reindeer owner and ask to put the dog into the same pen with some tame reindeers and that usually scares the s**t out of most dogs. Reindeers can be quite nasty if threatend... That usually ends the chasing. My weim is fortunately not chasing them, he runs to them and makes them run but then he comes back. He just loves to scare them I guess...

Helen

Sounds a bit like the problem we have with sheep Emma. I have a friend who had her gsd shot by a farmer for chasing sheep Sad

Helen

windem bang

Hi Emma, I too would treat the problem the same as for a dog chasing sheep.

Good luck.

Bill T.

A step too far....

The Long Day.