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Rhimad · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject:

Dogs aye who would have them!!!!! Tikka is our best dog, though I have to say Saker is coming brilliant. I am hoping that maybe Tikka was out of sorts and I suppose she is allowed to have one off day, only one though Laughing

That is exactly what I have done Claire, I havent done any retrieving with her all last week, John said we will take her out on her own for a walk about and shoot some feggies and see how she gets on at the weekend.

Tikka is 7 now maybe she has decided it is time to retire Laughing

Unless it was something to do with Saker (daughter from previous litter)beign with her??? I dont know, I will let you know how we get on at the weekend.

Claire · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject:

Rightyho, another picking up day under the belt = more questions Rolling Eyes

Saturday was actually a pretty naff day, plenty of birds but not many being shot, resulting in a bag of 26 with Whistle only retrieving 4 of them. I wouldn't care but I kept changing my position and standing behind different guns in the hope they would be a better shot and I could get some work Shocked

First bird of the day was a cock, came down in a field on the other side of an electric fence. I could see it and it looked dead, so I put Whistle under the fence, she ran out with gusto, picked the thing up which suddenly decided to reincarnate itself = pricked bird, and Whistle had a great old time of mauling the effing thing whilst I was cursing the little sod. Not too much damage done but totally unacceptable and would she hell bring it back to me. Eventually she brought it close enough to the fence that I could grab it and I got her back under the fence with a boot up her @rse. Much to the amusement of one of the guns who had obviously overheard my choice language Embarassed

To be fair on her, the above has never happened before and so whilst I do realise I have a lot of training ahead of me, I do feel a lot of it was down to inexperience and the fact it was her first retrieve of the day, lots of shots had been fired with little actually being shot, and she was very excited Rolling Eyes

Next bird that was shot was stone dead, but it landed a good 300yds from me over the brow of a hill. Gun confirmed it was dead as he could see it and so I sent Whistle. She legged it out at a rate of knots and disappeared over the brow of the hill. She then seemed to lose a bit of confidence, not helped by me not able to see her and therefore not sure what command to give. So she came back to me a couple of times. I stood on the brow of the hill and sent her again and directed her a little onto this bird, which she found and thankfully didn't maul but brought it back to me in her usual fashion of dropping it closeby.

3rd bird we both marked, but I made her wait until the drive was almost over as this was one of our best drives where a lot of birds come over quite suddenly and therefore a lot of shots are fired. Eventually I sent her for the bird, I couldn't see it, but knew (or thought I knew) where it had landed. It looked well hit so no reason for me to suspect a pricked bird or a runner. Whistle hunted the area really well, which is a very wet area quite thick with rushes. Eventually she went on point, but didn't hold it for very long and just as she was going in I saw the bird tucked deep inside the rushes. It gave a little squeak as she got hold of it, but made no effort to move or fly. I thought sh*t, she's gone and pegged a fresh bird Evil or Very Mad

However, I was fairly certain that no fresh bird could have been in this area as too many people and dogs had gone through it, prior to the start of the drive, so I was sure it was the bird I had marked but it was indeed pricked. Just to be sure, we put 2 dogs through the area to make sure there were no other birds and nothing was found. Unfortunately the chap that took the bird off me wasn't very good at checking to see if it was pricked and before I knew it, the bird was put into the landrover and taken away so no further chance of inspecting it Rolling Eyes

Last bird of the day for Whistle was one that I saw shot from a distance and it landed about 400yds away. So I told her to get out and go find it (as opposed to sending her out for a blind and me just standing waiting for her to return and risk her being out of sight and me not being able to give her correct encouragement) and I hunted her all the way along until we got to the area, again thick with rushes, that I saw the bird fall. Eventually she went on point and I thought oh bloody hell not again, but this time she held the point for even less time and went in and retrieved a very dead bird.

So, it seems that having pointed a pricked bird this then confused her and she pointed a dead bird, but then she seemed to correct herself fairly swiftly on both occasions. What do you all think? Is this the case and is this how she may learn when to point and when not to point? Also would appreciate feedback on all of the above, particularly any actions that I have taken incase I am making mistakes, creating possible problems for the future or not helping Whistle in anyway.

Apologies it is so long, I hope for those of you that have made it to the end I haven't bored you Embarassed

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Hunting is natural, even foxes do it !

Whenever life hands you lemons, grab the salt and add the tequila

Helen · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject:

I think it's down to experience again. As the second time, she pointed for less time, she is learning about the different smells.

Helen

windem bang · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:56 pm Post subject:

I wasn't bored at all Claire. Your dog is inexperienced, pointing dead or wounded game is common. Experience, (next season now unfortunately) will help sort out that problem. Dogs just have to work it out for themselves.

My old girl Taz, has been picking up since she was 8 months old. Very occasionally she still makes a mistake and points on a lightly pricked bird. I think she has commited herself to the point before the fact that the scent says, "Wounded!" reaches her. I just leave her to work it out for herself.

I would not have sent any of my dogs over a hill 300 yards away for a blind retrieve. Not even in an Open trial is that likely to ever be required, there is just too much that could go wrong. I would have walked with her to the hill crest then sent her.

I don't think you did anything much wrong Claire but I do think you expected a little too much from an inexperienced dog.

Out of your entire post the thing that would have worried me most if it had been my dog was the very 1st bird. You and I are at about the same stage with this. Our dogs sometimes still bugger about with a bird instead of calmly picking it and returning. Again it is probably going to need next season to sort out the problem. I'm going to take Buck to 2 or 3 shoots before the season ends to try to give him some experience without overdoing it and having him boil over. A bit of a balancing act based on the dogs reactions to birds falling and retrieves given from drive to drive. Too much might be worse than nothing at all !

The basic thing we both have to get right is the return and delivery with game. I now have no problems with dummies except that he holds them too loosely at times and they fall out of his mouth, - better that than the other way around!

I am cursing that the season is coming to an end just as I'm starting to get some good deliveries on fresh shot game, I should have been at this stage 2 months ago, maybe more !!!

Next season is a long way away, I'd advise you to do as much as you can NOW. Dogs don't get younger as time passes.

Bill T.

Claire · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:10 pm Post subject:

This is the first time she has pointed a pricked bird and a dead bird, I guess it had to happen and I am glad she is learning from it.

Bill I feel the same in that I am hacked off that the season is already coming to an end because I don't feel I have done enough yet. Whistle has certainly gained a lot this season but I am eager for us both to gain more and just as we are both getting our confidence up the season is coming to an end Twisted Evil

Having thought about it all, my feelings are that I should never have sent her for the first retrieve because the electric fence is a bugger to climb over and I feel I should only send her for retrieves that I have a bit more control over. Which agrees with you on sending her over the hill for the 2nd retrieve. I should have walked a bit closer first until I could at least keep her in my sights, and then sent her. You are not the first and I doubt you will be the last, to tell me my expectations are too high too soon Laughing

I have at least 1 other day picking up this Saturday and we may squeeze another day in on 1st Feb and then that will be it until probably Oct/Nov time next year Crying or Very sad

_________________
Hunting is natural, even foxes do it !

Whenever life hands you lemons, grab the salt and add the tequila

windem bang · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject:

Try having a word with your gamekeeper or some of the guys on your shoot Claire. You might be able to get some picking up on the grouse. I used to love that, most of what happens you can see. It's great - except when it's p*$$**g down rain and blowing a gale !

Bill T.

windem bang · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:26 pm Post subject:

P.S. If you get some picking up on the grouse you may find your dogs retrieving/ delivery etc. improves a lot. Being a smaller bird dogs find them easier to pick up and carry, they gain in confidence. This confidence often carries over onto the bigger birds, the pheasants.

Bill T.

sako75 · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject:

Claire ,

Stick with it and take advantage of your last two days , even if she buggers about with the deliveries at least she is gaining experience on warm game. I think it is one of these things where actual experience is everything , the more times you expose her to warm game the more she will learn.

In my case , the more I expose Millie to warm game the more she takes the P**S Mad

Hope Saturday goes well for you and I look forwards to reading your update and tell Gary to stop missing all those phessies............. Very Happy

Barry.
_________________
"Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them.
It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu.
But I think it's Colin."

sako75 · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject:

Have you tried Whistle on partridge Claire ? - same as what Bill is saying re. size - Whistle may pick and deliver these more consistently than say a big cock pheasant. Millies first warm game was partridge and she done really well and I think the smaller size made all the difference.

Barry.
_________________
"Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them.
It's either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu.
But I think it's Colin."

Claire · Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject:

Hmmm I'm not sure if I can arrange picking up on the grouse but I'll ask around. We don't have a gamekeeper now as he died, so the job is now being shared between Gary and myself and 2 others. Its been very hard work and I suspect next season is going to be even harder, but good fun as I enjoy it and it helps keep me fit (ish) Very Happy

Re partridge, well there used to be quite a few on our shoot but Saturday gone was the first day we saw just 1 partridge which unfortunately the gun missed Rolling Eyes

_________________
Hunting is natural, even foxes do it !

Whenever life hands you lemons, grab the salt and add the tequila