Show Lines Can't Hunt....NOT!!

Mel Blacke

Well-Known Member
The long awaited pheasant wings came in the mail finally and we promptly put them to use in the park. I put one on the end of a flirt pole and flapped it around and she liked it. Then we put it to the test and I had her sit with her back to me and hid it about 4 ft into the brush at the park, called her to heel and asked for eye contact (just like when we play hide and seek at home) and then sent her after it. Fi plunged right in, found it and brought it right back to me. She didn't get distracted or hesitate at all--she was all business. She was definitely in high-drive mode and intent on her task. We did it a couple of more times just to get her used to the new game. So now we have a new game to add to the repertoire during our more or less daily outings to the park. My idea is to slowly raise the criterion so the searches take a little longer and are a little further away. We will also need to resume working stationary position changes at a distance because the dog must be able to "down" once the bird is flushed. There are at least two other skills that we need to add for this to be successful: She must not flinch at the sound of gun shot and she must not munch on the article that she is retrieving.

So the new goal is to buy a game bird which I will keep for a couple of days (feeding and watering it of course) and see if she is interested in it. If all goes well, I will hide it in the brush in the cage and ask her to find it with the pheasant wing placed on top of the cage to retrieve. If she is successful there, then I will set the bird in the brush and have her flush it. The bird will get away for sure but it is a necessary sacrifice to stoke enthusiasm for the task.

I was so proud of my little gal!!
 
That sounds fun. I wish I could see her in training.

PS: The bird will be more that happy to fly away!
 
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