simulated flush

[darren m]

lads i need some ideas tips or tricks on how to set up a simulated flush ie bird or rabbit ( cold game ) to practice my stop to flush exercise

 

at the mo i cant afford a visit to a rabbit pen or trainer , my bitch ess is coming along ok , its just this vital last bit of the real thing .

one to one rough shooting (not masses of birds or other dogs) shes ok . i,m wanting use her for beating but shes not 100 % to flush as yet in a beating situation , she's 2yr next week and needs the experience now

 

shes well trained , but as a gun dog ( ie the DVDs ) not so much as a beating dog ie to walk up game cover etc along with 1/2 doz other dogs all darting about the excitemant is sometimes too much

 

so i want to try and simulate some single flushes for her and hopefully get her to sit to flush

[Spaniel]

when she is hunting have you thrown a dummy or fired a shot and does the dog sit

[Dirty Harry]

I trainer I went to recomend walking your dog to heal and throw a fast dummy to the floor just in front of the dog and blowing the stop whistle. This is to simulate a bolting rabbit. I imagine you could do the same with a thrown dummy to simulate a bird.

 

Harry

[Lloyd90]

put a du,,y on a bungie cord and have a release that you can pull from a few feet away. When the dog gets near it pull the release and blow stop whistle. Can also use a dummy with a rabbit skin on or even a rabbit itself so its quite like the real thing

[darren m]

thanks lads - bungie cord idea sounds good , guessing it would work with 2 people better

 

i will also tighten up my sit to shot routine , although when a shot is fired it does take her attention away from the flush itself

 

i,ve thrown the dummy and blown stop whistle but always when shes out hunting , so i can get between her and the dummy , but i will try it close up . shes mad for tennis balls ( too mad ) so that will be a big temptation for her and right at her feet

 

 

any more ideas or varients welcomed

 

cheers

[kent]

Get it out on a training tracking leash were there are birds knocking about in the open (with landowners consent obviously), when the dog flushes one blow the stop and give a yank if it don't sit imediate. Repeate the exersize time and again. Have also heard of using dizzied pigeons but never tried it as is just too easy for me to take a walk about and i am surounded by game birds here