Willow32 Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Just wondering whats the best age to intruduce a dog to pigeon shooting. Regards willow32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PERCE Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 when it's ready & without seeing / knowing the dog nobody can tell you this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Sounds like you need to train it first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow32 Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Cheers Lee....OK then at what standard would you have the dog trained to then to take it pigeon shooting e.g. sitting in a hide . The reason I ask is that I have never had a gun dog , always had lurchers . We use to take the lurchers out with us ferreting and shooting from around 5/6 months old. They were never worked just got them use to sitting and watching and learning basic manners . Now I am not saying about taking a 6/8 month old Spaniel / Lab beating or a full blown shoot as that would be a recipe for disaster , would it do the dog any harm to go pigeon shooting ..e.g sitting in a hide ?.....like I say not working it , just getting it use to the enviroment and learning some manners Regards Willow32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Sorry if I seemed rude, but like I said you'll need to start formally training her. The fastest and easiest way to make a dog scared of guns and bangs is to make it sit in a pigeon hide without a purpose. On the other hand the fastest and easiest way to make a dog unruley is to take it out shooting before it's ready. I had the displeasure of shooting with a bloke this season who dogs ran in to every shot, everybody elses dog waited at heel whilst this yellow lab raced into everything. Yes it retrieved them well, however my dog and others retrieved well but they waited on fall and command. Start training steadily away at 6 months old. My lab was 14months old before he sat in a pigeon hide. I went out for an hour and half shot 8 pigeons, he picked 4 and I fired 25 shots. The points being made to him that he will wait patienlty, not every bang equals a retrieve but he should pay attention to every bang, and not every bird is his to retrieve. As you progress with training in the natural course of time he will be exposed to the enviroment. As with all teaching if you give a person/dog the big picture before the proper time important detail is missed and considered irrelavant. Training a gundog is like building a house to the majority of people the house is just bricks and motor with nice things inside. To the people that build them it's months/years of planning and hard work and then the finished article is ready for use. Edited February 28, 2013 by lee-kinsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 There are also plenty of books that will take you through the process. Gundogs their learning chain by Joe Irving is a good one ATB, Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highbird70 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 Sorry if I seemed rude, but like I said you'll need to start formally training her. The fastest and easiest way to make a dog scared of guns and bangs is to make it sit in a pigeon hide without a purpose. On the other hand the fastest and easiest way to make a dog unruley is to take it out shooting before it's ready. I had the displeasure of shooting with a bloke this season who dogs ran in to every shot, everybody elses dog waited at heel whilst this yellow lab raced into everything. Yes it retrieved them well, however my dog and others retrieved well but they waited on fall and command. Start training steadily away at 6 months old. My lab was 14months old before he sat in a pigeon hide. I went out for an hour and half shot 8 pigeons, he picked 4 and I fired 25 shots. The points being made to him that he will wait patienlty, not every bang equals a retrieve but he should pay attention to every bang, and not every bird is his to retrieve. As you progress with training in the natural course of time he will be exposed to the enviroment. As with all teaching if you give a person/dog the big picture before the proper time important detail is missed and considered irrelavant. Training a gundog is like building a house to the majority of people the house is just bricks and motor with nice things inside. To the people that build them it's months/years of planning and hard work and then the finished article is ready for use. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 +1 +2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow32 Posted February 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I agree with the planning ,hence all the questions , I have orderd the book you have mentioned and also already got some training DVD's but there are some questions they dont answer hence posting on here. Like I say I use to have a lurcher that I used for beating and picking up when pigeon shooting , but I know every breed of dog is different .When I get a dog it will be a long term commitment and I dont want to spoil it as I will hopefully have it for many years. Still in to minds wether to go for a pup or something older but that decision is still way off . Cheers Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshAndy Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Get yourself a well bred lab mate! I took the plunge last year and wish I'd done it years ago. Mines 11 months old now and coming on great (in my opinion) we have two training sessions a day, morning and evening. Like they say you get out what you put in - and don't rush it, play training and basic obedience training for the first 10-12 months then on to the more advanced stuff. I got told the other day 'the best way to ruin a gundog is to take it shooting'! I'm not taking mine out properly til he's atleast 18 months. Good luck mate Andy Edited February 28, 2013 by WelshAndy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 You can help it along with using dummies wrapped with pigeon wings but as Lee has said take it slow.The trick is to only let it fetch the odd one, so sit the dog up and pick them up your self never let the dog second guess which one it gets to go for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted February 28, 2013 Report Share Posted February 28, 2013 I'd say to get a pup, only reason and a good reason for this is because there is potential that an older pup i.e. one that is 6-12 months old could already have had alot of negatives put into it as a result of the previous owner. Yes you could work through these issues if they exist but its easier not to. Also watching your pup grow from 8 weeks gives you 4-5 months of good time that you can spend really getting to know the character of you dog, and I find this really pleasurable. All the best with what you get, you sound like your preparing well. Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postie Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Joe Irving top book so easy to follow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actionpigeons Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Sorry if I seemed rude, but like I said you'll need to start formally training her. The fastest and easiest way to make a dog scared of guns and bangs is to make it sit in a pigeon hide without a purpose. On the other hand the fastest and easiest way to make a dog unruley is to take it out shooting before it's ready. I had the displeasure of shooting with a bloke this season who dogs ran in to every shot, everybody elses dog waited at heel whilst this yellow lab raced into everything. Yes it retrieved them well, however my dog and others retrieved well but they waited on fall and command. Start training steadily away at 6 months old. My lab was 14months old before he sat in a pigeon hide. I went out for an hour and half shot 8 pigeons, he picked 4 and I fired 25 shots. The points being made to him that he will wait patienlty, not every bang equals a retrieve but he should pay attention to every bang, and not every bird is his to retrieve. As you progress with training in the natural course of time he will be exposed to the enviroment. As with all teaching if you give a person/dog the big picture before the proper time important detail is missed and considered irrelavant. Training a gundog is like building a house to the majority of people the house is just bricks and motor with nice things inside. To the people that build them it's months/years of planning and hard work and then the finished article is ready for use. As above, you should not take any dog shooting until it is has its basic training, and know that a bang sometime means a reward (retrieve) I can never understand the rush, take your time. Do it right as you will have the dog with you for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 when it's ready & without seeing / knowing the dog nobody can tell you this like he says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.