Highlander Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 This may well have been asked before and answered. If so please point me in the direction of the post. My 18mth old Lab picks dead game no problem but refuses (wimps it really) to pick wounded game that's bouncing around. What can I do to get the desired result? One for NTTF maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Highlander, two qestions: 1) has he ever been spurred or beat up by a live bird? 2) does he have a soft mouth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted December 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Hi Dan thought you might be out there somewhere. Thanks for responding. The dog is Ben (LBs dog) son so may be a hopeless case but no he's never even got close enough to a live bird to attempt to pick it. He'll go to pick it but as soon as it shows signs of life he backs off and loses interest. Not hard mouthed, will carry chickens eggs around without damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new to the flock Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Seeing as its Bens boy I am surprised he is not holding it down and throwing one into it It may have been he was startled by one or maybe a bird gave him a peck or a spur at sometime you missed when he was young. The best way to get around this I find .....and I am putting my tin hat on for all the do gooders to throw their best at me........is get yourself 3 or 4 quail to start and then 3 or 4 ferel (barn) pigeons. Use the back garden or a fenced in area. To start I put a good heavy elastic band around the wings keeping them tight to the body, and let the bird go in the enclosure . It will be able to run around and jump but not fly. Have the dog in the enclosure when you release to bird and ignore both. The dog will check the bird out, and then probably turn from it.......VERY IMPORTANT....say nothing....just stay quiet, the dog will go back and leave probably several times, but if you are patiant he will pick it up at some point. Do not be discuraged if he puts it down again as he will lift it before long. Once he has it in his mouth and is comfortable then praise and call him to you. Step two is to repeat with just one wing banded to the body, this will allow one wing to flap around as the bird moves. Step three is to repeat steps one and two with a pigeon...a little bigger bird therefore a little more intimidating. Over here we can get pheasants for training ....I do not know if you can there.....if so after the pigeon I would go first to a hen phesant and then a cock bird and then all should be fine in the field. If not try to send him for a crippled hen out in the field....just take pavman along and let him shoot to find one ....a couple of hens and then a cock or two and you should be good to go. If any problems let me know and we will try to come up with something else. NTTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted December 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh he’s Bens boy alright. ******* Dog is his middle name I think we could fall foul (to say nothing of fowl, don’t you just lurve the English language) of the RSPB, RSPCA, Natural England AND every other busybody organisation to say nothing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act over this but sounds like a plan. He might of course simply be a wimp as he regularily lets the chickens eat food from his bowl! Trouble is I use the chickens to teach them (the dogs) not to chase stuff. If all else fails, pavman, as you say, is probably my best bet (never intentionally kills with the first shot) Thanks for the input, I’ll report back once he’s getting it right. Merry Christmas, guess you've got plenty of the white stuff for Santa to wade through on Christmas Eve! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 I could go off you two! However it is a difficult one to correct, There’s nowt wrong with LB’s Ben so like NTTF says,,,, perhaps one of the Chickens had a go at him a while back and he knows he is not supposed to chase them so he may have inadvertently been trained to leave a flapping bird and is doing in the field what he has been doing in the yard…..leaving a clucking chicken is about the same as leaving a flapper to a dog with most of his brains between his legs I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 I could go off you two! However it is a difficult one to correct, There’s nowt wrong with LB’s Ben so like NTTF says,,,, perhaps one of the Chickens had a go at him a while back and he knows he is not supposed to chase them so he may have inadvertently been trained to leave a flapping bird and is doing in the field what he has been doing in the yard…..leaving a clucking chicken is about the same as leaving a flapper to a dog with most of his brains between his legs I guess Thank you Pavman, those two previous posters are a couple of numbnuts don't you think? Highlander, I forgive you and will throw you a bone here. Sweep has been spurred on a couple of occasions and will not pick a runner for a while after. I give him pheasents that are made safe to get him back on line LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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