Results of first exposure to birds > Forum > American Pointing Lab Association

Forums

Forums > American Pointing Labrador Association > General

Subject: Results of first exposure to birds

Please Register to post to the American Pointing Labrador Association Forums

Author

Messages

Hobbes
Leadville, CO

Certified

Online Status: User is Offline

Posts:78

04/06/2008 8:05 PM	Alert
Hopefully this is not a repeat. I typed out a full explanation of our day afield and it was somehow lost when I tried to post it, so this is my second attempt. Bow got his first exposure to birds (quail) and water in KY last week. My brother introduced me to his buddy with the PL's and Wendell suggested I take bow for a walk around the field and to the pond to see what he thought of the water. He dove into the water at a run with very little coaxing and it was plain to see he wasn't expecting the depth by his flailing for the shore. The first dive into the water must not have been too frightening becuase he continued to run in and out of the pond. We did a few retrieves by starting at the waters edge and then progressing to about 30 ft into the water so he had to swim out and back. He did so as I would expect any Retriever except for the less than gracefull swimming, but I know that will come to him easy enough. Birds were then released while I took Bow downwind of the field. He had already been extrememly interested in the smells from the bird house, but did not know what they were. He smelled intently at the first bird's scent, but moved on because at the time it was no more exiting than the mice and grass and freshly dug earth or anything else that he had never smelled in the foot after foot of snow I've been walking him in near Leadville. The second bird proved quite a bit more exiting and it flushed from directly beneath his nose. He jumped back immediately scared to death, but as soon as he saw the bird in flight he lunged for it and we held him back with the check cord to keep him from running it down and catching it. Now we took him back to the first after he sniffed and snorted for a while at where the flushed bird had been. This time he had an idea what the smell was and I saw his first brief point before he moved in and flushed the bird. If Wendell had not pointed it out as a "flash point" I probably would not have been sure that it was any sort of a point. We had to really hold him back on this bird or he would have run it down. On his third bird we saw the best point, while it was only brief before he flushed the bird, I could even see it as a point. I had to restrain him from running the flushed bird down and he watched it intently as it flew across the field. A minute or so later when I let go of the cord he ran straigt to where the bird had landed and I could not begin to keep up. He had found the bird before I could get there and practically had his nose on it, but did not catch it because it was in a depression and did not move or he would have. The fourth bird, I finally remembered to get my camera out and I got a photo of his third brief point. The bird was running in plain sight ahead of him and when he finally spotted it he almost took my feet out from under me charging for it. Luckily we stopped him before he caught the bird. He found the last bird we moved down wind of, but it was high grass and I did not see a point before the bird flushed. After Bow's fun, Wendell got his two dogs out one at a time and I got to watch trained pointing labs work for the first time. I was very impressed with their abilities. All in all I was very pleased with the results of our first time on birds and water. If it weren't for the endless rain we would have went back later in the week for more fun. Not sure if Wendell visits this site or not, but if you do I can not begin to thank you enough for the fun. First photo is the one point I got a photo of. The second is just of bow in the sage grass smelling where one of the birds had been.

quackdaddy

Advanced

Online Status: User is Offline

Posts:142

04/07/2008 9:28 AM	Alert
hey Shane, It was great to meet you and I appreciate you coming out and playing with me and the dogs. Bow did a fine job, especially for first bird exposure. He definitely has instinct to point, besides having the potential to be whatever you want. Fortunately for you, there are lots of PL folks in CO that would be glad to help you with further training, whatever your personal goals may be. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate. I would have loved to do it again. We are expecting more flooding rains this week. Quail need a lifejacket. Didja get a turkey??

Hobbes
Leadville, CO

Certified

Online Status: User is Offline

Posts:78

04/07/2008 10:15 AM	Alert
No tukeys. The weather did not cooperate in AL either. I've got several photos of your dogs pointing if you would like me to send them to you. They aren't the greatest photos because of the slow shutter speeds in the late evening, but they are ok. Thanks again for the fun. Maybe we'll make it by again when we visit in the fall. Shane

Joel
Kennewick, WA

Certified

Online Status: User is Offline

Posts:27

04/08/2008 10:42 AM	Alert
That is great Shane. I am getting ready to expose my pup to birds for the first time this next week. Hopefully, I will see some of the same results. How old is your PL?

Hobbes
Leadville, CO

Certified

Online Status: User is Offline

Posts:78

04/08/2008 5:08 PM	Alert
He is 6 months and I would have like to put him on birds much sooner, but the opportunity did not exist. If I had really thought about when I was getting him and where I lived I would have waited on another litter, but no reason to look back now. What's done is done and I'm just looking forward.

Please Register to post to the American Pointing Labrador Association Forums

Forums > American Pointing Labrador Association > General > Results of first exposure to birds