Blinking (but not really)

I hope you can help with this one. I was quartering my one year old setter in the yard and had planted some quail for him. As we approached the plant the dog completely missed the bird. I had to quarter him back and forth four times until the bird fluttered and got his attention. Is this normal for a dog this new? I've only had him a few months and have been working on HERE and some WHOA (not with birds). The previous owners did nothing with him so I'm overcoming a lot of bad habits. Shouldn't he have scented the bird? regardless of if he knew what to do with it? Thanks
Darren

Hi Darren

I think I can help you with your problem. I see this almost daily with young dogs in for training. It is really not a problem so don't worry to much about it. You need to introduce your dog to birds in a natural way. Get some good fly quail or chukar and release a few in a field that you can use for training. The birds should be fully awake not dizzy, give the birds 10 to 20 minutes to settle in then work your dog in the area. Your dog might act like he does not smell the first couple of birds, but he should become excited when they flush and want to chase. It may take a few work outs but soon your dog will begin to point, it may just be a flash point but in time you can build on that until you have him well trained. Continue to do your yardwork on whoa and here, when your dog is ready and mature enough you can put all of the training together. Enjoy watching your young setter develop and have fun.

Best
Regards

Maurice Lindley
Lindley Kennels
803-243-4979 (Home)
803-243-3583 (Kennel)
SouthernGunDog@aol.com


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