Bird Launchers And Pointer Training Options

[elksniper]

I recently bought a german shorthair pointer and I'm in the process of training him. Just wondering if anyone has used bird launchers in training and what the results were. Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks

[isshe]

I raise English Pointers and I use the launchers to teach my dogs to be steady to wing and shot.

It's a great piece of equipment if used right...you can introduce a young pup to birds with it if you are careful not to let the pup get close to it....by that I mean...if a young pups gets close and the launcher goes off and hits the pup or scares the pup...it could make it afraid of birds because it will think that the bird did it.

This is a picture of a pup that I used launchers with...this pup isn't even a year old when this picture was taken and does a great job at steady to wing and shot. He is pointing wild quail here and does just a great on wild pheasants too.

]http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v454/isshe/?action=view¤t=pentax061.jpg

Maybe this link will work...

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v454/iss...t=pentax061.jpg

[David Walker]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish, if the dog has the foundation to point and back and the dog is steady to shot or if you shoot to retrieve meaning let the dog break out of point to retrieve the bird.

A cheap and inexpensive way - is set your dead birds up in a position that when he is going to smell the bird by you walking back and forth zig zagging down wind of them that he starts to learn the quartering technique - then when I have taught a dog to do this at the end I like to shoot and throw a bird or have someone there to so - (make sure the dog has been introduced to gunfire properly) Then after I have been doing it that way for about 4 days then I like to put a live bird under a milk crate if I am working by myself and just kick it over, that way if you are working a dog on pointing the bird has no where to go so the dog is not moving after it reinforcing the point then just kick it over - I teach the majority of my dogs to quarter and sit to flush using this method.

David

[elksniper]

Thanks for the info guys. My pup is doing really well with his yard training. I used pheasant wings and scent to introduce him to tracking which he picked up really quickly (I made sure he didn't get the wings very often - just a couple times to get him really birdy) He has been on live birds a few times and when he gets close he gets really birdy and usually points for just a few seconds and then relocates which usually results in the bird flushing. He has only had about 3 true flushes. I'm not sure if his flash pointing is just a result of his inexperience or if I should be doing something different. I'm trying not to be too hard on him around birds this early so I don't ruin his drive. Should I just let him do his thing for a few more flushes and see if he starts to hold a point longer once he gets a little more experience?
Thanks again

[huntingbug]

I have Brittany Spaniels and I do not us e Launchers I have a live bird trap and I put it on my roof of my house. I put dry dog food in it and catch any where from 10 to 60 doves and pigeons a day with it I then go out in a field and spin the bird stick it in the grass and different areas and then let the dogs out. Then when the point we teach flushing I shoot the pigeons and let the doves go for now until season. I have had trained several dogsthis way and have 3 great hunting dogs along with 4 pups in training right now. They may not be field champion trained but we hunt phesant, quail, dove, and chuckar real well.