Training
with good flying quail increases a bird dog’s prey drive. Good bird dogs love
challenges; they are predators, and the more challenging the game, the more
excited the dog.
I was reminded of this a few years back while I was working dogs on
some johnny house quail that had become quite tame. About ten birds had decided
not to recall and formed a covey nearby. I was working a little female and
watched her go into the woods and point this covey. Head and tail held high, she
looked better on point than I had recently seen her. Her whole body quivered
with intensity as I stepped in front of her, and the birds burst out of the
woods like fireworks. This experience reminded me that boring birds make boring
dogs.
Besides increasing your dog’s intensity on point, good
flying quail teach dogs how close they can get without making them fly. The
best wild-bird dogs are aggressive on their game, moving up fast on a covey to
pin them before they can escape. There is no puttering around. Cautious dogs,
unsure how close to get, rarely have wild birds pointed in front of them
because these birds were able to run off.
One way to look at bird hunting is as a standoff
between the dog and the bird. The bird is trying to escape undetected, and the
dog is trying to get as close as possible without flushing it. Poor flying
birds allow the dog to crowd them. Few things in dog training are as
frustrating as birds that will not fly when the dog creeps closer and closer.
The first step to training with good flying quail is
buying good flying quail. Try to buy
quail from experienced game-bird breeders that raise and sell a lot of birds.
These birds should be conditioned in flight pens. Some breeders use water
misters to spray the birds daily, causing them to produce more oil for their
feathers. This helps them survive when released. Some breeders raise birds in
isolation, meaning they never see people. They are fed with automatic feeders,
or at night, when workers wear headlamps. Birds raised in isolation become very
spooky and flush if you or your dog gets too close. Finding a good source for
quail will help you in training. It’s definitely worth driving a few extra
hours for them, or paying a bit more.
The second step is releasing quail in as natural a way
as possible. Releasing
birds in the fall and feeding them through the winter is almost as good as
training on wild birds, but few people have the resources to do this. Johnny
houses can be a good option if you own or lease your grounds. If you train on
public grounds, there are some other choices. You can put ten or twenty birds
in a box, open the box, and let them fly out. While a natural way to train, it
can get expensive. Another option is to plant birds for your dog. Planting
birds gives you maximum control, since you have a good idea where the birds are
located. The downside is, you leave tracks your dog can follow. To plant quail
as naturally as possible, dizzy the birds and toss them down in light cover.
Try spreading a little wild-bird seed, and plant two birds together to help
keep them in the area. Wait a good thirty minutes before working your dog, so
the birds have a chance to move around and your scent trail will dissipate.
If you put the effort into buying good flying quail
and present them in a natural way, your dog will be challenged. As he is
challenged and his excitement builds, he will learn how to handle them and will
look better on his game.
