Last
week I was explaining to a training buddy how to flush birds for her dog. As we
were talking, I realized that as trainers, we are constantly adapting to each
situation—both the dog situation and bird situation—and that makes for a myriad
of flushing situations. Flushing in front of
young pups is different than flushing in front of older pups. There is flushing
for green-broke dogs versus broke dogs, birds in launchers versus planted birds
or wild birds. How you flush can help your dog or hurt him, and while an entire
book could be written on this topic, for now, here are a few tips:
1) Try not to flush birds for young pups. If your pup points, wait and see if he
is bold enough to flush the bird himself. You want to build boldness in your
pup around birds, and it begins here. By waiting, you give the bird a chance to
move around, thereby allowing the pup to be tempted into getting closer and
eventually making it fly. As pups get older and start holding point, do not
mess around. Get up there and flush. Also, be careful how you approach the
bird. If you walk in alongside your pup, your approach may act as a cue for him
to go with you. Instead, make a half-circle around your pup, which encourages
him to remain standing. Whenever possible, try to position yourself so you are
already in front of him; this way, you can flush toward him. Being in front
encourages him to hold point and discourages creeping.
2) During the steadying process, you want to do
everything you can to encourage your dog to stand still. If you are working with launchers, you
don’t need to walk all the way to the launcher. Once you are in front of your
dog, you can launch the bird. Again, try to avoid walking in alongside him. It’s
important to act calm whether you feel that way or not. If you are using
releasers, you may have to walk farther to make the bird flush. Once your dog
becomes steadier, you want to challenge him to remain standing by taking longer
to put the bird in the air.
3) Once you move to loose quail, flushing
requires more skill. Often
you do not know where the bird is located, and you may find yourself longing
for the control that the launcher releases gave you. Making the bird fly
becomes a challenge, and sometimes you have to calmly walk a running bird away
from your dog, and on occasion throw your hat to make it fly. Probably the
biggest challenge at this stage is determining when to walk in front of your
dog. A lot of dogs point and then begin to creep. Here is where the art of
reading your dog’s intentions is so important. If your dog points but starts to
creep as you approach, you may want to step back and see if he continues to
creep. If he stops once you step back, he may move forward when you step
forward again. Tapping him on the head and asking him to relocate may encourage
him to remain standing, or, better yet, encourage him to pounce so you can get
a good correction once the bird is in the air.
4) Having good flying quail and planting them
in loose cover so they can escape if your dog pressures them are both critical
ingredients for success.
Murphy’s Law is always at work, and the dog with the problem is usually the dog
that has the bad-luck bird work. Ideally, birds should flush as you walk in. If
you have been stomping around and cannot produce a bird, it may make more sense
to gently pick up your dog and carry him back a short distance before taking
him on rather than relocating him into a quail that has buried itself in the
grass. Picking up your dog may also be called for when the bird allows the dog
to get too close. In other words, some situations are better avoided when you
know they will likely end in your dog catching the bird.
5) If you have the opportunity to train on wild
birds, make a small half-circle in front of your dog and then walk straight
forward in the direction he is pointing. You want to be calm but aggressive, because these birds may be
running. If nothing gets up, birds may be sitting tight. Walk back to your dog
and then walk forward again, but this time walk more slowly and in a zigzag
pattern.
Flushing
is a difficult skill to learn. It really is more complicated than it appears,
and takes a lot of experience on your part. If you pay close attention to each
situation and try to learn from it, you will help your dog become steady. Dog
training is a two-way street; both you and your dog have to learn so that together,
you can help each other.
