Starting A hunting GWP puppy the right way.

[Grizzlybalzer]

I am delighted to say I am getting a 8 week old GWP in 10 days. And am in need of some help in the Hunting training of these dogs. I/ve raised Airedale Terriers before so doing the basic training like sit, stay, come, is not the problem. It's the training for hunting and pointing and getting Her trained up right from the Get-go. And i'm sure everyone has their opinions on how they say to train. But Just need some pointers in the right way. whether it be books, or hunting dog clubs down here in the lower mainland, personal tips ect ect.

I am located in Langley
Want to train her for Upland game, mainly Grouse and pheasants, but would like her to be able to do duck as well.
any insight/direction is encouraged. Whether it be on this or a PM.

if anyone else that has a GWP and wouldn't mind meeting up please let me know. I'm all ears

Griz

[yamadirt 426]

Ive got a book I can lend you and I can tell you what Ive done right and more importantly what I've done wrong. Also I'm in Langley Pm me your info if you like.

[Sasquatch]

Congrats on the GWP, they are hunting machines. Yama has done a great job with his dog and is not too bad a guy to boot. :-)
Pick his brain as much as you can.

Best advice I would give any new gun dog owner, is take your time introducing him to guns. People take their dogs to gun ranges to get them used to the sound of gunfire and it even works sometimes, but when it goes bad....it goes really bad. Just make sure he isn't gun shy and the rest will be much easier.

[Deeboe]

dollar store cap gun used at random around the house can be a good idea.. thats what I do with my GSP

[Esox]

Congrats on the GWP, they are hunting machines. Yama has done a great job with his dog and is not too bad a guy to boot. :-)
Pick his brain as much as you can.

Best advice I would give any new gun dog owner, is take your time introducing him to guns. People take their dogs to gun ranges to get them used to the sound of gunfire and it even works sometimes, but when it goes bad....it goes really bad. Just make sure he isn't gun shy and the rest will be much easier.

Gun breaking is probably the simplest process you'll go through with your dog. Cap Gun; Blanks; .22; .410; 12 guage. Take your pup out to have fun playing with wild birds and mucking about and just work your way up with the loads. If the dogs having fun and the gun is going off he'll connect those two by nature. You can start with the cap gun when the pup is eating. Almost every aspect of pointer training is more difficult than gun breaking.

[gutpile]

Youtube is your friend !

[FirePower]

There are a number of threads where folks have outlined the process I use for gun breaking pups. In a nutshell do it at feeding time. When they have their nose in the dish have someone fire a blank gun(or cap gun) at a distance. If the pup pays no attention come a bit closer the next time until you are standing next to the pup. Don't rush it, if it flinches or looks startled stop at that distance till it is comfortable with it again then proceed from there. Then go to a shotgun but in the city you may have to do that away from home. Just be sure to do it while the pup is having fun and distracted. working in pairs helps bigtime with this.

[Grizzlybalzer]

Awesome. Thanks guys. Really appreciate it! I have now had the pup for officially 2 weeks and man is she coming along amazing! I have been doing the cap gun like crazy at random and while feeding. She isn't flinching or anything. Pretty excited about it. She's retrieving and recalling as well (90% of the time) plenty to learn and plenty to experience. She shows plenty of dominance over toys and even socializing her to other trusted dogs she can't stop wanting to wrestle and play. She is also all about wanting to please. Everything is for praise and she is soaking it up. I need to get some pheasant and duck feathers. Any suggestions where? I'll get the duck from the bird sanctuary in Ladner. But as for pheasant I'm just not sure.
As for pics. I'll get them up ASAP!

[northernbc]

good post to read she sounds like a great pup.

[yamadirt 426]

Awesome. Thanks guys. Really appreciate it! I have now had the pup for officially 2 weeks and man is she coming along amazing! I have been doing the cap gun like crazy at random and while feeding. She isn't flinching or anything. Pretty excited about it. She's retrieving and recalling as well (90% of the time) plenty to learn and plenty to experience. She shows plenty of dominance over toys and even socializing her to other trusted dogs she can't stop wanting to wrestle and play. She is also all about wanting to please. Everything is for praise and she is soaking it up. I need to get some pheasant and duck feathers. Any suggestions where? I'll get the duck from the bird sanctuary in Ladner. But as for pheasant I'm just not sure. As for pics. I'll get them up ASAP!Everything sounds good. I've got some pheasant wings and whole duck in the freezer for you

[Grizzlybalzer]

Everything sounds good. I've got some pheasant wings and whole duck in the freezer for you
yami. You're a champ!

[yamadirt 426]

I hope everything is going well with your pup. She is adorable and has the perfect temperment imo. Looking forward to seeing her again

cheers