gsp help

allow me to be more specific,, we spend time in the bush and he is hunting non stop,, he hasnt shown any particular interest in birds more then anything else.. I wanted to try him on pigeons and a lead to get him to point and hold so he has idea what he is supposed to be looking for. Right now he is just having fun with all the smells of the bush. We have had to move and so he got no hunting training just obedience training. Of course he loves playing with the kids but will only listen to me as far as commands, and he is pretty good at it to. Now I want him to focus his training on ruffed grouse.

This is the method I use.

http://www.huntsmith.com/

There are several good articles at the bottom of the page.

I would strongly suggest to everyone that if one of these seminars comes near to you that you attend. Rick was inducted into the Brittany section of the Bird Dog Hall of Fame in Grand Junction TN this weekend.

Sharon has a good grasp on my intent/strategy however you have offered quite a bit of additional info as this post evolves. Unfortunately, my recommendations often exclude a base or rudimentary knowledge that I sometimes assume everyone has. I apologize for this. You might have to read into what I post, sometimes. Most recently I sent a private message to Sharon and her response had me wondering!?! Then, I re-read my message and she is right. It was a very poor effort on my part. Stating and doing can sometimes be quite diverse.
I don't do things like most trainers - professional or not. For that matter some of the things I used to do as recently as 5 years ago are nothing short of laughable to me today. I don't have a specific template that I impose on pups/dogs that come here because like you and I, we are all different. One of my assets is that I've been at this a long time and have made MANY mistakes along the way. Be careful though! Some folk have been at this as long as I have and still implement those same concepts that emerged in the 60/70s! We have progressed light-years since then!
The picture you most currently have painted for me of your dog - if I get this right - is that your dog treats bird finds like other intriguing scents. This concerns me - not if you were talking about a young pup that was newly experiencing the wonders of being outdoors - but because he is 3 years old, even if he wasn't previously hunted. You have not offered details regarding his pedigree, assuming you have one? This is important. Then again, you may not have one so..........?
Furthermore, since you now describe a dog that HAS encountered a lot of birds of late, you need to go back to the obedience side of the house and I don't mean just "come" or "heel". Do you have a strong foundation in the "Whoa" command (I use "whoop" with a lilt because it should be a positive supportive word and "whoa" happens to rhyme with "No"). Sorry....I'm all over the place aren't I?
So, if you have PROOFED your "whoop" you are now in a position to take him afield for further proofing. I think you get the picture by now. Anyway, you can follow the mainstream processes available to you as they come with more background literature and more folk with dogs that have gone that route.
All the best in future Todd.
Ugo

Terry, the wrong kind of birds - especially pen-raised - can in fact ruin a bird dog in it's developmental stages simply because whether it be quail or chukar, they are too slow. These dogs are supposed to be learning respect for birds but instead learn how stupid/easy to catch they are.
Once said dog is reliably steady, you can use it on virtually any bird species.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ugo

Terry, the wrong kind of birds - especially pen-raised - can in fact ruin a bird dog in it's developmental stages simply because whether it be quail or chukar, they are too slow. These dogs are supposed to be learning respect for birds but instead learn how stupid/easy to catch they are.
Once said dog is reliably steady, you can use it on virtually any bird species.

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Now I see where you were going with that. I very quickly realized that coturnix quail were more damage than good. They just weren't strong enough flyers.

Coturnix are what I used to use to proof a Brittany I was field trialing years ago. I would walk that bird under and around the dog. That dog became VERY steady.
Most pen-raised birds just don't have the savvy to elude an unruly or young dog. So, I just don't use them until AFTER the dog is steady.