Bringing 4 month old pup hunting?

[terrym]

You're dog is 4 months old now but by mid season it's a 6 month old dog and quite a bit of development can accumulate. I would just be very specific in where I hunted him. Grouse cover is typically tight and good woodcock cover even more so. Hard to beat a good woodcock flight to train a bird dog. I would not take him duck hunting at that age. First that might just be too much gunfire as that high speed steel shot barks pretty loud and secondly he will move around so much he will likely spook game. Just my opinion. You have been given some advice above from some very experienced dog trainers for free. Take notes. Great looking pup by the way.
i see you live in Atikokan. I used to hunt moose out that way and you live in bird "Mecca".

[krakadawn]

I'd bring him out hunting for sure. Just use your head, be safe, keep expectations low, have fun, get some exercise and off leash training. Short hunts with just you and him. Use a .22 or .410, shoot rarely.
I wouldn't waste a season, I'd get him on birds, it's a flushing breed.

I can't buy that, you're not wasting a season, you're laying the proper groundwork for later. Expectations and safety will both be very low as in low level for sure. How do you control him when a bird is flushed?

He hasn't been collar conditioned yet either......so much to do......

Terrym's suggestion are sound.

[Cass]

Not sure how I missed this thread. I'm the Cocker guy alluded to earlier in this thread. I did hunt my dog the first season but he was a January pup so he was 9-10 months old at the time and had been through gun and collar conditioning and force fetch. The basics can not be skipped if you want a flusher that you can enjoy hunting behind instead of one that stresses you out and has you yelling more than shooting. I would certainly take him for runs in the woods but as far as formal hunting I would not push that at all with such a young pup. My bird numbers are low (less simulation in the beginning), he had the basics and he was not a 4 month old pup. I left waterfowl till the following year when he was almost 2 years old to ensure those basics were ingrained when there was more stimulation- more birds, more shots, more dogs and more people hunting. Take him for walks and get him accustomed to cover. If he bumps a bird great. If not, he's still learning valuable lessons. But make sure the focus is on teaching the basics. That is in no way a waste of a season - you'll have many more to come and you'll enjoy them more with a trained dog.

[finsfurfeathers]

You're dog is 4 months old now but by mid season it's a 6 month old dog and quite a bit of development can accumulate. I would just be very specific in where I hunted him. Grouse cover is typically tight and good woodcock cover even more so. Hard to beat a good woodcock flight to train a bird dog. I would not take him duck hunting at that age. First that might just be too much gunfire as that high speed steel shot barks pretty loud and secondly he will move around so much he will likely spook game. Just my opinion. You have been given some advice above from some very experienced dog trainers for free. Take notes. Great looking pup by the way.
i see you live in Atikokan. I used to hunt moose out that way and you live in bird "Mecca".

That's my thinking never to young to get a pup in the woods. As long as you remember your focus is on training not shooting.
First contact


eventually leads to handling well enough pen pheasants, woodcock, and grouse equally well.

[welsh]

The basics can not be skipped if you want a flusher that you can enjoy hunting behind instead of one that stresses you out and has you yelling more than shooting.

Yup. Again, I have a 17-week-old (as of today) Springer. She won't be hunting this season, because she won't be ready.

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[maplevizsla]

Also remember at that tender age the growth plates haven't fully matured yet/closed and you shouldn't be hunting such a young pup continuously for long stetches at a time so not do damage its joints.
Also, the puppy hasn't been physically conditioned to hunt long periods of time, so short meaningful outings are better than long meaningless ones where the pup is put to the point of fatigue.
Sure the pup has energy to burn, but doesn't need to at 4mths old be beating the bush for 3+ hours straight all the time.
Let puppy enjoy the bush and what he finds this fall and focus on a successful next year.

[yellow dog]

Also remember at that tender age the growth plates haven't fully matured yet/closed and you shouldn't be hunting such a young pup continuously for long stetches at a time so not do damage its joints.
Also, the puppy hasn't been physically conditioned to hunt long periods of time, so short meaningful outings are better than long meaningless ones where the pup is put to the point of fatigue.
Sure the pup has energy to burn, but doesn't need to at 4mths old be beating the bush for 3+ hours straight all the time.
Let puppy enjoy the bush and what he finds this fall and focus on a successful next year.

Well said.