I visited a nearby trainer today, I wanted to talk to the guy and see his facility. Pretty impressive setup, he raises birds, trains dogs, teaches obedience and also does boarding.Winnie was with me, so he wanted to just see what she'd do with a bird. He got a quail, pulled the flight feathers and did that thing where he puts it to sleep in the grass. I didn't get to watch that because I was holding Winnie some distance away. Then he walked her near it, sure enough she found it and pointed it. It wasn't particularly stylish or even convincing, for that matter, but when the bird woke up she seemed to have some fun following it around.
Then the guy killed the quail and, after getting her a little excited about it, threw it for her to retrieve. She wasn't sure at first, but then she retrieved it no problem!
I don't know what my next steps are, but if they include getting more birds and letting her just get excited about them, it's good to know I can get birds - as well as advice and guidance - so close to home.
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I've read that if the owner gets on all fours and tracks the bird, then actually places it in his mouth and brings it back to the dog, the dog will pick up on what they are supposed to do. As you try this technique, PLEASE have Sandy standing by with the video camera. This will be a valuable training video for those of us thinking of getting a bird dog!
Yay Winnie! I'm jealous of your yummy bird!
Oh yum! That must smell good.
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