Pointing Cocker Discussions

I'm helping a friend train his young cocker. He has got to the stage where he has been shotover and doing very well.

He does need work on his marking of retrieves but we are getting there.

Point of this post - this morning, we were hunting him up in some rushes when he just stopped rigid. He then looked at my friend and back to a clump of rushes. We walked up and I told my friend to send him in, which he did and out popped a rabbit and Pip sat. We were both amazed. We moved on and he did it again. I told my friend to see if he could develop this and not to make him sit, but praise him and then sit him after the flush. Will be interesting to see if this behaviour hangs around as it's very useful!

My old springer used to point but certainly not to this extent.

Helen

If your friend is into rough shooting then this sort of behaviour is great and I would love it if my spaniels gave me that sort of indication prior to flushing. But if your friend has any trialling aspirations then it is not so good. The judges don't like to see any form of hesitation from the dog before entering cover. I wish I could train mine to do it though

He's not into trialling and just wants a dog he can shoot over and take on shoots.

Helen

My GSD points..............

One of my mutts points too, people laugh when they see her, she even lifts the obligatory paw

Have you encouraged it? How long for?

Lol,again, how long for?

I used to know a lurcher that pointed pheasants.

Helen

Not for long now, but I think he picked it up from my Weimaraner. He used to go rigid and lift his front paw in classic pointer style, very funny.

Shame I do not have any piccies of him doing it.

One of mine also points, but not in a traditional pointer "stance" - he freezes and wags his tail rapidly. Really funny to watch.

She's done it for as long as I can remember and she's 7 now, she'll point and her brother will swing round behind where she is pointing and flush the rabbit towards her and she has an easy catch lol

Bandit points raised paw and everything but he will also bark after a moment or two. I can't blame him though as most game is bigger than him!

It's all very interesting. Pip didn't freeze as much, or as long as the pointing dogs but it was definitely a pause. Looking forward to seeing how he progresses with it.

Thanks for the replies.

Helen

Oh I meant to say I've been trying to mark the point where he freezes before the inevitable growl and bark. He seems to be getting it but sometimes it takes his concentration away and he trots off in a different direction. Bandit does occasionally join in the beating line on a nearby estate if I have the right days off and his pointing definately helps. I did feel more at home on shoots when I had a labrador though :-(

I've seen all sorts of breeds in beating lines and on pegs. A gun once brought a mini wirehaired daxie and we had to wait 30 mins while she rounded it up after chasing a hare - oops lol

Helen

Haha that's brilliant. I miss the game at the end of the day of find your labrador. Binky wasn't so bad as he was quite big and yellow but Merlin my black one just seemed to blend in!! That was until he had his back leg removed, three legged labs are much easier to spot

I did always wonder how black lab owners knew which black lab belonged to them

Helen

The funniest thing I ever saw was a gun wading into a 3 dog scrap, separate all the dogs, seize hold of one to return it to his vehicle only to find it wasn't his! His had been racing around happily with several others while all this was going on.

that is so funny!

Helen

I know I am cheating but my guy points!

I've no experience of Cockers doing it but my previous Springer (Beau not Fingal) would stop and point.

It was quirky to see but frustrating as he would sometimes point when he should have been picking up.

He'd also point when he should be flushing so required another push that I could have done without.

It sounds sad to have to break what is a sound skill but it had no place.

now, that definitely is cheating!

I can see it being a problem in certain situations, and probably a little inconvenient in a beating line, but hopefully, we can work with it as I would like to see how far we can go with it. He's coming back today so will see if he does it then.

Helen