Jed was out for the count and Flynn's new dummy had arrived so I decided to take him out alone to do some training - new dummy, new rules ready for his proper gundog training in a month. We started off doing some retrieves - making him sit at heel and wait whilst I threw the dummy then sending him to fetch it and making him bring it back. If he dropped it at my feet I made him pick it back up whilst saying "hold it" so I could take it directly from his mouth. We even did a few which I threw over a fence so he had to vault the fence to get them. He was doing very well considering i've not actually worked on any of these things until tonight. Anyway, we were in an area where there are numerous pheasants so I put the dummy away so he was free to practice his hunting. Unfortunately, we came across 2 pheasants, one of which kept trying to take off and then crashing to the ground. Flynn was on it like a shot, grabbed it's tail feathers mid flight and brought it down. I inititally tried to call him off it because I didnt want him to kill the bird. This has never happened before and I wasnt sure what he would do, play with it, tear it to bits or what. I could see him pulling some feathers out so I called him again and he immediately came trotting back to me with it in his mouth. He dropped it at my feet and I could see it was dead. He nudged it a couple of times and then went off looking for some more. I gave the bird the once over and apart from the slight bald patch, there was no broken skin, no blood or anything. This all happened in about 10 seconds and I didnt know whether to be mortified or proud! Since he'd brought it back to me when i'd called him, he'd carried it correctly and not damaged the bird, I had to praise him since this is what he was bred to do. He picked it up a couple more times when he saw I was attempting to leave it behind so each time I made him come to me and praised him. Then I told him to leave it and he was happy to do just that. He seemed to have little interest in it once it was dead. Although it was never my aim to use actual game to train Flynn, he's proved to me tonight that he has an innate skill for gundog work and with formal training, will probably be very good. I'm also very pleased that he didnt decide to eat the bird or rip it up as i've read some dogs have a tendency to do that and I thought he was going to be one of them! All in all, very proud of him tonight as I hadnt really got a clue what to do but he seemed to know what was required of him! I guess it beats a boring old dummy for excitement! (The only time I dont take my phone out and I could have done with it to take some pictures of it all!)
Glad the training is going well.. Flynn must have a nice soft mouth.. I'm trying to train Freda to do the opposite at the mo.. She doesn't hold points for very long yet, and has chased a few things (but hasn't actually caught anything).. which is exactly what I don't want from her! hopefully she'll get the idea soon, but with the severe lack of game, the training has been difficult!
Flynn is the opposite, he'll hold a point forever and a day and does keep glancing back at me as if for some guidance but I have no idea how to release them from a point!
Bless him.. our's haven't been properly trained to flush.. just because my parents have never really seen the need - they do it themselves most of the time! I think the longest point Freda has held was on a blackbird.. we rarely see rabbits, but if we do, she just gets so excited and does a quick point and then runs to see what they're all about! I hope she'll begin to understand once she sees more game - otherwise I may take her to a trainer.. I've read various things and I'm not sure what path to take!
