Introducing Your Dog to Birds
There is Value in Early Imprinting
We believe in imprinting young puppies with the things that we want them to excel with as adults. Puppies that we raise are typically imprinted with bird experiences before 8 weeks of age, and those experiences are consistent predictors of their future performances. Like athletes in any sport, the best dogs start early and build on their experiences throughout life.
It Takes Birds to Make a Bird Dog
At first, birds are entirely new to the puppy. The pup may be curious, hesitant, or unsure—and that’s okay. We give them time to investigate. We start with dead birds or pigeons whose wings are restrained so that the bird doesn’t fly up in the puppy’s face and intimidate them. We let the puppy approach, sniff, bark at, study…whatever they feel they need to do. They can do no wrong at this stage. Short sessions will build the interest quickly.
We don’t expect our pups to have a perfect point on the first encounter with a bird, and we don’t let it dash our hopes and dreams if they are a little fearful and timid. The first sessions are just about presenting our puppy with the opportunity to investigate and familiarize themselves with the bird. Intensity will come as the genetics kick in and the pup builds fun experiences with birds.
If a puppy picks up the bird, we don’t panic and rush to take the bird away from them. We use this as an opportunity to work on a retrieve. In this scenario we will have a light drag line on the puppy that we can hold to get the puppy to come to us. When the puppy gets to us, we will reward him through touch while having him continue to hold the bird. We finally, and almost nonchalantly, ask for the delivery of the bird.
Once a puppy is confident in approaching a bird and interested in it, we begin sessions on quail released from Johnny houses. This is a very natural way to start imprinting puppies with as close to a hunting scenario as possible—working scent, watching birds move through cover, hearing them whistle, chasing them, and even marking them down.
Once the puppy is a little older, their prey drive is well-developed, we feel comfortable introducing pigeons in a launcher. This allows us more control over when the bird is launched. (As a side note to listeners, we are always better off to release a bird in a launcher earlier than planned, rather than too late and have the bird launched in the dog’s face.) When on a check cord we have more control to present the scent cone to the dog in just the way we want (intersecting the scent cone laterally a short distance from the bird), helping to ensure a staunch point.
Once they establish point, we relax the checkcord to allow them to intensely stand there as long as they will on a loose rope. When the dog moves to creep in or flush or shows any indication of loosing intensity, we launch the bird. This puts the emphasis on the point (rather than the chase), builds composure on point, and a steady mindset even before formal training begins.
We Don’t Rush to Flush
We don’t rush in to flush the bird as soon as our dog points—as this can develop an expectation of flash pointing, flushing, and chasing. We let our dog stand steady on point for as long as he can tolerate the excitement. We work to build our dog’s ability to stand still on point for a longer period of time.
It isn’t even always necessary for a person to walk in to flush a bird for the puppy. A puppy will lose their composure and jump in on the bird to try to catch it at some point. This actually helps them learn how to judge scent and better determine exactly where the bird is hiding. Unsuccessful stalks teach them how to be more proficient. Like a coyote stalking a mouse, every time they make a mistake on the stalk, they learn a lesson. We keep in mind that our dog is a domesticated predator, and we are providing a natural experience that fuels the natural desire.
We Don’t Teach Whoa on Birds
The goal during bird intro is exposure and building the prey drive. Bird introduction is not formal training. We teach cues for “whoa” away from birds and only begin the steadying process when our dog’s prey drive is at a pinnacle and they have a solid understanding of the cue to stand still on “whoa.” This is typically in the second month of our formal training class. We are not saying “whoa” to our dogs during Bird Intro.
We Nurture the Genetic Potential
Our bird dogs are domesticated predators - that is why we choose them as our hunting partners. Natural experiences fuel that instinct. Training later on develops manners around game, but success starts with instinct and exposure, but our goal initially is to present the dog with experiences that are as natural as possible.
We can’t talk to and coax a bulldog or a Pekinese into running hard through challenging terrain, proficiently finding and pointing game birds with style— talk won’t change the dog’s instincts and ability. So we don’t try to have a verbal conversation to build our bird dog’s prey drive. Human words don’t add value here—chatter like “good dog” or “get that bird” can actually distract the dog from the bird. We recommend being quiet and putting dogs in situations that hone their natural instincts.
We stay quiet, we don’t interfere, and we prioritize a dog’s natural instincts.
Timeline
6+ weeks old until formal training (making sure to tailor the experience to the pup’s age and abilities)
1–3 times a week is sufficient to maintain that prey drive
1-3 solid bird contacts per session is typically plenty
Tools
Birds (typically pigeons or quail)
Short Drag Line (light lead without any knots at the end)
Checkcord (if needed to help guide puppy into the scent cone of the bird and ensure a successful bird contact)
Access to land
*This text was a resource for the Upland Disciple Podcast Summer Shorts featuring The Smith Method of Bird Dog Training, Hickcox Method, The Method, and Perfection Kennels.