For most Pointing Dog Enthusiasts having your Dog(s) holding point until you can cover and the birds flush is good enough to get the job done.Fair enough as it is usually the owner and a couple of friends shooting over the dog.But what do you do when your dog starts taking out the birds because it thinks thats the right thing to do ? Your Dog’s safety is a factor especially if you hunt with people you really don’t know ? The answer is its time to “break” your dog(s).
My definition of a broke dog is one that holds point until the birds are flushed and is released by verbal command,the dog also stops if birds are bumped re. “stop to flush”.The advantages you have with a broke dog is it is safer for you and especially others to shoot over your dog will be steady if it accidentally bumps some birds leading to possible shooting opportunities as you are not trying to call your dog back in to the area that the covey or birds got up.The dog is there and on point,giving you a shot at stragglers.
Breaking a dog is not that difficult ,depending on what you have access to ,you can work with either wild or planted birds.In a nut shell you are discouraging the dog from chasing the birds once they flush.This can be accomplished by use of a check cord and/or an e-collar turned down very low.I use both.
I am breaking all my dogs that are older than 1.5 years,of course every dog is different and it will take time because you need to expose your dog to a lot of birds.Whoa training via yard work help reinforce steadiness.You want to be both consistent and patient.If you are training on wild birds forget about carrying a gun as you need to focus on the dogs that you are working,the shooting will come.There are a lot of great resources out there on breaking a dog, find a method that will suit you and go for it.
Field Trailers have a much more disicplined definition of a “broke” dog,which is great for that game.My standard works for me and my dogs allowing for great,safe shooting opportunities at the same time allowing the dogs to naturally relocate and use their initiative in hopes of locking up or pinning wild running birds.
