Pointer not behaving properly

ecaf

Hi guys,
My partner was out at the weekend with his pointer, we got her at the end of the season last year, and she's a very nervous type dog around new people.
But now she's fine around him, so this year is her chance to prove herself.

Anyway she points well but at the weekend one guy shot a pheasant, they had a springer with them too, but the pointer ran up and tore the pheasant apart. She couldn't be called off it with the whistle.
As well as that she wouldn't go down trough the beet she keep walking around the edge.
She normally wouldn't have a problem with that, but she was just being really crap this weekend.
I didn't see her, but this is the report back I got. He wants rid of her, but I feel sorry for her and would like to give her more of a chance because I think she might of been badly treated in the last place, and I don't want her just being passed on without a chance. I think she could be good, but probably needs a bit of training or some way of controlling her so that she doesn't do this again.
She hasn't done this before (pull apart the bird).
Would a shock collar work, or do you think she should be sent for training? And where do you find gun dog trainers?
Thanks.

stevoman

i wouldnt wooru about it. a lot of lads let a dog rip a bird apart when they are young. she's wont be a grown up dog until she abot 3 or 4 so give her a chance.

ecaf

She is nearly 4!
Sorry I meant to put that in OP

mallards

I would say you have your work cut out for you ecaf. The working around the edges would be easy enough to cure. In that always work her into the wind and walk with her through the beet. Give her retrieves in it and other rough cover. After a while she won't think twice. Although pointers are more for open ground and bog I have seen them in cover but they will never work it like a springer or cocker. The pointer is not bred to retrieve but again I have seen them do it. If got from a younger age it can be trained into them. In your case I would go back to dummy work and keep her away from retrieving birds until next season. If she is a strong pointer then perhaps use her as that but slip a lead on her when she points, flush the bird yourself and let the spaniel retrieve. This will mean you wont get a chance to shoot as you will need all your hands to control her.
Again its going to be a heck of a lot of work, they are at the best of times. If it was me I would cut my losses, give her to a good home and put my energy into a fresh young dog for next season.

Mallards.

ecaf

Thanks for your reply mallards, she is not meant to retrieve at all. They had a cocker out with them, basically they were meant to do their jobs properly. Pointer to point, cocker to flush. There were two people out, his friend shot the pheasant and was going to get the bird. What ever got into the Pointers head she just went to the bird and started tearing it up.
She wasn't asked to retrieve it, and she was called back on the whistle but she must have choose to ignore it.

I wasn't there so I don't know the exact story, do you still think she's a waste of time, or could we stop her doing silly things like that and just make her do what she is meant to do, and not ignore commands?

mallards

If she isn't being used as a retriever then yes you could do something. Buy a long training lead and a good wide collar. Have it on her when she hunts. Again always work her into the wind and try and encourage her into cover. As your quartering her into the wind keep an eye to see if she's getting birdy. If she points, great, then hold onto the lead or better get a mate to. Then walk up to her from the side and flush the bird yourself. If she legs it get your mate to dump her on her arse. Shout sit or hup or whatever she is used to and make her stay until the bird is gone. When you cast her off again make sure she isn't allowed to follow the bird but instead go back to her hunting pattern. You will need to re-enforce the sit and stay at home before trying all this. As with most good things, it will take time and just when you think you can't put much more effort in and she's not really listening, then all will fit into place and you will have a good hunting companion.
Best of Luck.

Mallards.

ecaf

Oh thanks for that, I think I will try and practice that with her during the week, and then whenever she's listening to me I'll get my OH to give it a try (he wouldn't be the most patient initially). We can then try and put it into practice for real, I go out shooting with them every couple of weeks, it's in his home county so I don't get to go too much.

Don't think she has any words like sit/stay/hup or whatever, whoever had her before just had her coming back to a whistle, most times that works but sometimes she chooses to ignore it.
Hopefully with a bit of practice she might get the hang of it. I did training classes for my cocker pup earlier in the year, so I hope I have the basics from that (i.e. teaching sit & stay)

Thanks anyhow, hopefully it will mean keeping her! (I've been told "No room for sentiment for gun dogs..." and all that, but I don't listen).

mallards

Yes my OH is like that too. But after her dog nearly got run over because she was to soft and letting it have its own way. The dog ran off and would not come back or sit for her and croossed the road a few times. She has no changed and is actively training her dog. The way I look at it is. Get the pain out of the way first. Dogs love to have your respect. Make them work to earn it by putting the training in early. When they have manners and work for you you will have years of companionship and fun with them for very little effort. Trust me I have had dogs years and putting the training off and not putting in some quality time even 5 mins a day at the start will only leave you frustrated. Your lucky in a way in that your pointer just needs the basics, Sit, stay, come here. The rest he will work out for herself and the rest she doesn't need. The cocker training will stand you well.

Mallards.

pullandbang

Sometimes despite all the hard work, things just don't work out. If that happens there's always this........:D

ecaf

God I shouldn't laugh at that pullandbang! But that is very funny !

My poor pointer! That will never happen!
We had her out at the weekend she went pretty well, brought the mental cocker pup too. She had a great time, I'm definitely going to have to work on her, she thinks it's all a game, but she could be good - ah well she was just bought as a pet, so it doesn't really matter.
The OH says the pointer's PMS or whatever was wrong with her seems to be gone for the moment.
Never got a chance to work on her for Stay commands, but I'll get around to that soon.

Thanks lads (& ladies if any???)