Problem
I have a seven-year-old Llewellin setter and he has turned out to be a great dog, both hunting and as a companion. When I first got him at seven weeks I fooled around with the “wing on a string” technique. I did it only a few times and then stopped. I was told not to do it at all with a puppy because I would be teaching him to point by sight rather than by using his nose.

After reading several articles regarding introducing pups to birds I noticed some “experts” say that you should use the “wing on a string” technique and that it will not change the outcome of your dog’s pointing ability. My question is, should I or should I not use this technique? I am confused on what to believe. I ask this because there will be another setter in my life soon and I don’t want to be paranoid about introducing him to birds.

I also have another question. When my Llewellin was a puppy I made it a practice never to shoot birds that he bumped rather than pointed. Is there a disadvantage to this practice?

Supposedly, some hunters of the pointing breeds strictly look down on this practice of shooting birds that the dog has “bumped” rather than pointed. What are your feelings?

Solution
I read the “expert” stuff too. They don’t tell you what it is good for, only that it is good and won’t hurt the dog’s pointing. First of all, a dog “locking up” on the wing on a string is not really pointing. It is the dog stopping and holding steady in the presence of a moving object. It is really more closely associated with steadiness to flush and fall than to pointing.

What it does for a puppy’s pointing is teach him to creep. This is especially serious if the wing is scented with pheasant or quail scent because the pup associates the smell with having to see the wing. Later, on a bird, the pup has to see what he smells so he creeps.

You did the right thing in letting your present dog see the wing only a very few times.

You would be smart not to let a new pup see it more often. Notice how often you see a handler yell “Whoa!” just as the dog is showing signs of pointing. The reason is, the handler doesn’t trust the dog. The handler expects him to creep in and mostly it is because he used the wing on a string.

Remember, a wing has nothing to do with introducing the dog to birds. It is only a tool to try to induce chasing so you can stop him. It has nothing to do with pointing, which is really a scent thing.

Your question on shooting “bumped” birds needs more than a yes or no answer. I think that as a rule for pointing dogs, don’t shoot the first five or six birds the dog points, and of course, don’t shoot flushed birds over a dog that is not staunch on point. Your dog should be pointing well and in control of himself, which means not chasing birds for half a mile after the flush, even assuming the dog did point well. To allow the dog to run a few steps is okay but a wild, out-of-control chase is not. Then start shooting pointed birds when the dog is doing everything right. After a few well handled birds, the dog will know what is wanted.