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How to Enhance Your Dog's Search Patterns

Tips to teach your dog to quarter and cover ground in front of you to find more birds.

How to Enhance Your Dog's Search Patterns

Top tips for getting your gun dog to put it all together. (GUN DOG photo)

The uplands are vast and unruly. In the eyes of a young gun dog, they can seem to be an endless stretch of ground to run free and search for their quarry. As much as we want to give our dogs the freedom to pursue game at extended distances, it’s vitally important that we shape their search pattern at a young age.

With a little training and direction, we can teach our dogs that working in front of us is where birds will be and where birds can be brought to their mouths—not behind us. We can also teach them where birds may be hiding—like dense and unwelcoming cattails or fencerows where they may not think to smell.

Any productive gun dog must apply itself to working cover and must inherently want to hunt and obey you in the process. Great dogs should show self-control and discipline while hunting and stay on task when the going gets tough.

Our finished gun dog should show independence in its search, thoroughly cover ground, and be cooperative in working for the gun, requiring little handling. The dog’s sole intent should be an ongoing effort to position itself/nose, taking advantage of the cover, and wind to locate bird scent


But they also need some guidance to connect all of these dots. Here are a few tips to help them put it all together.

dog trainer with english setter dog in field
A check cord is a great training tool for helping your dog learn how to work the cover in front of you. (GUN DOG photo)

Initial Lessons

I’ll assume your dog obeys the “whoa” command and “come” when called. He should also understand a release or cast to “hunt ’em up” when told. With these in place we can move our dog through the field as we wish, the idea being once we guide him through some productive search patterns our dog should begin to do it on its own.

The first lessons in patterning are best taught on flat fields with one to eight inches of cover, no pronounced objectives, and no birds. To begin, we work on the mechanics of the search using and enforcing learned commands. Later, we reward the proper search, during training, by placing birds in likely cover wild birds would be found.

With the dog at heel, set up at the downwind end of the field near the middle. I suggest you leave a check-rope attached or, even better, have the dog wear a remote training collar (providing your dog is collar conditioned). As always, we must be able to reinforce any commands not immediately obeyed.


dog trainer with english setter dog in field
Make sure you set up downwind to give your dog the best scenting opportunity. (GUN DOG photo)

Once ready, cast the dog off to hunt using your hunt command. As the dog begins the search, you should move forward at a good pace. If he moves to the front too far, get his attention and turn your line of travel across the field. Then swing your arm to that side as you release him to hunt on. He should follow your line of travel.

Now, turn back across the field. If the dog doesn’t move with you, call his name and gesture with an out-stretched arm in your direction of travel. Repeat this exaggerated weaving pattern back and forth across the field, encouraging and reinforcing the dog as he moves with you. As his swing lengthens, you walk a more direct line.

If the dog is slow to your directions, correct him with the check rope or a light bump on the training collar. At this level of training, the collar gives us the best advantage, instantly reinforcing our command at any distance with slight stimulation.

Once the dog is responding and moves predictably well through the field, we can reward its efforts by planting birds before its next session.

As a means of enhancing or reinforcing a “proper search,” the placement of birds is important. Placing them far enough apart to encourage good ground coverage is important. Using two or three birds each session will build on the dog’s natural desire to hunt as he anticipates the reward of his continued efforts. Birds at the far end of left and right swings will encourage the crossing pattern. Placing birds near objectives of structures encourages him to check these likely places.

Moving the dog through planted cover, you can now steer him in the direction of likely bird contacts. With the reward of these finds, the dog soon learns that by cooperating with you, good things happen. As you move on after a find, do not allow the dog to chase flushed birds or return to the site of the find. Encourage him to move off as directed to the next bird.

Thinking Ahead

If your hunting cover includes fence rows or creek ditches, train in similar areas. Birds thrown well inside the cover reward the dog that gets in there and stays working the hard-to-get-to places. On long, narrow stretches, such as grassy fence rows, the “whoa” command is critical to maintaining control, as most dogs tend to line the downwind edge. With the “whoa” command, we can stop the dog and move him on as desired, especially when the dog is on the downwind track of Mr. Rooster.

dog trainer with english setter dog in field teaching whoa command with check cord
The "whoa" command is critical for control while developing a proper search in birdy cover. (GUN DOG photo)

The downwind cast is handled in a similar way. As the dog reaches a distance you are comfortable with, stop him with a “whoa,” or turn him with his name or a blast of the whistle. Then turn your travel across wind at 90 degrees to your line of travel. 

As in other areas of dog training, successful repetition is the answer.

These suggestions may seem structured, mechanical and controlling—but remember it’s not our goal to direct our dog’s every move in the field forever. Our goal here is to teach the basics of handling, building the foundation so we’re able to assist young dog’s development

With this foundation, you have the required commands in place, and with experience, the productive search is a natural evolution. These exercises are only means of nurturing its development, while continuing to reinforce the more important commands and building on the overall team concept through obedience, understanding, and cooperation.

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