A pointing dog’s ability to remain steady on birds does not represent a “set it and forget it” scenario. Steadiness is a mindset established during training and maintained for the remainder of that dog’s hunting career. It should be understood and even expected that dogs will falter in their performance from time to time, and will continually need reminders, guidance, and structure from their handler throughout the course of their life.
Basic principles will always be instilled during training, but the guidance and input of a good coach is the stuff that propels an athlete to maintain or improve upon his/her skills throughout a career. Just like a ball player needs a good coach to be successful, a dog needs clear, concise handling to maintain and improve his hunting behavior. That same ball player benefits from great coaching and lots of practice. Remember, practice and repetition build good habits, and consistency. The more composed a dog is in moments of high excitement, the easier it will be for him to remain steady and focused in hunting situations. After all, a bird out front is the height of excitement for a bird dog!
All of this sounds reasonable and logical in theory, but how does one apply it in the real world? While there is no single magic process to follow, there are some real, concrete concepts that handlers can follow. Before we get to those concepts about maintaining steadiness, however, let’s tackle defining steadiness itself.
In general, there are three recognized degrees of steadiness. First, there is what is referred to as “going on the flush.” This describes a dog that will establish point and as soon as the bird gets up, the dog will take off in full pursuit. Second, there is “steady to wing” or “steady to wing, breaking on the shot.” This describes a dog that will stand still through the flush and move forward for the retrieve once a shot is fired. Third is “steady to wing and shot” or “steady to wing, shot, and deadfall.” This describes a dog that will stand still from the moment he establishes point until he is released by the handler. The dog stands still while the bird is flushed and shot, and only moves forward once the handler “releases” or tells it to do so.
The steadier a dog is expected to be, the more handling it takes to maintain that high degree of steadiness. At our training facility in Oklahoma, Smith Kennels, we often recommend personal gun dogs be trained to be “steady to wing, breaking on the shot,” as this is a degree of steadiness requiring a staunch mindset in the dog, but adding an extra degree of safety in that the dog will not move until after the gun is fired. This level of steadiness represents a good balance for a hunter who wishes to manage a dog and shoot at the same time.
Dogs that are “steady to wing, shot, and deadfall” are the safest in the field, but maintenance of this degree of steadiness requires more managing from the handler through the flush and gunfire, which can make accurate shooting more of a challenge. The desired degree of steadiness also often depends on the type of hunting or trialing that the handler intends to do with the particular dog. Once a degree of desired steadiness is established, it should be maintained throughout the dog’s hunting career.
One of the Core Bird Dog Behaviors is standing still, which is important for a steady pointing dog. (Photo courtesy of Susanna Love Smith) Practice the Bird Dog Basic Behaviors The Smith Method of training recognizes three basic bird dog principles that every pointing dog should know. Those are: go with you, come to you, and stand still. During formal training, these behaviors should be clearly taught and repeated/ reinforced over time to build an association.
Practicing these three behaviors regularly throughout the year will keep that skill set honed, making it much easier to maintain the dog’s training in the hunting field. Practice sessions can be short and can be done in the backyard or on walks. It is not necessary to go to the bird field just to practice these three fundamental skills.
In order to maintain steadiness, it is imperative that a dog has a concrete understanding of the cue to stop and stand still in any environment. The concept is to maintain the ability to calmly stop your dog no matter what is going on around him (bird field or not). By keeping the training a routine part of the dog’s daily life, lines of communication between the handler and dog stay open and clear. Consistency and repetition help prevent a dog from getting confused with cues when they are put into a high excitement environment (ie: the bird field). When the dog’s training is practiced and implemented daily, the handling process in the field is much, much easier.
Consistent Practice in the Bird Field “It takes miles to make a horse and birds to make a bird dog” is an old adage that still rings true. Essentially, it takes continual experience to keep animals at the top of their game. A dog that has been on the couch for months is not going to enter a hunting field at the top of his game, pigeons or liberated birds can bridge the gap between wild bird seasons. Keeping a dog in bird contact as regularly as possible with consistent handling will help maintain his steadiness, and also help maintain his proficiency and focus in all aspects of hunting.
As the dog settles back into the routine of hunting and regains proficiency, we gently rebuild the steadiness mindset. When the dog is no longer pursuing on the flush, then we begin working on the downwind side of the dog to firm up steadiness. At this stage, once the dog has made the decision to establish point, we will hold him in that location until either a bird is flushed or we release the dog to relocate.
Prioritize the Dog Absent a good reason, whatever level of steadiness a dog was trained to have is the level that should be maintained with that dog. Allowing a dog to flush a pheasant and asking him to then be steady on sharp-tailed grouse breeds inconsistency in the dog’s performance and causes confusion. We recommend striving to maintain a consistent degree of steadiness in all hunting scenarios.
Part of the role of being the coach (handler) is to keep your eye on your player (the dog). You can’t fix what you don’t see. For this reason, it is critical to recognize that there will be times when a handler must focus simply on handling the dog and not on shooting. Recognition of this truth is never popular, but continued attention to the dog pays dividends in the long run.
Who you run your dog with is important, a dog that has a different level of steadiness may cause your dog to lose its steadiness too. (Photo courtesy of Susanna Love Smith) Select the Right Bracemates for Your Dog A big part of bird hunting is camaraderie and the memories created by a group. It is nice to be able to meet up in the field with friends and their dogs, and to go out for a hunt together. It is best for the dogs, though, to have a frank discussion about which dogs to pair together as bracemates. Bracemate selections should be based on temperament, range, hunting ability, the needs of the individual dogs, and of course, degree of steadiness. Running a dog that is breaking on the shot with a dog that goes on the flush will almost certainly make it more difficult for the steadier dog to maintain that degree of steadiness. If one dog breaks, they all want to break. Often it is a better idea to run one dog at a time, and to conserve the amount of dog power the collective group of hunters has. Doing so provides each dog the opportunity to find birds and maintain training in a more positive way.
Every dog is unique. Each dog’s mindset fluctuates according to what is going on around him. Our goal as trainers and handlers is to be a support system for our dogs, helping them keep their training in place and always setting them up for experiences that reinforce that training. This requires a constant evaluation of each dog’s mindset and adaptation of our behavior to facilitate our long-term goals with the dogs. It is, after all, the little things that create and maintain the polished behavior of a good bird dog.
