POISONING THE POINTING EXPERIENCE

A LESSON IN INADVERTENT TRAINING CONFUSION.

TALMAGE SMEDLEY

FROM A distance, I saw the covey rise into the air. The low hill between me and the birds prevented me from seeing which dog had caused their flight. It was not long, however, before the culprit came over the rise in hot pursuit. As I expected, it was Joe. Joe was a young setter that had recently come in for some training. His owner had stated that he only ever saw Joe chasing birds in the air. He didn’t ever see him working birds as if he could smell them. He questioned whether Joe had a good enough nose to smell them. A BACKWARDS POINTING DOG Wild game birds are very exciting and challenging for young dogs. It’s not unusual for a hard running dog to forgo pointing for the love…

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Gun Dog (Digital) - 1 Issue, December/January/February - Winter 2025

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