Should I Take my 4 month old out dove hunting?

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I have a great little English Setter ! She has caught 3 birds on her own already. When should I try to start her on retrieving training? I have area's to hunt where I would be the only one there. My wife has volunteered to keep her on a long lead untill I kill a dove and help me teach her to retrieve the doves. What do you think ? should I try or wait untill she's older? Thanks for your comments in advance Jon
 
Jon El Paso,
Go for it! I'd take her and let her get a feel for being with you in the field, the gun going off, etc. The more you expose her to it the more her instincts will develop as she grows.

Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
Jon,

I would have to agree with Bowhunter on this one. I think it would be good to start taking her out now, it will require more patience on your part, but she will get it.

Ryan

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Jon,

I don't wait to rain on your parade, but there's a couple of things I would take into consideration. First have you properly gun condition this pup? Is this pup really bird crasy?

I have seen a lot of pups ruined by not gun conditioning them and taking them hunting to soon and blast away around them. I know that you have had a couple of other dogs and probably already know this.

One more thing about doves there not the best bird for a dog to start retrieving on. There feathers come out real eazy. This gives the dog a mouth full of loose feather which sours some pups on retreiving.

I know that you what to get your dog out and get her started hunting, but I would hold off on the doves myself. This is just my 2 cents worth, take if for what you want.

Here's a web site that can help answer a lot of your train questions www.uplandbirddog.com

Terry

P.S. I be leaving tomorrow morning heading for the high country for an elk hunt, so if you ask me a question in a reply to my post it will be a week before I answer you.
 
DON'T take the dog hunting at 4 months, take the dog out and introduce it to gun fire birds in a controlled situation, and don't let it retrieve a dove, doves feathers are small and come off easy and will be very uncomfortable to a young dog, it might give a lasting impression,
 
I took your advice as I also thought she's a little young and I should train her on quail first. Also she'll be a little older. Right now I use a frozen dove and we play find the bird.

My 2 1/2 acre yard is natural desert landscape . Mesquite , yucca etc. I wouldn,t let them clear it so she hunts it all day with the other dogs. and we lock them in the house and my wife hides the dead dove and we take her on a lead and work her till she's down wind and she head right for it! and grabs it then I get her to give it to me and then give her a piece of raw hot dog.

We do this for about 15 minutes in the evening. Jon
 
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