My Life With Birddogs
Part II Volume I
Authored by:
Jim Forkum
The litter of puppies was the first for me as well as Kate. She was bred to a top notch
pointer whose owner lived just a mile from my home. Of course he wanted the pick of the
litter for his dog’s stud services. When he came to claim his dog after six weeks he chose
the liver and white male dog that looked just like Kate. I had hoped to keep this dog and
did my best to change his mind. I made all kinds of excuses and he was not buying any
of them. He wanted the liver and white dog and that was it. My wife, seeing my frustration,
came to my rescue and somehow said something that convinced the man to take
another pick. He wound up with a ticked black and white male instead. I think he later
traded or sold the dog to someone else, since he was of the old school and was
constantly searching for the top dog. It makes me wonder how many good dogs are
either ruined or never given the chance to mature under “dog men” like him.
The next job was to choose the dogs I wanted to keep and find good homes for the rest.
Believe me this is not an easy job! I looked for a puppy that would mature into a great
birddog, be eager to please and look good too! The word is “biddable” among bird
dog folks who want boldness and yet one that is eager to please his master. Of course
there were early lessons with the wing on the fishing pole trying to see which pups had
the natural instinct to point. That was always fun for me as well as the dogs! The trick
was not to overdo and not to ever let them catch the wing!
I found good homes for the pups that I decided not to keep. This was especially tough
since I quickly grew attached to them. Your fear is that the “real” birddog in the litter is
the one you give away!
I named the pups Seth, Molly, Nate, and Jeb. All were different in looks and temperament.
Of the pups that I gave to others only one was allowed to mature and grow as a hunter. It
was a little black and white ticked female that my wife’s principal took. He hunted her for
many years and always told me what a great dog she was and how much he loved her. I
never hunted with him, but I imagine she was like one of mine that I will tell you about
later.
When the pups were five or six months old I started with the yard work. The sessions
were brief and I considered the daily contact to be extremely important. I don’t like self
feeders for the same reason. The ritual of daily feeling allowed a personal bond to
develop. I kept regular check on them should they become sick or need a vet.
Occasionally a dog fight or other accident required immediate attention or possibly the
services of a vet.
The yard training consisted of a leash and several verbal commands to heel and whoa.
Fifteen minutes a day with each was enough. I used a choke chain and rolled up paper to
get the dogs attention should they fail to obey. The key here is to never lose your
patience and never handle the dog in a rough manner. You want boldness but you can
teach a dog to obey commands without a “heavy” hand. If you’re not in a particularly
patient frame of mind, take the day off. Never let your anger ruin a dog. Your goal is to
encourage them to learn and look forward to the training sessions. It’s surprising how far
praise and rewards go with a dog!
I was determined to do my best with those
four dogs even though I knew it would take
a lot of my time. Now that I’ve done it, I
wouldn’t recommend it. I had to commit to
at least an hour every day for just the basic
lessons. Once training in the field began
more time was required. (I’ll talk about planting
birds and field training later.)
This was my first litter of pups and I made the commitment to spend whatever time was
necessary to train them and make them the best they could be.
I probably bought twenty five books on how to train bird dogs. I read everything I could
get my hands on to learn the different techniques various authors used with the same
purpose in mind. Needless to say some methods worked better for me than others.
Books authored by Delmar Smith, Ken Roebuck, and Paul Long are my favorites.
I subscribed to several magazines such as Gun Dog, Wing & Shot and was a charter
subscriber to Pointing Dog Journal. They were filled with pictures, articles, and
suggested training methods. I felt like a kid at Christmas as I waited for the next edition to
pour through and find new ideas I could use to train and care for my dogs.
I often wonder if there will be someone to pass my collection on to when I can no longer
enjoy this “labor of love”. I consider this collection to be a treasure since it contains a
wealth of knowledge passed on by men who share the love of this great sport. I’ve not
experienced anything more satisfying than to work and train a bird dog. What a joy to see
them doing what they were bred to do…..point birds! To reach the point where the
training is done and you have a finished bird dog is a great accomplishment. The reward
is a dog that knows his job and understands your role as well. He is your companion and
friend! He will do his best because he is bred to find and point birds and ultimately does
it all to please you! When the training is complete and the dog is ready, the memories
make all the hours of work worth while.
Seth
Molly
