02/25/2026
As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat! In the bird dog world that message applies to training... there are many methods to get the desired outcome. Most are not wrong, but the quality of the results may vary. Speaking to steadiness in pointing breeds, I prefer to use the West/Gibbons method over others I have used. Although there is use of a leather pinch collar and an e-collar, this approach allows the dog to learn steadiness through his interactions on and around birds with no presssure (words or collars) until a mistake has been made and the bird is in the air. The silent correction comes in the form of a snappy tug on the pinch collar or a low level nick on the ecollar reminding him of a lesson he has already learned...to stop and be still until released. The pressure only comes after the bird is in the air which keeps the dog confident and intense while in the scent cone.
In my foundation program, the goal is to work with each individual's strengths and weaknesses to achieve basic handling skills (come to me and go with me), gun conditioning, and steadiness to flush. Before moving on to advanced steadiness work, I strongly believe pups should be hunted on wild birds for a season to allow them learn how to manage wild birds. During this rookie season, it is imperative that the handler sacrifice putting birds in the bag for the growth and development of his dog. What this looks like is not shooting birds that the pup pushed up and also gently limiting the chase. The pup should only be rewarded with shot birds when he did the work correctly. Shooting birds that the pup wasn't steady on is rewarding him for bad work and that is what you will get going forward. If your focus is on killing birds and not quality dog work, you will have your dog back with the trainer for remedial work or you will have a flusher, not a pointer. Make the sacrifice early and you will have a reliable dog for life!
