# steady to flush?



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Musings for cold winter days, when I'm too lazy to train....
How does one go about getting one of these high prey boneheads to be steady to flush in upland hunting?
Idiot dog leaps in the air trying to grab the bird....then takes off trying to chase it down....


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Sit nick sit


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Oh and if you're training for senior and steadiness I'd put the upland business on the back burner.
You want trainability, biddability and control, not crazy dog. Drive is nice but it's kinda pointless if the dog could give a flying flip what you want.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Yes, my trainer said we would only do the upland in November when it's upland season here, and then it would "just go away anyway". When we start back the upland will be over until next November....



K9-Design said:


> Oh and if you're training for senior and steadiness I'd put the upland business on the back burner.
> You want trainability, biddability and control, not crazy dog. Drive is nice but it's kinda pointless if the dog could give a flying flip what you want.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Whistle Sit nick Sit. 

You can toot that whistle much faster than you can give a verbal.

Use some pop up boxes and a couple of pigeons. Dogs tend to pick it up fairly quickly if they are previously trained to whistle sit. It doesn't take them long to anticipate the sit whistle when the flush occurs.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

sorry to have to ask...what's a pop up box?


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

You can pop-up a bird low-tech with a box and a rope and a helper to release the bird by tipping the box up with the pull rope when the dog gets close. Or use a box launcher or box trap. It is a short, squat launcher often used to simulate a flush in a more controlled way. Like this one 
Uplander G4 :: Zinger Wingers :: Zinger Sport Dog Gear Inc.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Swampcollie said:


> Whistle Sit nick Sit.
> 
> *You can toot that whistle much faster than you can give a verbal.*


And it carries better over distance or in cover or running water, as well. If you're consistent with this you'll find most dogs begin to just sit on their own when a bird flushes. The flush itself becomes a cue to sit.

EvanG


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks for the answers. A pop up box, combined with the whistle sit, sounds like just what we need!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Oh our old lab Shadow, never formerly trained for hunting, just instinct was a pheasant bird. Once she got on a bird, it went up, it was a hen, Art did not want to shoot a hen, so Shadow jumped up got it and brought it to him.... DOH! :doh: She also took one from a hawk that the hawk thought was for it. The hawk was WRONG!!! Shadow wins. :


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## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

Here is an article that might be helpful

Keep Your Rear On The Ground by Glenda Brown


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

excellent article, very helpful!!! If it ever warms up here, that sounds like a perfect drill to do with Tito, the one she does by herself.


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## Tatnall (May 20, 2008)

I am not an upland expert by any stretch, but I have always taught it by blowing the sit whistle at the flush. Like anything else, you need to teach first--if you haven't taught it and proofed it, things will go badly when that rooster flushes in the field.

Start with as little excitement as possible, using a long lead (or collar, if your dog has been collar conditioned) to reinforce the sit. As you get more and more experienced, the dog will eventually sit automatically at the flush. Not only is this a huge safety issue, it helps the dog mark the fall if the bird doesn't happen to fall dead directly.


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