# Need Serious Bird Help



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Frozen birds.

I would avoid fresh birds for awhile, perhaps even back her down to bumpers only to reduce her excitement level while you work on her hold & give (hold meaning no mouthing etc) 

Good luck -


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Gabby has a fabulous hold with a bumper. Big, small, with feathers and without, she holds. No mouthing, no dropping. That is why I thought she could do the test. It is just a retrieving exercise, just go get the duck and bring it back. I know she is not ready for more technical work, like deliver to hand, but she has been doing that with bumpers.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Is this when she is returning from a mark? It is a violation of "here" so treat it as such. Is she collar conditioned yet?


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Train with frozen birds (ducks or pheasants) for a while to reduce the temptation to chew on the bird. Demand a prompt return from the dog once the bird has been picked up.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

As a secondary component, I'd work on getting her to retrieve all manner of furry (real or fake), fuzzy, and papery items... initially from super close. No mouthing, no tearing. And then work up to food items (large biscuits, frozen hotdogs, bread sticks, giant pieces of cheese). The benefit? If you accidently make it too hard and she DOES rip and tear....she's not practicing it on a bird. And you're addressing her interest in this part of the predatory sequence without the initially messy bits of training associated with the birds.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Ann, you don't have a bird problem, you have a hole in your obedience training, that's all, and it's not that hard to fix. She is blowing you off on the "here" command. That's what you need to work on!
Be glad you have a dog that likes birds, and work on her understanding that "here" means "NOW", not "when you're done playing with that bird, come on back".


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Don't be in a rush to test. Gabby has a lot of potential and you can create a lot of problems by running a dog too young in a test where you cannot correct for undesireable behaviours. While I agree that the incident you experienced was a violation of "here" in the moment, sparked by intense interest in a fresh feathery bit-of-wonderful, continued infractions with birds could turn into a bird handling issue--and that is a problem you do not want. I know that Started is simple, with relatively short marks, and delivery to area only, but I see people running really young dogs all the time, and it gives them problems down the road when the do AKC or CKC where delivery to hand is required. Train the dog to the standard you are going to require and hold them to it. Remember, you are going to have this dog for 12+ years hopefully! There is plenty of time. 

Right now, focus on putting in a strong set of basics, and hold off on running her until you have them done. Proof your obedience, get your FF done properly, proof her on birds, CC, and get through your FTP, TT, WF, and Swimby. Then you will have the tools to get her to comply. Young dogs fail tests for some pretty common reasons: obedience that is not reliable enough in the field (especially in an exciting test situation), lack of exposure to factors (ie pushing through cover, dragback scent, driving up a small hill), and not having the tools for the handler to help them if they get in trouble on a mark. We had one fellow on Sunday whose dog was just off the T, and he handled on the flyer and saved his bacon! The dog then did a good job on the water marks and passed.


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