Went out this morning for 30 mins

[ACEarcher]

Well made it out with Ruger for only half an hour this morning. It was more like a walk around a field. I got out early today so I'm gonna .I'll take him back out after 12. Well we didn't flush any birds. I did hear one crow though. Funny cause I thought I heard it when we got out of the car. I thought maybe I'm just hearing things. Got pheasants on the brain (crazy) LOL! So we went to that field area anyway. Never saw the bird and Ruger didn't get on scent, but we get back to the car and I hear him crow again. What a tease let me tell you. Ruger again not so good. I'm not sure whats going on. All preseason he was having a blast. Running around, finding birds, just having fun. Now get just freaks when we go out. Totally shuts down. I think he's just scared of something. I dunno maybe we (Ruger & I) should quit for the rest of the season and start off fresh with early training next season. I am more consernd about him than just going out for pheasant. Oh and best thing about this morning was I was the only one there. Felt like I had the whole park to myself. RUSS what do you think???? I want both of us to have fun, but he's just not seeing it.

[RUSS0079]

Sounds like Ruger needs you to take him to a preserve or get your own birds and plant them on some of your farm properties or even in some brushy draws where you deer hunt. Work him into the birds and when they go up and you kill it make a big deal out of what a good boy he is. Or we can do the pigeon thing. I've never had the problem, do you think he's gun shy and he sees you with the gun and freaks him out????

[RUSS0079]

Adam,
call me on my cell phone. I sent it to you with my last email. We got to talk.
Russ

[BigBuckDown]

ACE - if you decide to try the preserve approach, let me know. I have been trying to get a couple people together to go to one of them but have been unsuccessful. I've been looking for an excuse to take a day off from work, and have room in my freezers for a few birds!

[massbaster]

How old is Ruger, if you say between 1 and 1-1/2 years than take a break. Hes hitting doggy puberty, my GSP did it.....actually had him on birds Powderbourne in Quakertown and he found a bird, we shot it..he shut down and ran all the way back to the truck. I rested him for a few months took him back out at the end of the season and he pointed all the birds I planted plus one I didnt....

If hes older, then you need planted birds so you can work him in a more controlled setting....he needs birds to get bird crazy...get the prey drive workin......

[Nitrous SwampRat]

funny you shoul mention haring a "crow" from a pheasant. couple years back i toook a buddy of mine, new to hunting, to Medford WMA.

same thing we got a bird and making our way back to the vehicles. im being a "dog" walking a hedgerow thats the safeline. My gun is unloaded and open. we hear a bird crowing. its coming from well inside the safezone. so i tell my buddy that i wil try and flushh, for him to stay 30 yards inside the hedgerow...the hunting side. wouldnt you know it, it was Fish & game. LOL! I laughed about it. he got pissed and told me he could write me up. stated i was "hunting" in a safezone. told him go ahead and write the ticket. couple more CO's arrived...they were just down the road in a black jeep cherokee. checked our shotshells, our licenses, stamps, plugs in our pumps. they were TRYING to find something on us. He again busted my stones for hunting in a safezone. I told him then he should write up every dog that walks the safezone b/c thats what i was doing.
needless to say me and my friend didnt get any citations/tickets.

so yeah when i hear a "crow" near the vehicles....i just laugh...
think they were tryin to trick ya.

your dog is fine.
Nick

[ACEarcher]

Well Ruger and I went out again this afternoon. No dice on the pheasants, but big change in attitude. It seemed like he starting to have fun! I don't know what to tell ya. We weren't doing anything different than before. He did get one really good birdy but I think the bird ran out of the field when we started and went into this really really nasty thicket. Ruger couldn't even get into it. Over all he acted like a bird dog in the afternoon at least to my standards (and they're pritty low right now LOL). He didn't go as far as I wanted him to be infront of me. He generally stayed about 20 - yards. Always stop to turn around and look if I'm there. He also didn't really zig zag all over the place to locate scent, but he did find some. At least he wasen't glued to hip or inback of me and shaking.

[massbaster]

Sounds to me like hes still young. Have you tried hunting him brace to see if he will open up a bit? My puppy GWP would do that and I hunted him with my older GSP and he would range further because of the older dog....

[ACEarcher]

Nah everytime I've taken Ruger outbeen the only dog. I do have a springer, but he's no hunting dog. If anything Jake (the springer) I'd say is a bad influence on Ruger. Jake, well no other way for me to say this he's just dumb and dosen't listen. He's deffinatly a short yellow school bus kinda dog. Ruger I would say he's around 3 yrs old. He's got a really bad past and I really can say for sure on his age.

[massbaster]

oh.....3yrs old....you ned to get him on birds.....take him to a preserve and get hime on 10-15 pheasants and see what he does...get that prey drive going....I need to get my 1.5 yr GWP to Powderbourne soon.... with duck season coming back in im gonna have a hard time wanting to anything but wackin qwackers.....