Steadiness to
Flush and Shot

Not just for hunting season
- a way of life.

kay, so you have been intermix­ing some upland hunting with duck shooting for the last couple of months, and you are frustrated because you expected your dog to be steady. Or, at the very least you wanted him to hesitate and watch when a bird flushes rather than wildly leaping and chasing after the rapidly escaping bird. Perhaps you even spent some time working on steadying him to a flush in your pre-season training and "busted" him a time or two with a checkcord or collar. Maybe you went so far as to take him to a pheasant club to put him on some birds before opening day to correct him each time he broke.

Well, (I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you) it is more than likely your fault that he did a somewhat respectable job in training and then began to rapidly disintegrate as soon as the season got underway. You didn’t really teach him what was expected of him, you just tried to correct his mistakes.

Steadiness is not something that you can expect of your dog in training but then allow him to begin to slip the very moment that the first wild rooster gets up under his nose. Likewise, steadiness is not just something that you reinforce a few times before the opening day, let it worsen throughout the season, and then try to correct again in the same manner next year. Steadiness is a way of life - be it steadiness to a flush and shot, or sitting steady next to the duck blind; it is all interrelated. Now listen, you can keep telling yourself that you want your dog to break and go in order for him to be standing under the bird when it hits the ground or water, but I think we both know that this is probably an attempt at justification.

I’m not going to get into an extended discussion regarding the morality of "steadiness vs. breaking." I’ve shot enough roosters in my life to know that they wear some sort of body armor that allows them to appear solidly hit in an explosion of feathers, crash with a thud, hit the ground running, and can be in the next county before a dog that is steady and waits to be sent can get there. I’ve had this exact scenario happen too many times to dispute it. Heck, I hunt the rivers for ducks and geese, so I know that if a dog sits rock solid, there is a good chance that dead ducks and, even more so, cripples could be lost down the river.

If you truly want your dog to break and go when a bird flushes (and I’m not going to present an argument one way or the other, nor am I going to try to make a convert of you), or if you don’t hunt upland birds at all, then maybe what I am going to say will help you steady your dog for sitting next to the duck blind or jumpshooting ditches and potholes.

To achieve steadiness, it is going to take some dedication on your part, require you to take a step back in your dog’s training, build a solid foundation, and then stick to it throughout the rest of his life. The training will be based on a system of variable reward and withholding of the reward, which, as you progress, will require a helper. By the way, don’t think that you will be able to accomplish this by next weekend’s pheasant outing! There is no shortcut; it simply won’t happen.

While the dog is hunting and moving toward you, fire the blank pistol, give a sharp sit-whistle, and toss a bumper high in the air and back over your shoulder so that you can maintain eye contact. He should sit and watch the fall of the bumper.

ne of the primary aspects of train­ing that needs to be considered from the very outset is the decision to teach the dog to remain steady or be allowed to break and go when a bumper is thrown, a bird flushes, or when you bring the gun up to your shoulder to shoot. It makes no sense to toss unlimited breaking retrieves for a dog as a youngster, and then at some point in the training process, change the rules of the game and require him to remain steady.

If your dog’s incremental training has been done thoroughly early on, he should reliably sit and remain sitting at your side when commanded - whether that command be given verbally or with a whistle. He should also sit at a distance away from your side when he hears a single whistle blast or when a shot is fired (or both), as I explained in the January/February 2002 issue of The Retriever Journal. Likewise, he should remain sitting while you or a helper throws a bumper and go only when sent to retrieve.

He should also understand that his reward - the retrieve - is only given for steadiness; he is never rewarded with a retrieve if he attempts to break and go without being sent. Additionally, he should understand hunting cover for birds within acceptable shooting range and know to come back closer when called by whistle or verbally. When you are totally certain that your dog will reliably perform these tasks as expected, you are ready to begin to steady him first to a shot while he is moving in the field, and later to a flush.

Begin by having him hunt some medium cover where you can watch him and he can see you almost all of the time. You will need to discreetly carry a bumper in your hunting vest - or under your jacket along with your blank pistol. When he is in a spot where he is moving in your direction and can see you clearly, raise the blank pistol and fire a shot. At the same time, you must be ready with your whistle in your mouth, because immediately upon firing the shot, give a loud, crisp "sit" whistle command and be prepared to follow it up with a powerful verbal, "Sit!" if necessary. When you are sure that he has stopped and is sitting, toss the bumper off behind you but in a direction where you are sure he can see it in the air.

I have found that it helps to simply throw the bumper high and back over my shoulder, never breaking eye contact with the dog. This way I can instantly read his reactions, and if he breaks when I throw the bumper, I can block his path and (hopefully) prevent his getting to the bumper. I really don’t care where the bumper lands; marking the fall is his job.

If I am training a dog that has shown a tendency to break on marks, I will have him drag a lightweight checkcord for as long as I deem necessary. (Two suggestions here: First, with a light­weight checkcord, put a knot or several knots in the cord so that if you must step on it to stop him, it won’t just slip out under your foot. Second, consider tying a short piece of orange flagging to the bumper. If he breaks and you stop him and must pick up the bumper yourself, since you haven’t watched where it fell, it will make it much easier to find.)

Should he break and go for the bumper, stop him as quickly as possible by whatever means are necessary, shake him up a bit, and take him back to the spot where he broke; and as you make him sit, get right in his face and give him a forceful verbal, "Sit," followed by a whistle blast and another verbal, "Sit." Leave him sitting there while you pick up the bumper yourself. Do not reward him with a retrieve if he breaks. Then repeat the process again and again until he sits steady for the shot, the throw, and until he is sent to retrieve.

When he will sit when he hears the shot or the "sit" whistle command, and you can toss the bumper and he remains sitting, be sure to hesitate for several seconds before sending him to make the retrieve. Do not get in the habit of sending him quickly; this just encourages breaking as he anticipates being sent. And, although the retrieve is his reward, don’t forget that he still deserves plenty of praise for a job well-done.

Repeat the exercise successfully a few times, and then put him away for the day. When you bring him back out for sessions in the days to follow, continue the exact same procedure each time, but begin to allow him to only make about half of the retrieves; don’t always allow him to pick up all of the bumpers. Remind him to "sit," walk out and retrieve the bumper yourself before walking back to where he is sitting to praise him, and then release him to continue the "hunt."

Retrievers are not stupid; it probably won’t take him long to figure out that if he watches you rather than hunts, that he will be able to anticipate your shot, whistle, and throw. When he begins watching you closely or only hunting a short distance so that he can continually look back to you, several approaches will encourage him to hunt.

First, don’t always toss a bumper. Fire the shot, blow your whistle, and have him sit - but then after sitting for a period of time, send him on to continue with his hunt. You might also consider simply inconspicuously dropping a bumper in the cover and walking off downwind. Then, you can influence him to use his nose and hunt into the area of the drop where he will find a bumper that you didn’t throw.

Second, you can include your helper off at some distance to shoot and toss a bumper. This will encourage the dog to hunt back and forth between the two of you. However, if I were going to incorporate the use of a helper at this stage, I would be the one to blow the sit-whistle. I would still be the one to send him to make the retrieve, and I would certainly be the only one to make any corrections. And, it should go without saying, that your dog should deliver the bumper back to you regardless of who threw it.

he next step is to substitute dead pigeons for bumpers. Assuming that your dog is progressing with a minimum of corrections, simply incorporate dead pigeons into the equation in the exact same manner that you have been using the bumpers. The transition should be little problem, but is a necessary step to build the temptation before going to live pigeons.

Initially, live pigeons are not to be planted and flushed; they are to be carried out of sight and thrown just like the bumpers and dead pigeons. Actually, I like to mix tossing live pigeons with some dead ones that the dog can retrieve. At first, you are not killing the pigeons, so if you can borrow some homing pigeons (most pointing dog trainers have homing pigeons), that will work out best. Just treat throwing the live pigeons in the exact same manner as you did when throwing the bumpers and the dead birds.

When planting pigeons to flush off the ground, it is important to have a helper along to do the shooting. If the dog sits when the bird flushes, the helper can kill the bird; if the dog breaks, don't give him the reward of a retrieve.

Remember, do not take your eyes off the dog when you fire a shot or throw the birds. Again, you don’t care where the pigeons go as long as they fly off. You should shoot your blank pistol in the air - maybe even take several shots. Just be sure to watch your dog’s movements and his eyes closely and learn to anticipate a break - especially if you fire multiple shots. If your dog does break, get to him quickly and drag him back to the spot where he broke to make your correction as you have previously done. If he sits steady, it is best to wait until the pigeon is completely out of sight before resuming the exercise.

Continue to repeat this step for several sessions until he is quite solid on sitting steady to a flying bird. You can even have your helper throw some homers while you shoot with your blank pistol and blow the whistle, just as you did previously with bumpers. Once you are satisfied with your dog’s progress, it is time to have your helper kill a couple pigeons as they fly off. You can continue to let some fly off and throw some dead birds during each session, but be sure to coordinate with your helper that he shouldn’t kill any birds if the dog breaks when you fire the blank pistol. Again, you must withhold the reward of a retrieve if he breaks.

ow that you have progressively built a solid foun­dation of steadiness, it is time to have your dog find and flush pigeons off of the ground. You must continue to act strictly as the trainer, and your attention must be fixed on the dog’s movements and reaction to finding a planted bird so that you can anticipate his actions and be ready to move quickly to make a correction if necessary. It is preferable that your dog remain in his kennel or crate while you plant the pigeons; but if it is a long distance, you might have to ask your helper to plant the birds while you distract the dog in a different direction.

It will be necessary to dizzy the pigeons somewhat to ensure that they remain in the area where you put them down. And always arrange to plant the birds so that you can hunt your dog into the wind. In this way, he will learn to use his nose and scent the birds before he sees them and goes in for the flush. When the bird flushes, be prepared to blow the "sit" - whistle and fire a shot or two from your blank pistol. Again, your attention should be totally on the dog, not on the direction that the bird flies - leave that to your helper and the dog. Your helper knows that he isn’t to kill any birds if the dog breaks but is free to kill any if the dog remains steady to the flush and to your shots with the blank pistol.

(Here is a tip for further reinforcing steadiness: Either you or your helper should walk out and pick up some of the shot birds your self just like you did with the bumpers previously, so that your dog comes to understand that he may not be sent to retrieve every bird that is shot.)

So, how did he do? Do you need to back up and repeat any of the steps? Of course, you don’t truly have a dog that is totally steady to a flush until you can plant some pheasants or go to a hunting club and have him flush some birds. And, of course, he must be worked on wild birds. But the foundation has been put in place in a step-by-step manner so that he knows what is expected of him and that your corrections for intentional disregard of the commands are justified.

Now, you just need to be careful not to begin sending him too quickly to make the retrieve while the bird is still falling or as soon as you shoot. And remember, there is no reason that you can’t walk out and pick up some of the birds while he sits and watches.