By now, if you’ve been following the DU podcasts and articles, you’ve probably at least thought about getting a bird dog if you don’t already have one. If you’ve done any research at all about some of the things you may need to get started, you’re probably extremely overwhelmed. Trainers, e-collars, bird launchers, training birds, WOAH… the list goes on and on.
When it comes to training a bird dog you have a couple of options...
The first option, and easiest, is to hire a professional trainer. There are a ton of trainers all over the country and you shouldn’t have to go far to find one that is a good fit for you and your dog. Some people think that this is the more expensive option but as we get into Option 2 you may realize that is not necessarily the case.
The second option, and by far the most rewarding, is to do the bird dog training yourself. The easiest avenue in this approach is to find a mentor or join an organization, such as NAVHDA, which holds training nights and events which provide opportunities to network with trainers of all experience levels. This is also a good way to minimize your start-up costs because these people will most likely have equipment for you to use while you train with them.
If you decide to jump all in here is a list of things you will likely need…
E-collar with a rheostat dial. Many houndsmen already have an Alpha and may think that they’ll just use that for their bird dog as well, but the truth is these are very inefficient during training. In training you need to have timely and accurate corrections, and the touchscreen of the Alpha just doesn’t allow for this. Once your bird dog is “finished” you may be able to then transition to the Alpha. I find the Garmin Pro 550+ to be a great tool for bird dogs as it has GPS direction and distance as well as more efficient training capabilities. The Pro 550+ also uses the same TT15X collars as the Alpha so if you already use the Alpha for your hounds, you just need to purchase the remote.
Check chord / Long line. This would be a 30’ “leash”, or something of a similar length. Often when you’re training a bird dog you want to give them more freedom than a standard leash allows but still have some control over them and a check chord is the best way to achieve that. Check chords are a great way to train recall as well as introduction to birds.
Training birds / Pigeons. You’ve probably heard the saying “birds make bird dogs” and that is a saying all bird dog trainers can agree on. The only way to teach your bird dog how to handle birds is to put them in controlled situations with birds to simulate what they will encounter while hunting. And the only way a dog is going to get better at finding birds is to find more birds. Pigeons are the most cost effective because it is not necessary, and most times very beneficial, to not shoot birds over your dog and homing pigeons will return and allow you to use them time and time again. Of course, you must also have a pigeon loft or place to house them. Although you cannot finish a dog on pigeons alone, you can provide them a solid foundation for you to then transfer to game birds.
Training grounds. Most of your obedience work can be completed in the yard, but when it comes to bird-work you’re going to need a field or larger open area with sufficient cover to hide a bird in. Sometimes this means talking nicely to a neighbor or being lucky enough to live near an appropriate piece of public land. But without access to a decent training field there is only so much you can do.
Bird launchers. These are little remote-controlled traps that you put your training birds in and hide in cover for the dog to find. In training it is important to be able to control when the bird flushes, and bird launchers allow you to do that. They also allow you to set up specific situations which are very hard to simulate with loose birds.
Bird box. Simply just a box you can put your training birds in to haul them to the field. These are readily available online and people also just build simple boxes out of plywood.
If you’ve done some mental math as you were reading, you’re probably starting to understand why I said hiring a professional trainer isn’t necessarily the most expensive option. Keep in mind, training a bird dog yourself also requires a significant daily time commitment. You’ll also find as you get into the training that there are a lot of things that you can purchase along the way that will make the job easier, but the things I mentioned are bare minimums. If you’re simply wanting one bird dog to get your feet wet, hiring a trainer is probably the safest route and will allow you to learn along the way and decide if it’s something you want to continue to pursue. But if you’re a DIY person, like myself, these are some things you’re going to need to get started.
