I know you're there!                                                                                                    It's about time!

I don't know about you but I love the long range dog. I love to see them cruise over the countryside, over the hill or into the draw with nothing but finding birds for us on their minds. I don't know whether you can see the dog on point in the picture on the left but the one on the right is what I found when I got there several minutes later. The covey of Huns was, as usual, cooperative . I love these birds! They will, most often, provide this outstanding kind of dog work. This is what I live for. It's why I hunt. Want to know how to get this kind of dog work? Here is how it's done.  First let's talk about teamwork and jobs, then move on to how our modern electronics makes our hunting with a rangy dog so much fun today instead of the stressful  experience it was just a few years ago.

Teamwork

Teamwork is one of the most important aspects of bird hunting. Each of us has a job to do, and as in all teamwork, it is best to do our job and provide help and direction to teammates when needed. As we all know, a team that works well together, will often out perform a team that has greater talent but does not meld well as a team. A team that works well together outperforms by combining the best talents of each teammate, and working together towards a common goal. In that light, let's define the jobs. This will be short as there are only two teammates, dog and hunter.

Dogs Job

The dogs job, simply put, is to put birds to the gun. Retrieving would be nice too! Putting birds to the gun in a classy manner is also ohhh so nice!

Obviously, if the dog doesn't get out and find birds it's not doing its job. Also, if he finds birds but is in the next county that's a flunk as well. Another big disappointment is when he's out there, finds birds, but doesn't put them to the gun, on purpose or otherwise. Remember though, we are building a team and ..X@!..stuff..  happens. We learn by experience and we get better. If he doesn't put birds to the gun, then there is no reward for him either. Let me add here that he will often get some pleasure out of giving a covey of birds a ride. He must be convinced that getting one in his mouth is more fun! This is a great reason to only shoot birds that he has pointed, especially when young and just learning how this teamwork thing works. Dogs don't necessarily understand this at first. It is something that you must teach them and it's not hard to do if you don't get in your own way. All you have to do is say to yourself while you are hunting, "This is your job, and this is mine". Remember this is a learning process and the dog is always learning something. Make sure it's something you want him to learn. Actually, for me, this is the most fun part of working with a dog. I like to see a young dog develop and figure everything out. But, just like people, they are all different and each seems to develop their own style and method for getting the job done. They also do it at their own pace. Some dogs mature faster than others. Remember, putting birds to the gun is the goal, not necessarily how it is done. Remember also, that the dogs job can be more or less difficult as regards to wind and scenting conditions. Just because he did a great job yesterday doesn't mean that today will provide the same results. If you want to revel in the prowess of your dog, give him accolades when he has produced on the toughest of days. If you have a young dog that can do this then you really have something to be proud of.

Hunters Job

A hunters job is much bigger. You must direct the hunt, shoot birds he earns, work to develop a teamwork attitude in the dog and yourself, as well as looking after the well being of both you and the dog.

Directing the hunt means finding a place to hunt that has a target rich environment. Birdless hunting is definitely not as much fun. However, too many birds is also a detriment. It is best to hunt an area that will provide opportunity but not so much opportunity that they are too easy or taken for granted. If you have ever hunted pheasant in South Dakota you know what I mean. There is often so much bird scent that the dog can't figure out which end is up. He needs to work and take advantage of the bird contacts he makes. You must also direct the hunt while in the field. It's just that that direction can change all the time. I will typically get out of the car, get my gear ready, unload Fido and set off in the direction I plan to hunt. The dog, on the other hand, immediately goes over the hill in the some other direction and stands on some birds. You know how it goes. The best laid plans change in a hurry, and yes, I direct the hunt, but most often the hunt just kind of unfolds and has a life of its own. I love this part about hunting too. It's not predictable; I enjoy that uncertainty and the wonder and discovery of things to come, especially in new places. I relish moving over the land and watching dog do what it was meant to do, near, far, in sight and out and constantly changing and surprising me with birds over here when I thought she was over there. Yes, I direct the hunt, but it is a loose direction as I don't want to distract or interfere with her ability or desire to find birds. Her job!

When he does his job, it is your job, to the best of your ability, to shoot a bird for him as a reward for a job well done. I have known hunters to miss birds even though given perfectly good opportunities. I have also known dogs who having suffered through this too many times, have decided to work in front of another hunter who is a better shot. Remember, the dog is always learning something! Remember also, this is your job and, as in all teamwork, we must forgive the shortcomings of the players when they happen. I'm sure your dog will forgive you your occasional blunder as, of course, you will forgive him his?

Your next job? Developing teamwork! I think the best piece of advice I can give you here is to change your focus, if you haven't already, from how many birds did I get, to how many productive points did my dog get. If your can truly focus on that goal, then you may choose to direct your hunt a little differently. If your goal is to get the dog points, you will give him every opportunity to get his nose into birds. Perhaps planning the hunt so that the dog has a wind in his face through the most productive looking country or trying to get into an area that you know has birds and rather than just trying to go in, flush and shoot, try to get the dog on point before anything else. When it comes time for shooting, try to knock down one bird for him, especially when he is young and you are developing that teamwork. With an older dog I will sometimes miss on purpose as we have had plenty of birds and watching one fly away once in awhile is good for the soul. It allows that bird to play another day or produce more for upcoming years. Praise the dog for a job well done. So often, I have hunted with hunters whose only remarks to their dog are negative. I don't want to hunt with them and neither does my dog. Sugar will go a long ways with dogs. You want him to be with you, not in the next county! Lastly on this subject, don't do your job without him. Don't shoot birds that are flying around all over the place that he has nothing to do with. After all, how would you like it if he did what he likes to do best without you! You don't develop teamwork by yourself. If you want to work alone go up to the gun club and practice your shooting! You obviously need help with this part of your job anyway!

Modern Electronics and the Long Range Bird Dog

I have been playing this game long enough to remember the only tools I had to work with were a check cord, a stern voice, a praising voice, some younger legs and some great bird dogs. At times these tools fell short and I couldn't maintain the control over the dogs that I would have liked, or it seemed that way at the time. This was a good news bad news deal. The bad news is that it often was very frustrating not being able to control a dog that was bent on finding a bird. The good news is that not having that control taught me a lot about bird dogs and how they hunt. The more I hunted the more they taught me and the less worried I was about loosing a dog in the field. In the end it seemed that the dogs always knew where I was or could always find me. They seemed to have the attitude that I was the one that was lost or out of touch. The thing that always frustrated me was when I knew that the dog was on point, but I just didn't know where. Last seen, the dog had just peaked the hill where I was now standing. Now I pondered where it had gone. It was a guessing game that sometimes worked out, and sometimes not. 

Electric Collar

With the introduction of the electronic collar there was now a way to have remote contact with the dog. Unfortunately, these first collars were punishing tools and not communication or control tools. In the wrong hands they were a detriment to the teamwork philosophy and many a fine bird dog was ruined by misuse. Fortunately, our modern collars are flexible enough to work with most any dog and their individual sensitivity to the collar. They are no longer a punishing tool, but rather a teaching tool, a communication tool.

Beeper Collar

The first beeper collars were very helpful in locating a dog on point. They typically had two modes. One that beeped while running to keep track of where the dog was and beeped faster when on birds. The other beeped only when the dog was on point. You chose your mode when you put the collar on the dog and that was the one you lived with. These were helpful but annoying. The run-point mode was like Chinese water torture. It wore on you after awhile. The point only mode was fine except when you didn't need it. Then it was a nuisance, but it certainly did help to find the dog. 

Train and Beep

Modern collars combine the electronic training features with a beeper collar that can be controlled remotely with the transmitter. This is a great combination for most people and their dogs. It allows you to have one collar that will do all that you need to be with your dog in the field. From my own experience, I have found that I mostly use this collar to communicate with my dog. I do not hunt with a whistle! Instead I use the beeper to control range and to get my dog to check in. Because the beeper is on the dog there is no problem with the dog not being able to hear the whistle. The noise is right on their neck and I seem to get a great response to the beeper. Additionally, I am very quiet in the field which is very pleasant for me and less alarming to our quarry. I normally hunt with the beeper off. That way it won't operate when I know where the dog is and when it goes on point. In other words, any time you can see the dog. If I can't  see the dog, I will turn it on if I think there is a possibility that the dog has found birds. If indeed that is the case, I will take a read on the direction of the beeps and then turn it off again. If there are no beeps then I know the dog is still hunting. If I want an idea of where the dog is, I can turn it on run-point mode to locate Fido's whereabouts. If after getting a bearing on the pointing dog, and after having turned the beeper off, I can verify location as I make the trip by pressing the single beep locate button to redirect myself. I prefer this to having the constant noise. Personally, I use the Dogtra 2002T&B collar which I consider a great unit and recommend it highly. Take a look at our "Electronics for Dogs" page for more info.

I have found that all types of beeper collars have range limitations. For that matter, this is true for anything that makes a noise on the dogs end. The problem is that the noise is not always within earshot. This is particularly true on windy days, in broken country or with rangy dogs. Combine some of these and you have a real problem. It is like the old days, when there was nothing we could do to keep track of a dog other than to keep it working close.

Read more to learn about the "Client Pacifier"

The Case for the Long Range Dog

Personally, I like a rangy dog. Montana country, where I do much of my hunting, is big open prairie and river breaks. I love to see a dog tee it up and stretch out to find birds. It is not unusual to have casts that go to 5-600 yards. This dog is hunting for birds and hunting for me. It will hold birds until I get there, whether she can see me or not. She has learned this because I always find her. She knows if she waits long enough, I will be there. Most people that come to hunt with me are astounded by the range at which they hunt. They are not used to it and will start out thinking that the dogs are out of control. Actually, they have learned to run at that distance and are encouraged to do so. By the end of the day, those same people marvel at the experience they have just had. I can remember two men from Illinois came to hunt last year. Each had their own dogs. One gentleman owned two Britts that were slow and very close working, but had manners on birds when they came across them. The other gentleman had a shorthair that he had inherited from his dad. That dog was untrained and had no manners around birds or other dogs. Naturally, both men wanted to hunt their own dogs which was great. But, at the end of the day, and looking at our last loop of the day, the shorthair man asked if we could take out one of my rangy setters. He had begun to appreciate the distance the dog hunted and the birds that were found at that distance. We finished that loop with a point over an 18 bird covey of huns that we walked 400 yds. to. When I informed him that we had a dog on point, he said "where". It took him awhile to locate the two year old setter, but when he did he just smiled and said " WOW"! It was one of the highlights of the season for me and was a real pleasure for me to have an experienced older hunter like him appreciate this new experience. It was something that was obviously very new to him, and I enjoyed in his delight.

Now I want to tell you a story about these same two gents, but earlier in the day. As I mentioned, both wanted to hunt their own dogs. I would be the same way. There is nothing like watching your own dog hunt. We had run the two Britts and Shorthair together and had found a few birds. The Shorthair had messed up a couple times which was probably expected as it really didn't have much good hunting or training experience. The owner had just received the dog a week or two earlier and hadn't had time to work with it. His own longtime dog had an injury that precluded making this trip, so the new inherited dog made the trip by default. 

We were hunting big CRP fields. Perhaps 5000 acres or so. We had huns, sharptail, sage hens and pheasant in these fields and you were never really quite sure what you were going to run into, my favorite kind of hunting. After the first loop with their dogs we relocated a little and I turned my six year old female setter Zoe out. She made a cast to the front and got birdy at about 100 yards. She went on point and we were off. She broke point and eased up about 50 yards and reestablished point again. This went on and off for about 200 yards. This is what I call  "Ditch Parrot Tango". Zoe finally got the pheasant, a hen of course, to sit down. We flushed and released Zoe who went on her way. 

She returned to the place she originally got birdy and took a right turn and worked her way up and over a hill. At this stage of the game she was about 300 yards out and had just gone out of sight. This seemed to make our Illinois boys a little nervous. This is not what they were used to. I'm not sure what they thought was going to happen, but I can imagine that they are thinking that they weren't going to get any shooting over this dog. Additionally, they probably wouldn't see her again or that she was going to bust all the birds out of the country. Perhaps not this last one, as they had just walked about a hundred yards to a solid point on a hen. In any case I could see they were anxious. When one gent asked me where the dog was I said, "You saw her, she just went over the hill". He then asked, "What's she doing"? I said, " She's just hunting". He seemed a little perturbed with that answer so I said, "Looks like it's time to pull out the client pacifier". This, of course, confused him more, and I received that, "What the hell are you talking about," look in return. 

The Client Pacifier

I pulled out my Classic Tracker, which I had been working with for the past two seasons. As I mentioned above, I always find my dog when on point, so I don't worry about it any more. This is what I use to find her, and to find out what she is doing. 

Now back to the story. He asked me what it was and how it worked. I told him that it was a Classic Tracker receiver and that it monitored the signal from the telemetry collar that was worn by the dog. The collar emits a signal that is monitored by the receiver. The collar also has a behavioral circuit that tells me whether the dog is running or standing as well as giving me a direction as to where the dog is. I explained all this to him as we were walking to where we had last seen Zoe crest the hill. He wanted to know how it worked. I further explained to him, as I showed him the receiver, "When the dog is running, like she is now, it beeps every second and coincides with a row of signal strength LED lights. As you can see she is still hunting and from the strength of the signal I'd say she is just about over there. If she were to find birds the beep would sound every half second". I no sooner got those words out of my mouth when the beep started doing double time. I said, "Like that! And she's right about this direction." We crested the hill and there she was, standing about 100 yards down the other side near the edge of the CRP. She seemed to have something pinched along the edge. Well these two boys wasted no time covering the distance and walked into four roosters. Each dropped one and Zoe retrieved them both. It was the last time I had that questioning look until the end of the day when he asked if I would take out one of my long range dogs to finish the day.

The Point of the Story

Modern electronics allow us to hunt our dogs a little differently than was comfortable years ago. The dog that has the go power to stretch out no longer needs to be considered a renegade. Hunters no longer need to feel that they are hunting for their dog instead of hunting for birds. I know that there are a huge number of hunters out there that still feel that Fido should probably not venture out beyond 50 yards. In some country with very heavy cover this may still make some sense. In open country this is a heavy penalty you place upon yourself, your dog and your hunt. Bird hunting is steeped in tradition and traditional ideas. I have never been much of a conformist and contend that this tradition be rethought! It may have been appropriate to keep a dog within sight years ago but the modern electronics now enable us to get so much more from our dogs than we possibly could have back then.

Here is a list of what these electronics can do for you in the field:

The electronic stimulation will allow you to communicate with the dog remotely. It is normally used for range control or just to get a dog to check in or break Fido's concentration. It is also used to reinforce commands that the dog already knows. It is great for teaching a dog to stay away from snakes, skunks and porcupines as well as chasing deer or livestock etc. This training can be done with no commands whatsoever. It is enough just to be ready with the hot button when the training opportunity presents itself, or when you set up a training situation. 

Modern electronics are capable of remote range control, with or without electricity by communicating with the beeper. Dogs can be taught to respond to the beep like they respond to the whistle. They must also then be taught to ignore the beep when they are on birds. This is done first by getting them used to the beep when they are on birds then teaching the range control commands. Everyone, it seems, has hunted with the guy that doesn't seem to be able to take his whistle out of his mouth or keep his mouth shut. How nice to have noise free control or just a quick beep on the dogs end. 

The Beeper functions also help you to keep track of your dog when you loose visual contact. It too has a behavioral circuit to indicate when the dog is on point. The new collars allow you to control the beeper remotely as well which is a great feature. As I mentioned earlier. I only turn it on when I want to see if the dog has found birds. Otherwise it stays off! 

When you have logged some time using this combo collar, you will find that you almost never use or need the electronic stimulation. You will use the remote beeper functions almost exclusively. 

Lastly, should you find yourself hunting with a dog that regularly stretches the limits of the beeper collar,  there is now the Classic Tracker telemetry collar that is outstanding. I use both but find that I almost never use the beeper. I now use the beeper for range control only or if I know I am close to the dog but want an audible location I can just give it one beep. With the telemetry collar I can find out what the dog is doing, where it is located, and with a little work where it is headed. I can't tell you how much I enjoy working with this collar. Even at close distances, it is very helpful in figuring out what Fido is doing should I not be able to see her for any reason. In the past two years that I have used the Tracker, I have found that my dogs are generally hunting with me and for me when I can't see them. It used to make me anxious when I hadn't seen them for awhile but now all that is gone. I just hunt along and if I haven't seen pouch for awhile I just turn the receiver on to see if they have found birds. If not I turn it off and don't worry about exactly where they are. If they are on point I get a bead on them and off I go. This allows the dog to hunt without interruption or distraction from me or the beeper. It has proved to be very productive and once again the dogs have taught me way more than I have taught them.

For more information on the Classic Tracker and the Dogtra 2002 T&B as well as other electronic collars go to the the "Electronics for Dogs Page"