Went and did some dove hunting on Sunday and although the bird weren't the thickest, I had a blast taking my dog with me. She is my first ever hunting dog and I was real anxious and nervous to see how she did. I was blown away at how quick she put all her training to use and I can tell she is going to be a great hunting dog! I was really worried about her being gun shy as my dad and two close friends of mine have dogs that are absolutely petrified of shotgun blasts. Paisley couldn't care less about the shooting going on and was just excited to go chasing downed birds.

I can't wait to get out again and spend more time hunting with her!

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That's a good looking dog you got.

That first hunt with a dog is also the most memorable.

Took my 16 month old GWP out for the first time (this year) last weekend and she kicked ass on pheasants.  Lots of good points and retrieves.  She was quartering well, would start to run too big but would come back on recall.  She'll learn the right range this year.

The off season training really paid off.  Last season at just under 4 months old and no hunting specific training, I took her out every almost every weekend from the end of September through January.  She was not gun shy and was honoring other dog's points like a pro so she got to run off checkcord.  Towards the end she was doing most of the right things but not really steady to anything.  She did a few good points and got to retrieve birds off of those points.

In the spring and summer I drilled her heavily on "whoa" and "Dead Bird".  During this season we will work on steady to wing more since that is the one major area that she completely blew off her training.

I figure that by the end of this season she should be a pro.  She's serviceable now with a few rough edges.  I've hunted with a lot of guys who bragged up their dogs and were not half as well trained as Maddie is now!