Clipped Wing Pigeon
I often use a clipped-wing pigeon to introduce and excite a young dog or inexperienced gundog. First, I clip the wing of a pigeon on only one side. This way the bird can still fly short distances and encourages the dog to follow the bird. Second, I keep a short lead on the dog and try to get him interested in the bird by moving the bird around maybe even letting the bird flap his wings a little. Most dogs that have a prey drive will get real excited at this point.Once I get the dog’s attention, I will toss the bird into the air and let the dog watch the bird flutter to the ground while I have the dog leashed. Once the bird is at the dog’s eyelevel or on the ground I release the leash and let the dog chase the bird and catch it. At this point just keep your mouth shut for a minute and let the dog mouth the bird even retrieve it if he will. The most important step is to just keep it fun and make sure you let the dog know your happy with him and get him excited. After a few of these short exercises this should get the dog eager to go out and do some work with birds. You only need to do this a few times at the beginning of a dog’s training to peak his interest. At this stage you shouldn’t be too worried about letting the dog catch the bird or trying to get him to point or retrieve. You just want the dog to have a positive experience with you and birds. Making sure your dog’s first few training experiences are positive and fun pays huge dividends later on!
