I have a Springer X GSP pup, now 6 months old and he has noticed birds as they are flying over him. He has started to run after them, they are up in the air and often way above him, so he is looking upward as he runs. He is getting braver and going quite a distance from me following the birds although he does come back when I call him, after a couple of calls and if they go out of his view.
Any ideas on how to break this habit as we hope to go to the seaside soon and I have visions of him going off into the distance along the sand after seagulls, or as in the news, over a cliff after some!!?

You have just got yourself a birddog and he has traits which he was born for, why not join a gundog training group.

All my lot have at one time or another liked the idea of bird chasing...they soon pack it in once they realize they have no hope of catching them!! I think if it is still a problem when you got to the beach a long line may have to be the answer this year and hopefully by next he will have cottoned on to the fact that he cannot fly! Squirrels though...well that is different matter altogether, they are catchable like bunnies and so are fair game!! The squirrel catcher at our country park maintains my dogs dispatch as many as he does!! Have any of you had the destruction of trees like us this year? so many in the garden of remembrance have been ringbarked by the squirrels that they will have to spend a fortune re-planting. They had a field day when we had the snow and ice I have never seen it so bad.
Aileen

We looked after a dog that loved to chase birds she used to bark at the same tree for ages until one day one of the birds pooped on her head  she stopped after that. :) I don't know how to stop a dog barking a birds.... sorry.

tooolz is right, you need to make a virtue out of his little game. I have three gundogs and even the showbaby, who has barely a passing interest in birds, will have a chase. My oldest is bird (well, hen) obsessive and is only now settling down at the grand old age of 2 1/2. Yours is old enough to try water retrieves...mine all prefer this to anything else. Get a dummy and try him out on water. Gundog training is great fun and nothing tires mine out more.

My eight month old leonberger had great fun chasing some geese tonight. He has always ignored them before and usually comes straight back to us but he was definately having a good game. Thankfully his love of food exceeds anything else and a rustling treat packet was enough of a distraction!

Our setter is a bird obsessive too, yet funnily enough she never chases seagulls at the beach. Her bird of choice is most definitely the crow and I've found that a dog whistle works best to catch her attention. Unfortunately I seem to lose 1 whistle per walk and I can't whistle myself for toffee!

> they soon pack it in once they realize they have no hope of catching them

Really!  Meg is getting on for 5 years old and she still hasn't worked it out!  She only does it when she is really wound up - eg just going out for a walk and the birds are on the roof nearby, or on the beach if she gets distracted from the ball or the waves.  She also thinks she can catch planes! 

When our old setter was young, she used to chase the swallows in the evenings, when they where swooping low. It was great to watch her, she was in her element. She also chased a squirrel about 6 foot up a tree once! And she was on the lead at the time! :)

lol dakkobear, my boy is a crow favourer too.  In the park he will ignore seagulls and go for the crows.  I think it is probably because the crows get more into the spirit of the game, swooping at him and staying just out of reach whereas the seagulls totally ignore him or fly far away.

Have heard from some ornithologists that it can be very bad for birds to be chased. At certain times of year they need the energy for staying alive, or could miss out on dinner, or at other times for raising young... being interrupted in the middle of food which it has taken them all day to find, or made to fly more than they need to, can be a bit draining for birds apparently. Most bird species are protected by law.

I was guilty of that too on the beach, and in parks, thinking it couldn't harm, and enjoying the sight of a flock launching into the air whenever my dog ran into them.... but am a bit more careful now.

Squirrels on the other hand, are open season all year round!!! as long as they are greys. In fact my dog thinks rabbits are Squirrels, I never did dare call them rabbits or bunnies as I had pet rabbits at home and yes, he is bright enough to pick up on certain words to that degree. So rabbits are also squirrels (albeit the long-eared short-tailed variety). Luckily he doesn't catch them..... just herds them into their holes or up their respective trees and looks extremely proud of himself when he's 'put them away'.

My GR is a very good squirrel catcher - I didn't realise he could run that fast before he caught the first one and his tally is rising at a regular pace.

> So rabbits are also squirrels (albeit the long-eared short-tailed variety).

LOL  :-)  :-)   Don't you just love 'em!

Oh Yes....I love both of mine......mostly!!
The littl`un has gained enough confidence to go right across to the other side of a field or to the top of the hill and out of sight following the direction the birds are flying. Yesterday he was really good and came back to the whistle....not today. I ended up putting him back on a long lead for the rest of the walk. He was away with the fairies even then....taking no notice of me atall pulling at the end of the line trying to drag me along into the bushes.
I won......I am stronger.... and cheese tastes good!

My 4 year old cocker has a touch of OCD about birds. I take a bit of blame as when he was a pup I used to ask him where the birdies were and he copped on to what they were!! His favourite are swallows in the summer and crows though a snipe on the mountain is also good. But what makes me laugh are that my gsd and st bernard run too but the st bernard has no clue what he's after!! The worlds biggest spaniel!!

One of my working cockers was just like this.  But we started gundog training with him from 9 months old - so we can now "operate" him using a whistle from some distance away.

> that it can be very bad for birds to be chased

That is certainly the case in some parts - especially during the breeding season.  But I think seagulls on the beach are fair game!  As for squirrels I think they can inflict some nasty bites on dogs - so one doesn't really want a dog catching up with them.  My Meg thought she was in luck when 2 squirrels fighting fell from the tree trunk right under her nose.  Luckily they all escaped ant harm!

One of my papillons loves to chase birds, rabbits and hares.  He's 4.5 years old and just enjoys the chase - he doesn't really expect to catch anything (well, I assume he doesn't).  He runs quite a distance, but I know it's safe so I just call (whistle) him back when I'm ready.  The only time I try to stop him chasing the birds is in the breeding season, but then we keep away from the main breeding areas.

> But I think seagulls on the beach are fair game!

We used to have a gundog that went hightailing off towards some seagulls - 30 seconds later he was headed back towards us with a seagull following close behind.  He never chased them again :)

My current gundog nearly knocked me over this summer after an encounter with a seagull.  The dog was happily strolling along taking in the air when a 'bird statue' suddenly came to life as he walked past.  He bounced off my knee with surprise and gave that same post a leery look every time after that!

When you look eye to eye with a seagull you can see why some dogs are good and cautious...

Yeah it's a very good idea. A friend adopted an unknown breed dog which love to hunt squirrels and birds, when he walk him in a dog park, one guy there who has hunting dog notice my friend's dog and guessed the dog has strong English Pointer mix in him. Now the dog was training to be a gundog.

I agree that you've got a "bird dog" as it were, and you need to channel  his instincts rather than stopping him. His inner wiring is making him chase :)

Here is another option, that of changing the target:

http://www.dog-secrets.co.uk/how-do-i-stop-my-dog-chasing/

If you go down this route, I'd suggest getting the booklet as well.

Good luck!

Lindsay
x

Ah......it seems it is the "Pointer" in him coming out.
The Pointer Rescue where he came from have said it was expected at around 6 months old for this instinct to kick in. They have a need to run round the edges of fields checking them out for you even if it means running miles from one field to the next and over roads if they are in the way!!!!!! That is if you let them...............
Anyone with German Short Haired Pointers with any advise then??????? Perhaps I should post another topic to ask that?

See first reply in thread from toolz- Should be fun...

Taking 4 year old Golden to Gundog classes in couple of weeks......will see if they do Gundogs for one as young as Burt (6 months).

The Gundog training class I went to like to see them as soon as they have finished their jabs, before any problems show up ;-) Though I thought a full days training was too much :-( I'm sure any training group would be happy to help you out. Google the Gundog Club and you may get a club in your area that can help.

My GSP caught a crow as it took off. The racket the bird made before he let go seemed to put him off....;-)

In her (much) younger days my Beattie flushed a pheasant, leapt and caught it about 5' in the air. It was delicious ...

> In her (much) younger days my Beattie flushed a pheasant, leapt and caught it about 5' in the air. It was delicious ...

Excellant.... my dallie flushes them all the time never caught one though I don't think he is interested enough.. He flushes the pointer hides !

> I have a Springer X GSP pup, now 6 months old

Do you have contact with someone who works each of these dogs?  I have an HPR and I understand, from those that work them, that they operate quite differently in the field than a spaniel.  With this in mind it may be useful to have your lad assessed to see which side of his nature is coming to the fore.  This 'ought' to help you make decisions about channelling his instincts.

However it is possible to make some adjustments.  I have inadvertantly inhibited my boys hunting skills by constantly calling him back to me.  With the right guidance I might be able to correct this a bit but from his puppy days he's been brought up alongside my 'livestock chaser' to stay within range of me and check back frequently.  Nowadays, even when on his own, he doesn't range as far as he ought to if I were working him.  He also shows an unusual interest in mice - like his mongrel pal!!

Do you go to training classes?  At 6 months you'll be noticing he's more confident and willing to move further away from you.  This is an important time to get back to classes or to increase your training at home.  A bright dog will respond very well to clicker training so if you want to give it a go I can strongly recommend it.  Training recall to a whistle is a huge help for selective deafness and a reliable 'leave' just as they notice a distraction helps a lot too.  Finally take your very best treats for rewards and make sure your boy knows you have them.  Good luck :)

We have been going regularly to a training class since I got him. The trainers were his foster home and have Springers and Pointers themselves so have good knowledge on them but we have not had time to discuss this issue at any length after class!
I do recall him regularly on walks and use a whistle to which he responds brilliantly (we use it in house and garden too for reinforcement). The leave command is also used and he knows that one!!!!
He will still go off if he gets a scent or view of something worth chasing and nothing can get his attention once fixated. However the minute he goes off I start to whistle and he seems to come back quickly. My partner observed him the other day when he went off over a field and my partner started to whistle(not as soon as I would) and Burt eventually stopped and looked back at him then ran full pelt straight to him. So he does respond but the problem is how long it may take for a response and will this get longer and longer if he gets the habit of going off??

He is still very much a puppy, and as such will push he limits with you ;-)

If you are overly worried then I would limit his distance from you. Either by a long lead/line or by only using an enclosed space for a while. HPR breeds as a whole like to run quite a distance from you (had munsters for 20 years) and most have tended to run at a distance that would have given me the heebie jeebies if it had been my springer :-p They all eventually realised that it was better to come back on the first call. I use treats (bits of chicken, liver, etc) whilst they are very young and in training. At least then they know that they will be rewarded. I only whistle a couple of times though. Once you realise that they aren't comin back you have to go and collect them and let them know they are in the bad books by putting them on a lead and ignore them until they start doing what you want from them. If you meet them half way out then still put them on a lead for a whle but let them off and do some close heel work before letting them range further out, but still limiting the distance.

Hope it works out. It doesn't sound like he is being as bad as one of mine is, though she is going deaf (old age ;-) )

Thanks for those tips. We seem to be heading in the right direction with what we have been doing so far.
He is not a bad lad really............as you say he is still a pup and pushing the limits and he needs to learn how far he can push them. That is not as far as he would like but how far I will allow!!
Going to the seaside tomorrow so that will be a new test. I want to keep him on lead but my OH wants to let him off. I hope HE can run as fast as the pup to get him back X