is it too late to train my springer to bird hunt?

Question

my springer spaniel just is gonna turn 3 years in dec. the reason i never trained him to hunt when he was younger is that my dad had back surgery and i had nobody to help me. i couldnt do it myself because i needed someone to drive and i was only 14. now that my dad can actually walk better, we want to go pheasent hunting which is the reason we got the pup in the first place. my dads friend was gonna help train him because he had 4 blue tick hounds for coon hunting but he passed away so we have had to good of luck in training him. the dog has calmed down alot but im wondering if its too late. if had him in the woods on a leash and he pulls me all over the place and spooked up two hens and i know he's not gunshy because i had him on the leash while i was shooting trap so all im worried about is if its too late to train him basic hunting commands. sorry the question was soo long.


thanks

Answer 1

NO its not to late, the more you get him out the better the dog will progress.* It is instinctive, all it requires on your part is to take him out often.*

Answer 2

It is not too late but you really have your work cut out for you.
The first thing you must do is establish who is boss - don' let the dog get away with dragging you anywhere! Get a choker chain and teach the dog to heel, (damn it!) . Take him to the ground if you have to - you have to establish who is boss!
The next things the dog must absolutely know are the commands: come, sit, and stay.....
The tone of my response probably sounds a little mean, which I do not want to convey. My point is that you have to be very firm (not mean) when training a dog. It is going to take a tremendous amount of patience and dedication to train your dog at such a late time in his life but keep the faith and you will get there. The best piece of advice I can give you it the title of the book below. I have used it with great results, and so have many of my friends.
Training a dog can be a very rewarding experience - you can do it!

Answer 3

If its got good genes and it respects you then you shouldn't have to train it.

Let him loose in the woods. He should stay within sight while working a zig-zag pattern in the direction you are walking. He should flush birds without a point or hesitation. His mouth should be soft meaning that he should gently pick up birds and place them in your hand.

Out off all that stuff the only problem I have is breaking them of jumping when flushing. Obviously a dog jumping into the air while flushing birds is a problem. I hear is a common issue.

If your springer is looking away and you whistle or snap your fingers... . if he whips his head around and looks you in the eye, then you have a good dog

Answer 4

No, he may not be perfect, but he's still trainable. My first springer of my very own I saved from euthenasia, and the original owners had abused the poor thing to the point of being a quivering bowl of Jello, and had let him get heartworms. It took quite a time just to let him be a dog again, but he started hunting at 3, and did fairly well for the remaining single year of his life.