Boot Camp gets Tougher

As the 2009 Nebraska hunting season gets closer, the pressure builds on the training for Manny.
The days of fun and games are transitioning to focus and dependability. Watching Manny daily, I have observed his very keen nose. It is about the best I have seen among all my previous gun dogs. As his training gets more and more focused, the pheasant scent becomes more and more recognizable to him. I started getting Manny to 'find the bird' as it gets darker and darker. In my opinion, this gets Manny to use his nose more than his eyes. Right now, he knows to point when he smells the 'pheasant', but he does not know why because I do not have a real bird for him to see. Hopefully, that will change this year during the hund. There will be mistakes and 'busted' birds, but that is how dogs learn. I want a dog to range out about 30 yards and work across, then return to me in a horizontal figure-8 pattern. So far, when Manny has been 'loose', that is exactly what he does. I am fine with that. He just needs to learn to 1. come when I call 100% of the time. We are working on that. I want to keep his boldness, but I also want his discipline to get in line with the demands of the hunt. We will see.