ATB: Pippin Honors Treasure's Point

"Honoring' is a term used to describe other dogs recognizing a dog on point and following suit. 'Backing' is a term that can be used in the place of 'honoring'. The term 'backing' stems from the idea that the dogs following suit should be behind the dog that was on point first."

We really do not spend a lot of time TEACHING a dog to honor or back another dog's point. There are a lot of methods including the use of a wooden cut out dog figure that you set up in the field and walk your up to. This is helpful if you don't have another dog to train your dog with.  In our case we either have our dogs or those owned by friends of ours.  Teaching a dog to honor the point of another dog is so important but unfortunately some bird hunters don't understand the importance of it.  It's not fun for you or your dog if another dog comes running up, ignores the fact that your dog is on point and runs in and busts the very bird that you were about to go flush and hopefully shoot!
Also in some of the higher testing levels for hunting dogs your dog is required to honor and back another dog's point.  I'm not here to reinvent the wheel or offer a precise training method. Each dog is different and I think it's a good idea to have a lot of 'tools' in your bird training 'tool box'.  Primarily experience and knowledge. And I had a really cool experience today which taught me a lot!

Usually I will only run one dog at a time. There's a lot of reasons for that but primarily because I'm really just starting to get back into the game.  In the past I often assisted John while he was working with two dogs as it is a lot easier when there is someone else there to hold one of the dogs depending upon what lesson is being taught.  Since I've really enjoyed handling Pippin and Treasure this past week I decided today I wanted to see if they might honor and back each other's point.  This isn't something anyone should try on a whim i.e.: "oh lets see how ol' Shep and Lucy Lee do together in the field!"  You hear a lot of people saying their older dog trained their younger dog and that may be well and good. But what if the one dog NEVER really grasped what this whole game is all about and you have the other dog looking to that dog for leadership?  It's a disaster.  If you run two dogs together you better be darn well sure you know exactly the level of maturity and experience or you are going to mess up big time and lose valuable ground.

I knew for certain 'where' my girls were in regards to their ability. I don't want either of my girls busting out birds and I certainly don't want them messing up what is going on with another hunter and their dog out in the woods this fall.  One on one Pip and Treasure are awesome.  Today I wanted to see what happened when one was on point and the other approached. *No photos, John put the camera on the ground so he could help me! These pictures are of some of our other dogs or those of friends.

At first Treasure ran much closer to me than usual and I wondered why.  In a few minutes it became obvious.  It was all about the bell being used.  It had a different sound plus we don't always run her with one.  Pip was going full speed ahead moving nicely up over the hill and quartering, using the wind to her advantage and not wasting time nor ground.  Both girls got birdy at the same time and this was when I turned to John and I simply said "I do not know what to do from this point on."  I anticipated Treasure would lock up solid but I wasn't sure what Pip would do.  Two of our friends were there too and I was open to advice.  It was so fascinating though as I watched it unfold.  I needed to remember from the day before about letting Pippin see me and move out and away from her otherwise she will try to walk alongside of me.  As she did this John picked her up and set her back to where she was.  Pippin and Treasure were both looking across at each other and finally neither was moving and it was awesome.  John guided me to do what needed to be done and soon I was in the middle of them kicking the grass up, trying to locate the bird and getting ready for it to flush, blank gun in hand and ready to fire.  He reminded me that I needed to yell "WHOA!" just seconds after the bird went up and in the case of Pippin begin to walk towards her.  I did all of that and it was so exciting because my girls did such a good job!  Treasure gets it.  Pippin will get it.  And I will get it too, just wait and see.  (Few more pix at the bottom of honoring.)

Stay tuned for these are the days of our lives and I'm back in the field again, lovin' most every moment of it.  Take care and thanks for your interest - as always God bless you!!! And Happy Fourth of July too.  John, Ann, and All Things Brittany