Teaching old dogs new tricks

People have been asking me how my New England grouse dogs have been adjusting to hunting the wide open spaces in Montana and now Nebraska and Kansas. Mike's answer is simply, "they're birddogs, they know their job.". But I have watched as they have adapted and learned new lessons from new species of birds. Tweed, at age 6, has for several years now been a very successful ruffed grouse dog in the woods with a close working range of 50-75 yards and confident, stylish points on her birds. Out here she is still our closest working dog, typically ranging about 75-100 yards. Interestingly, her young daughter, Storm, who is only in her 2nd year so has less experience in the woods, spends much of her time out at about 200 yards and takes long edges and casts. Both have learned that expanses of tall, thick grass are where the pheasant are here and the many tricks that pheasant play such as running at right angles and behind hunters and dogs. Of particular interest to me has been to see Tweeds style and confidence on point change as she has been at first humbled but then handling new species. I'll share some pics to show what I see. As always, click on photos to enlarge.

Tweed on ruffed grouse last year.





On running phez a couple of weeks ago.





On pheasant yesterday that she pinned hard. Still not the same point as on grouse but much more sure of herself.





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