hunting set position

[Dennis Doyle]

My 9 month old IS bitch, Cherry, has in the past month, taken to stalking any birds that she sees on our walks across fields etc. I think she is displaying the classic 'set' position in that she stalks (creeps) with her legs and body very low to the ground. She has also taken to stalking this way in the margins of the streams and canal and any ditches, presumably to avoid being seen by prey. (This results in a very muddy setter!) When we reach the fields where she can run off-lead, she sprints around for a few minutes to let off steam before getting into her stalking routine and stalks this way for about an hour, creeping practically the whole way around the fields, only breaking the 'set' to sprint around the field flushing any magpies, crows etc that she sees. I can only find one 15 second video on U-Tube of similar behaviour. Do other's dogs exhibit the same behaviour? 

[Howard Glansfield]

MIne will set at things and,sometimes,will stalk but only when they can see something and nowhere near the extent that Cherry does.When they set it is very difficult to break the set position.Nobody teaches them but they know.

[Ossian]

But I think cCerry is a bit over enthusiastic. However you really should be harnessing that behaviour and - if you think you might want to explore gundog training  - she should not be tearing around flushing birds at will.

 

Actually as we come into breeding and nesting season its very unfair to let a dog do that.

[Dennis Doyle]

She is certainly enthusiastic but there again she's a 9 month old puppy, not a trained gun dog. Gun dog training is definitely not on my agenda and I don't believe that chasing the odd crow and magpie is really a worry.

[Ossian]

I think you said magpies. crows etc and how do you know what else is in the margins of the field. You may not want to "train" to gundog work but life and training will be a  lot easier if you harness some of the attributes your dog is curently displaying