Lohmann's Milan's puppies are 7 weeks old

[Michaela]

Now the breeders (not me - I'm only the owner of the studdog ;-)) are preparing the puppies for their future life as hunting dog. For example the puppies can show their well distinctive instincts for pointing on a stimulating-rod with wings of feathered game on it. They have also very good noses and a big interesting on every king of game. Now is the right time to show them different kind of game and to wake up they interests on it. Mother Una is a good model of behaviour for them. You can read and see more pictures at our litters diary - look at www.working-gundogs.de

[Esther Siegrist]

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an Milan und Krambambuli. Sehr eindrückliche Bilder der Puppies.

[Dee Rance]

Lovely pictures, love the one with the white star...Hope that they all enjoy there working lives.....

[Jenny Ronnebro]

Thanks for sharing these photos! The pics are wonderful, so nice to see them with the rabbit and feathers.

[Michaela]

@Wilko Jansen:
Did you criticise this practise of let the puppies get in contact with dead game? For me the Irish Setter is not "just" a field trail dog - not only a dog for sports - for me it is also a hunting dog. For my appreciation the Irish Setter dog was originally not only a dog for pointing in the fields - he is also a dog for retrieving - at home in all terrain (includes water, bush, moor, scrubs etc.). In 1890 John M. Tracy wrotes an article about the Pointer and Setter used for hunting -> one important citation: "The very best field dog I ever saw was an Irish Setter; yet, seek as I will. For those who shoot a great deal, and work the same dog on a great variety of game, there is no dog like a good Irish Setter." by the way the title of the book is "Shooting on upland, marsh, and stream" (all kind of terrain and very different kind of lower game). This is why I have an Irish Setter.

I'm not a experienced dog handler for field trails - I'm always a learner and I think that I'm standing at the beginning of being a good dog handler and doing my very first steps. I will show you some pictures of my female Lohmann's Chili:

Now she is two years old - with 9 month she started on 3 different (club) Field Trails for young dogs and gets always a "very good" - this year she started on Field Trail couple with 21 month and gets first place with a very good there. She started also on hunting tests with very good results. Yes, she is not a specialist - but very good in all working things of a hunting dog in field and water.

Maybe you're right - it is a little bit german way of dog handling but when I read the old scripts about the Irish Setter in its origin I felt not very far away from them ..

[Michaela]

@all: thanks for your kind answers.

[Susan Stone]

Hi Michaela, thanks for sharing all the photos!
These pups certainly won't have any trouble later when asked to retrieve feather or fur. They have had the 'imprinting' at an early age. I know that in Germany and many other countries these dogs will be expected to do a full hunting job: following the drag line of a rabbit or hare, retrieving everything on land and from water, maybe even following 'Schweiss' ie blood track of wounded deer. It is much harder to get a adult dog to do these jobs if he has not had early imprinting on all types of game. They tend to be much more hesitant.
I would doubt that the Setters of early days were expected to do all these jobs, but I am sure they are capable if trained and handled correctly.

[Petra Kasznár]

Wonderful pictures, Michaela!!!! I hope the breeder will find suitable homes for all of them where they can use their hunting abilities!!!!
Like in Germany, in Hungary too, all pointing breeds are expected to do every kind of hunting task! Hunters here can not afford to themselves to keep one dog only for pointing, another for retrieving and water work and a third one for blood track!

[Dušan Rauški]

Really really great pictures. These puppies will certainly make some hunters very happy!
Totally agree with Petra, but then again we are not that far away from each other.

[Danica Morarova]

Nice photos:-)