Pick your favorite pointing picture

[Henk ten Klooster]

Taken today, game: partridge, pheasant, hare.

[Henk ten Klooster]

Lar you have a point it was a very long draw nr 4. It ends a series of pics, nr 3 was amidst of them. Number four shows the dog frozen, totally. You say the key is to know and read your dog. In my eyes its the tail that tells tales. The moment it freezes is when the bird is locked. If you go serve the point no tail frozen it will spoil the dog. Is that your experience as well???

Eva - point here is the point not collar. Feel free to start a topic about that. Still an explanation. In one of worlds most densely populated countries like the Netherlands, partridge survives in industrial areas because sand brought on generates original plants+temporarily habitat. But there are cars+roads+chance things go wrong - like chasing hares. If that threatens a life of a dog or/and people, you need a rescue brake. Thats why the collar is present here.

[ursula wilby]

Henk,
I also feel that (for me) the collar takes all the pleasure away from the photos of setters doing what they are supposed to do.
I understand your reason for using them. But there are many more countries than Holland suffering from roads and cars close by.
Southern Sweden being one of them.
I live out in the country and am surrounded by both wild game and roads. I also know that to stop a dog going after a hare (we have tons of them here) takes more than a "little tingle" via the collar.
If these photos were published in Sweden and you were a member of the swedish kennelclub (as you need to be to breed/show/compete) you would be either excluded from the club or at the very least be given a time were you were not allowed to breed/show or compete in any field.
That is how harshly we would look at this.

[Henk ten Klooster]

Ursula,
Life and death means more to me than feelings. So setters dying under a car after chasing, those drowned, fallen off a cliff, worst was a friend who in tears picked up his bleeding setter from rails, without legs.
As long as e-collars are legal here, I will use them if needed as rescue brake on small terrains in industrial areas so with cars, even if the dog seems 100% ok.
I understand feelings. Because for me nothing goes above pure nature training method, no equipment seen on a setter on point, just like old paintings...

[Henk ten Klooster]

Eva, this is not an e-collar topic (again). Info on accidents concerns mainly setters held as companions only. Reactions like yours document a topic on how to prevend a companion dog from chasing anything could bare fruit. Tips especially from those with expertise could help an average companion dog owner (a majority here). NOT here, it is not fair to keep on bringing up e-collar training on a blog meant for discussing pointing-style. A fruitful change of thoughts on that by a majority of contributors is snowed under, so spoilt. If you have anything to say about style of pointing -reading that is an art- keep contributing.

[Henk ten Klooster]

Thats clear, input could be broader if sticking to pics or movies pure natural way. Time will tell. I regret theres no pics showing a first fieldsetters lesson not to chase after being beaten up by a hare:-)