How to Train Your Brittany Dog to Bird Hunt

Brittany bird dogs are the all-rounders of the sport dog set. They originated as a poacher's dog; they looked like an innocuous pet, but could assist their masters in locating birds, setting or pointing to them to show their owners the location of quarry, flushing and even retrieving downed game. While many sport dogs are bred and trained to excel at one aspect of hunting, Brittanys are so versatile they are capable of learning and performing multiple tasks related to bird hunting. They are also versatile as both pets and sport dogs, known for being hard working, intelligent, independent, trainable, willing and friendly to people. 

Training a Brittany to hunt birds can involve focusing on one behavior or task you want your dog to assist you with while bird hunting, but the versatility of the Brittany lends itself to performing many bird hunting tasks. Most Brittany dog people enjoy their multitasking hunting dogs and train them to perform several useful bird hunting behaviors.

Many sport dogs are bred and trained to excel at one specific task, either tracking game, locating it and then freezing (setting) or pointing to the quarry, flushing game for a shot to be taken or bringing back downed game to their masters, Brittanys can do it all!  They are great at plowing through dense underbrush to scent and locate game, have great instincts for the hunt, and are trainable so they can be taught a variety of commands and tasks that are useful in bird hunting. Hunters that use Brittanys work with their dogs to get them familiar with and motivated to hunt birds, which is not difficult for these naturally prey driven hunting dogs, but the Brittanys also need to learn when to stop after locating a bird, so as not to flush it too early, before hunters are in place to harvest prey. Brittanys are also taught a release command to rush in and startle birds to take flight or rush into the open so hunters can take a clear shot, and sometimes Brittanys are even taught to go pick up harvested game in their mouths and return them to their owners. All these tasks require that your Brittney work closely with you, stay focused on his handler, and take direction in the form of verbal commands or hand signals.

Because Brittanys are such all-rounders, they are often trained together with older dogs that help to school younger ones, so having access to experienced Brittany hunting dogs is an asset. The use of an enclosed wooded area or a tracking collar to ensure that a young inexperienced dog doesn't become lost during training is recommended if working off leash.  Many hunters keep game birds on hand for training purposes to familiarize their dogs with the sights and sounds of birds, scents, and hunting. Before initiating training for hunting birds with your Brittany, you should ensure your dog has a good handle on obedience commands and especially good off-leash recall.