Drop to flush – 18th May 2008

A very busy few days building drystone walls in the garden and competing in a local clay pigeon shooting competition…needless to say I didn’t hand my card in!

Over the weekend things carried on with no surprises.  She pointed a few pheasants in the clearfell, even though I tried to find places to exercise her that were unlikely to hold birds.  She flushed them, which wasn’t good but the scenting conditions haven’t been very good with virtually no breeze at all.  She didn’t chase though, ‘preferring’ to take my command and watch them flush.  I still can’t get her to drop when excited by the flush, but a hup is OK for now.

It dawned on me that if this keeps up, and she continues not to chase, that I am actually training her to drop to the flush.  The progress is sometimes so slow as to be imperceptable, but its progress all the same. 

I am a little worried about this flushing business.  I admit that scenting conditions haven’t been good but I am surprised that she flushed each bird today.  Two I know she didn’t get on top of, but one she did.  I am concerned that if I don’t lighten up on the drop to flush then she may start to blink birds…its a fine line between chasing, dropping, and blinking.  I will keep an eye on this.