Working the pup into the wind, send the pup out and encourage the zigzag pattern. As pup continues to work the area, he will come up on the planted birds. Keep an extra clipped-wing bird in your vest. When pup flushes a bird and it flies off, pup will want to chase after it. Let pup chase a little and then start calling him in. When you have his attention, toss the clip wing up so pup can see it. He will come charging in to get the close bird. With repetition pup will learn to come back after a “no bird” since his reward is getting to fetch a bird near you. This is the best way to teach a pup to hunt close and stay close.

If you have access to wild birds, your work will be much easier. Take pup out, without a gun, and let him hunt. Encourage him to work the field in a windshield wiper pattern by walking back and forth with pup. Start off working pup into the wind so he has the advantage. With luck, pup will find and flush some birds. As mentioned before, keep an extra clipped-wing bird to toss for pup so he doesn’t get discouraged or to get him back in after he flushes and chases one that flies away. Always toot for the sit on the flush and pup will soon automatically sit when the birds fly.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Take a hunting buddy and go to a quail hunting preserve or plant several birds in a field for your pup. Let your friend do the shooting while you handle your dog. Make sure your partner understands he doesn’t shoot unless the bird flushes at least four feet off the ground. Ask him not to shoot if the dog is chasing the bird -- only if the pup is steady to the flush. As before, have an extra clipped-wing bird in your vest to get pup to come back in if he bolts after a flyaway.

Get your pup out as often as possible in different cover and different scenting conditions. Work pup initially into the wind, then work with cross winds and then with the wind at your back. If there is no wind, take that into consideration if pup passes over birds. If you’ve planted birds and have marked where they are, you will see the bird hidden or maybe walking away. When that happens, back up, call pup in, and encourage him to work the area again.

If your hunting partner is a perfect shot, ask him to miss one so that pup flushes a bird, hears a shot and sees the bird fly off. This is where your extra bird comes in handy. If pup bolts, give him a few moments of chase, get his attention and toss the bird for him to retrieve. With practice and practical experience in the field, your pup will be working close to the gun, flushing birds, sitting to the flush and retrieving on command. Happy hunting!