With winter comes loads of bird hunting opportunities for you and your versatile gun dog. For many of us our season started in September, with grouse, quail, doves and pigeons. For others, it began with early season waterfowl or high in the mountains for chukar. And don’t overlook those joyous rooster pheasants and Huns.

If you were out on some of those early season hunts, you’ve likely fixed any problems your gun dog displayed. If you’re kicking off your bird hunting season this now, be proactive and fix any glitches your dog might have while on the hunt.

“The collar comes off the dog when it goes in the ground,” a noted trainer once told me. Though it may sound a bit extreme, what it really translates to is that no matter how good your dog is, the training never stops. On these first hunts of the year your dog is as excited as you are, if not more, and it’s up to you to control their behavior. Don’t let your gun dog get away with inappropriate behavior, as you’re sending them the message that it’s okay, when really it’s not. You don’t want to break what you’ve worked so hard to attain all summer.

Often a verbal command or an audible buzz tone of the collar is all it takes to correct unwanted behavior that your versatile gun dog is exhibiting. Your dog should always know when it’s doing something wrong.

Keep things simple and know that dogs will have off-days, especially early in the season. If I see my dog doing something during a hunt that’s not right, I’ll either pull it aside and turn it into a half-hour training session right there, or if I’m hunting with friends and their dogs, I’ll work through the issues at lunch. This might 

be steadiness drills or finishing a retrieve, two common mishaps that are encountered on some of the first bird hunts of the season.

I don’t use treats to motivate gun dogs, either, especially when it comes to correcting unwanted behaviors. With older dogs their reward is getting to retrieve a bird, then the praise I give them. With pups, I’ll sometimes use their food to get them to sit or stay, but that’s it. Your dog’s desire to hunt and please you by doing the right thing is all the motivation they need to succeed.

If you have a pup that wants to creep on a point for chukar or quail, hold it by the collar and let a buddy move in for the flush and shot. Hold the pup so it doesn’t break, then reward it by letting it retrieve a bird while under control. Older dogs know better, so I handle them differently. I have a German shorthair who loves to point but not retrieve, so when this happens I’ll pull her off the next point and move to another covey. If a dog doesn’t want to stand on a covey, or hold when I’m shooting, I’ll make the dog hold steady, then I’ll walk into a covey, flush it and intentionally shoot and miss, watching my dog to make sure it holds steady. This lets the dog know I’m serious.

When on a hunt it can be hard to set down the gun and correct your dog. But remember, a quick fix while on the hunt can make a huge difference in how your dog performs and will set the tone for the rest of the season.

Story & Photos by Scott Haugen

Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs in Lakeview, Ore., (cabincreekgundogs.com) is one of the most respected trainers and field trial specialists in the country. He’s been around dogs his whole life and built his field trial reputation working with German Shorthaired Pointers. A decade ago he had the opportunity to start working with pudelpointers.

“I did a lot of looking at versatile gun dog breeds and chose pudelpointers due to their versatility,” begins Spradley. “As a dog trainer, working with a breed that naturally hunts upland birds, waterfowl, shed antlers, squirrels, and more, made my choice of the versatile pudelpointer pretty easy. And we owe these qualities to the breeders before us who set high, stringent, standards and stuck with it. When I got into it, the pudelpointer breed was well-handled and hunters could get great dogs, but today, as more people are breeding litters to sell at high volume, the quality of dogs has become watered down, so potential owners need to do their homework.”

In the late 1800s Germany aggressively promoted hunting within their country. The development of dogs to be used in hunting was also encouraged, and this is when pudels–the German spelling of poodle–widely known as water dogs, were becoming extremely popular. The water dogs varied in coat color and length, but they all had long hair, usually curly, and worked diligently in water and cold conditions, largely as herding dogs. These water dogs were known for their drive and intelligence.

During this time in history, English pointers were very popular throughout much of Europe, which added to the interest of a new possible breed. English pointers were known for their speed and drive to work hard in the field. Breeders of the time crossed various water dogs with prized English pointers. Eventually, desired hair types and behaviors were achieved and ultimately, the versatile pudelpointer gun dogs were born.

In the 1890s pudelpointers became a registered breed, meaning pudelpointers could be bred with other pudelpointers. The goal of early lovers of pudelpointers was to produce a rough-coated dog with a wide range of hunting abilities to be utilized in an array of habitats and conditions for multiple species of birds and small game.

Sigbot “Bodo” Winterhelt is credited with bringing the pudelpointer breed from Germany to North America in the 1950s. Winterhelt, one of the NAVHDA founders, eventually settled in Oregon. Oregon has a very active, dedicated group of pudelpointer breeders, owners, and hunters who are afield with this versatile gun dog breed, year-round.

“Pudelpointers are very intelligent to train,” continues Spradley. “They retain information for a long time and there’s often little need to reteach them, even the following season, like you would other breeds. Pudelpointers are also a great first time dog for people because they’re easy to handle and their disposition is second to none. Pudelpointers have a great personality and have an off switch, and they know when to use it. Pudelpointers are fantastic around children, yet have a tenacious drive in the field.”

I own two pudelpointers, both coming from Spradley’s bloodline, and all he says about them is true. I quickly learned with my dogs–and other pudelpointers I’ve worked with–that they’re a sensitive breed. “Pudelpointers don’t do well with a heavy hand,” notes Spradley. “I can steer most of the training with verbal commands and eye contact, versus having to use an e-collar. These dogs know, quickly, if you’re disappointed in them and they’ll try their hardest to please you.”

Hunters who’ve owned Cabin Creek Gun Dog pups will wait years for the perfect pup on their second go-around. “Starting out, my goal was to finish with pudelpointers that were better than what I started with,” concludes Spradley. “I wanted to improve the breed any way I could and I have tried doing this by importing high-end bloodlines and infusing those into the best U.S. bloodlines I could find.” Spradley’s plan worked, but with such high standards, he’s only breeding one to three litters a year and many new dog owners don’t want to wait that long for a pup, understandably.

While Spradley has been rigorously importing, training and testing versatile pudelpointers at the highest level, then tediously trying to breed them, many other pudelpointer breeders in North America–including lots of new ones–have been producing more litters and selling them for much less. Even after months of training, if a dog doesn’t fit Spradley’s standards, he’ll sell it to a hunter and not breed it, which sets him back further. For Spradley, it was never a race to mass produce and sell lots of pups. He wants quality pudelpointers that seasoned hunters will truly appreciate.

If you’re not in a rush and looking for an extremely high quality bloodline of pudelpointers, then Spradley is your man. But get on his waiting list, now. If you’re wanting one of these lovable, high-performing dogs sooner rather than later, carefully research the bloodline you’re considering. As with any hunting dog breed, quality bloodlines are vital to a healthy dog that’s designed to hunt and behave at an optimal level. Once you see how hard pudelpointers hunt, how intelligent they are, and the level they’ll reach to please you, you’ll likely be planning on getting another one sooner rather than later.

*Note: This story originally ran in the June 2023 issues of NW Sportsman and CA Sportsman magazines.

Looking to learn how to hunt fall turkeys with your versatile gun dog? Now is prime-time to hunt fall turkeys with your hunting dog. Pudelpointers are excellent trackers of turkeys, and they can also be used to flush a flock. A well trained gun dog will then sit next to you while you call the flock in with assembly calls; usually kee-kee sounds. Many hunters who own Cabin Creek Gun Dog pudelpointers have found good success hunting fall turkeys with this versatile dog breed.

Pudelpointers will also hold point on turkeys, should they decide not to run or fly. Turkeys are big birds and leave a lot of scent on the ground, and gun dogs love it.

When fall turkey hunting with a versatile gun dog, trust it. The scent laid down by a turkey greatly surpasses that of a quail or pheasant, meaning dogs can detect odors from a surprising distance, in a range of challenging habitats and conditions that might surprise you.

A few seasons ago a buddy was fall turkey hunting with his pudelpointer. He watched a flock of turkeys plucking insects on a hillside. When the flock turned uphill on a game trail leading into the timber, he let his pudelpointer loose. The flock had no idea the dog was quickly approaching, due to the tall grass they were in. The pudelpointer had seen the flock, and sprinted in, scattering the turkeys into nearby trees.

The hunter quickly covered the nearly 200 yards, but failed to find his dog or any turkeys. Figuring his pudelpointer was on a chase, he listened. Soon he heard an alarm putt coming from a turkey, 20 yards in front of him, followed by another, 30 yards to the left. He worked around a big patch of briars and found his pudelpointer on point. When we approached, a turkey flushed from the ground and he shot it. His dog retrieved it and they had fresh turkey for holiday dinner.

A versatile gun dog can also track turkeys without first seeing them. The challenge here comes in running across a turkey in the right habitat so the bird holds rather than runs or flies. A single turkey, usually a lone tom, is more likely to hold, whereas a bachelor flock of toms will often run or take wing into the nearest trees.

Turkeys will more likely hold in tall grass, briar patches and brushy thickets, than in shorter vegetation. That’s the fun of fall turkey hunting with your versatile gun dog…you never know what will happen.

Last fall a friend who owns one of our pudelpointers from Cabin Creek Gun Dogs was catching a lone tom on trail camera at mid-day. He took his five year old male pudelpointer, out. The dog has tracked many fall turkeys, his first at five months of age. They hunted into the wind, along the base of some rolling hills. Timber dominated the upper hillside, while briars and bushes were sparse enough to weave their way through, below the trees.

They covered over a half-mile before the pudelpointer paused, his nose stretching into the sky. His tail wagged, then he was off. The pudelpointer ran fast, sometimes with his nose to the ground, sometimes with his nose in the air, catching updrafts.

Suddenly, 75 yards ahead of my buddy, the dog stuck a perfect point. My friend worked around his dog, searching for a turkey. Finally, he found the lone tom, body flat to the ground, neck outstretched. As he moved to the side, the tom grew nervous and took of running. A quick shot ended the hunt and soon the pudelpointer was bulldozing his way through brush to fetch the 21 pound bird.

About half of the states in the U.S. allow fall turkey hunting with a dog, so be sure and check the regulations in your state before heading out. Also, be sure and check the fall turkey hunting seasons. Some states have extended hunts, like Oregon, who now offers fall turkey hunting that starts in mid-October and runs through the end of January.

Fall turkey hunting with your versatile gun dog is a thrill that you and your dog will look forward to every year. Pudelpointers love fall turkey hunting, and they’re very good at it. We’ve had many good reports of our pudelpointer bloodline from Cabin Creek Gun Dogs doing very well on fall turkey hunts, be it on dry ground, in the rain, or snow. If you’re one of them, we’d love to hear your story and see some pictures. Good hunting!