Tessa-  For those of us who live in the city and do not have the ideal for training hunting we do what we can when we can.  That is one of the reasons I do more in obedience, agility and conformation.  That is what I can do easily ( I have a training facility in town where I live in the evening with my dogs).  I am however trying to work the hunting in with my boy.  Go at the pace you have to go and don't rush the training.  At the end of the day you do this to have something to do with your dog.  Remember there is a certain amount of obedience and yard work that needs to be done too.  Sounds like you have awakened the bird demon in her already.  My trainer told me with Ringo he needed more of the yardwork and obedience and some growing up, the birds he got with no problem.  So, I haven't even had him on birds this summer since early July. I do not have a time table with him as I believe the dog defines the timing and thankfully the trainer I work with is in total agreement with me.  Tessa may be like Ringo, a late bloomer.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Heck, Halo was a late bloomer, but she sure is making up for it now in obedience.

Anyway, good luck and keep up the good work.  I can tell you and Tessa are having a blast even if she is trying to put together a collection of bumpers. 

Thats what we do here, if you want to shorten the timetable send her up, 2 months she can be STW.

If you can get Brenda and Tessa together it would probably be a great thing.  Brenda owns Ringo's daddy, Gamble's Odyssey Fritz as well as some other great dogs.  Here is a link to their website:  www.walnuthillgsps.us/

And this is Ringo's daddy, Fritz.  Ringo has very big shoes to fill:

www.walnuthillgsps.us/stud_dogs/fritz.htm (Fritz's page)

and Fritz's picture.

Little correction, Fritz is Rick's boy  

Things went much better today...

At first she was all over the place, kinda flustered, then she collected herself and each bird find got more solid. Kept her on the check cord, no more bird chasing. She's not steady to wing, but was stopped short by the check cord. I don't take my camera when we work birds but her points were so beautiful that afterwards we walked back to this spot with the camera and she did it again...two quail on the run there.

I did take her to the pond despite all good intentions not to...kept her on a check cord, water work went well, no issues. Until we did a dead duck launch from across the pond, should have done a live duck search/chase first. She eventually retrieved the duck but only to shore not up to me - just wouldn't pick it up again.

So the next duck search/retrieve will be next spring by then she's on the force fetch.

Overall much less frustrating though for both dog and me.