I have a quail in my freezer from the last training day. Other than eating it, how should we use it?

I like to play what I've nicknamed the "Dead Bird Game". I'll hide the ones I have in the yard - even one will work but I like to have 2-6 to use. I hide them when the dog is out of sight. Then I bring the dog out and give them no direction other than "Dead Bird, Gretchen!" (or whichever dog). I say it in an excited tone of voice and get the dog riled up and running around. The first time, they of course have no idea what you want them to do, but if you get them moving around the yard, they will usually find a bird. Hopefully they'll pick it up and retrieve it to you, and of course you act like this is the most wonderful thing any dog has ever done. Repeat this frequently and pretty soon, all it takes is for you to say "DEAD BIRD" and everyone's nose hits the ground and they start patterning and searching. This is of course helpful in hunting wild birds, but I have found it invaluable in field trials and hunt tests when the dogs have to make blind retrieves. Instead of the dog being lost as to what to do when they couldn't mark a bird going down, they have learned that this command means they should just put their nose down and search methodically. Has saved us MANY times when other dogs may have failed to retrieve. Plus it's just a fun game.

Jean

Dead bird can be played with freshly dead, frozen or thawed. My dogs will find them any of those ways. I'm sure the scent degrades as they are thawed, but a bird is a bird.

As for when she found and pointed the dead bird, you didn't make any terrible mistake, but when I play that game, I want the dog to retrieve. Will she retrieve for you?

Jean

p.s. the other benefit of the game is exactly what you saw. It's very common, especially with a young dog, for them to find a dead bird and re-point it. In a hunt test or field trial, it often happens that a bird is shot (might be winged and alive, might be dead) and the dog will go out and re-point when sent for a retrieve. Now you have a problem. You can't walk up to encourage that dog to give up on the point and retrieve. This game helps to create a conditioned response that when you say "Dead Bird!" the dog knows they are supposed to grab the bird up and retrieve. Has saved us from failing many times.

Jean

No she does not retrieve reliably in the field (have not worked on it much, so my bad). That's why I didn't want to give the fetch command without being able to enforce it.