All,

Does anyone know where I can buy a few quail to start training my dog on?  I've got some wings and bumpers headed my way, but I wanted to get a few live birds as well.  Also, I think it'd be nice to have a couple of pelts that I could stuff and sew to start working my pup on the scent.  I appreciate any advice that can be given. 

Thanks!

 I wouldn't waste too much time, or money on pelts, or wings.  Live birds are best. You may also look into Pigeons. There are plenty of places online to get birds. Craigslist has plenty of postings for pigeons (try saying that 5 times fast!). Pigeons tend to be a little heartier. I used to purchase, and keep my own quail (when you could buy them from Cabelas), but now I go to the local hunt club I belong to. They keep quail in flight cages, and they are relatively cheap for dog-training.  The flight cages keep them as better fliers.

Thanks for the advice.  With the live birds, any advice on how to work them?  Pigeon tied to a string/leash?  Any primary flight feathers pulled?  Basically, I'm a sponge, and any info you feel like sharing would be soaked up.

I checked my history with Sadie (for reference). I first introduced her to quail when she was 9-months old. We had 2 training sessions 1-month apart of 5 birds each. She started pointing on her 3rd bird, of the first session (in August) and she killed (pulled flight-feathers, and .22, as I mentioned) the last 2 of the first session. The second session (in September), we repeated the above process on 2 birds with the .22 blanks (one with pulled flight feathers, one allowed to escape), and then she checked-out on 3 birds (I shot one with shotgun, but shot at least one time for each bird (purposely missing, of course )). Now, it may seem that I introduced her late, and did not work enough birds, but her first hunt in mid-October, she put up 4/4 pheasant, of which I got 3 (hunting solo), and did not chase the one I missed. Her first season, she put up 81 birds total (80 pheasant, and 1 quail) in 7 hunts. Of the 50 birds we purchased, we took 43. She bumped a couple (put them up out-of-range), but that is part of the learning process.

My point is, don't rush it, and don't feel like you have to over-do it. The successful pointer is mostly breeding/instinct (which you probably already have in the 10-week old). I really do believe you can do more to harm your dog by pushing it, than by letting it figure things out with regards to birds, and hunting.

Awesome!  Great information, thanks!  I started working him yesterday with a dummy with a couple of quail wings strapped to it.  I was pleased with his interest in the little retrieving game we played.  Didn't work him too long, about 15 minutes, and ended on a success.  He is close to retrieving to hand, but sometimes gets distracted about 5-10 feet away from me.  He's young yet, just shy of 11 weeks, so I'm pretty comfortable with his start. 

Thanks for the advice on when to start him on birds in the field, it is much appreciated.

Do wings have enough scent for him to be able to follow a scent trail if i drag the wing?  He definitely knows the wings are dead as he does the "shoulder roll" on top of the winged dummy.