Hunting dogs: Much has been written about and discussed even more. Stopping the dog is an art that is difficult to rationalize as it varies according to a multitude of factors that we will try to take into consideration today.
It happened to you too that you heard two hunters discussing, even rather animatedly about correct distance that the dog must keep from the game to avoid fledging? We all know the importance of the wild game: in some cases it is due to completely fortuitous causes, but in most cases it is due to the dog's skills, its instinct and above all to the training to which the hunter has subjected it. Distance discussions are perfectly useless. The reason is simple: it is not possible to define a priori the distance that a dog should keep from the wild. The variables are endless and today we try to take into consideration the most important ones.
Il kind of wild. Based on the game to which it is given hunting distances also change by many meters. In the case of the quail the stop can take place at a few steps as at ten; in general, however, it is a game that allows a good approach. At the partridge alone it is possible to approach a few meters, but in some cases it is alarmed even with a dog more than twenty away, while when it is in a large herd the approach becomes particularly complicated.
Il black grouse than pheasant or woodcock requires a greater distance, unless you want to run into a flight and close the action with nothing. The snipe it requires quite large distances if compared to other wild ones. Changing gender, the hare it can be stopped at three, four meters or at ten if the conditions are good. All this is true in a very general way since during a day of hunting, the variables that can influence each action are numerous.
Here are some others:
• the vegetation and the environment in which hunting takes place;
• the wind;
• wild isolated or in brigade;
• the cunning of the prey;
• the physical and natural qualities of the dog.
To conclude it is very important take into consideration the psychic and physical conditions of the prey. A wild game that has been injured or recently escaped hunting is naturally much more alert and alert: the hunting dog will therefore have a lot of difficulty in approaching. At this point the shrewdness and dog experience. This will have to prove prudent, stopping at a greater distance than usual. These are attentions that the dog acquires with practice and experience. That's why you should never get tired of betting everything on training. The firm, on the other hand, is a skill to train, and not entirely due to the instinct and intelligence of the animal.