HUNTING SUPPLIES
BIRD WORK
If you have access to lots of quail and money is no object then you can afford to plant quail and let them fly away. If quail are hard to come by and you need to recycle them to reuse for later training session or for several dogs then you may find these items helpful. For the very first encounters- A quail restraint harness- allows you to plant a bird without it being able to fly or walk away so you can reuse it.
A quail harness- allows the quail to fly yet still be safely tethered with a string attached to the "D" ring.
A tip-up Bird Releaser- this allows you to manually release birds with a step of your foot all while keeping an eye on your dog and releasing the bird in the direction you choose. We then progress to remote launchers but those are loud and pop up with force and best reserved for when your dog has had plenty of bird exposure and is excited about the game.
A 30' checkcord- one that is visible in the field and easily slips through the brush.
A whistle on a lanyard.
A bird bag with a spring-loaded top.
A quail crate. Ideal for transporting quail from the supplier or your quail pen to the field.
A blank training pistol and corresponding blanks. We have the Alpha .22 Caliber Pistol which we like paired with the 22 short blanks (CCI 22 cal. Smokeless Crimped Blanks).
WATER WORK
A variety of dummies- soft foam (left), canvas (center), hard plastic with knobbies(right). To start your puppy off I would get some of the soft foam dummies that float in the water. Orange is very hard for dogs to see (retriever trainers use these to teach their dogs to run blinds), black and white offers good contrast especially in the water and on land.
OTHER TRAINING SUPPLIES
A pair of durable, good fitting gloves- especially to handle the birds with.
A hunting vest. This is especially useful later on when you start shooting over your dog. It's not essential when starting out. Try to buy a vest that matches your season. If you are training in hot climate just get a basic lightweight one.
