I don't care if my dog can win a ribbon in some canine field game. I want a dog with natural hunting instincts, intelligence, drive and heart who obeys my commands instantly. I don't care if they have style. I want my dogs to have hours of actual hunting time with live birds. I yard train to 100% then introduce them to birds. I start them young and keep training as fun as possible in short sessions to match the attention span of the pup. I want my dogs to quarter, find game, point, hold steady, hunt dead and retrieve. I want them to behave in the blind, truck, house or motel room. A bold pup who is excited by birds is not going to be gun shy. I have trained labs and pointers and never been ashamed to put my dogs in the field with other dogs. I even trained a pointer when I was living in town with pheasant scented tennis balls and never fired a shot near her. She turned out to be one of the best dogs I have ever owned.