They're not the norm, but these dogs will still hunt

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By BOB HOOD Star-Telegram Staff Writer

SPANISH FORT -- Matt Brown's choice of pointing bird dogs is about as far from the norm as could be imagined, but he will be the first to tell you that the norm isn't necessarily better.

Brown -- who trains, sells and hunts bird dogs at the SM Brown Game Bird Ranch along the Red River near here -- doesn't train English pointers or setters or Brittany spaniels, the choices of most quail hunters.

Instead, he uses Irish red setters, German wire hair pointers, German shorthaired pointers and fox red and chocolate pointing Labradors, choosing four or five dogs for each day's hunt.

The 700-acre ranch offers hunting for deer, turkey and hogs, but it is best known as one of the top released-bird operations for pheasant, chukar and quail. A large population of native wild quail also forage in the lush habitat of native seed-producing grasses and other vegetation.

With so many birds roaming, the dogs usually don't have to run far to catch the scent.

When he has hunting customers, Brown usually chooses an assortment of breeds led by Sassy, the 5-year-old female pointing lab who has become Brown's favorite -- and the favorite of many of his repeat customers.

On many other days, Brown chooses less-experienced dogs, sometimes using 6- or 7-month-old dogs that have developed strong hunting instincts.

Brown starts training hunting dogs at a very early age, --using a special puppy training program he calls "Happy Times," which he learned from Scott Bird, a Minnesotan who breeds Irish red setters.

"When the dogs are puppies, I take them out into the pastures or just for a walk down the road one at a time or in groups, maybe from one to 10, and let them have fun," Brown said. "They chase stuff like butterflies and all sorts of birds, and they smell the weeds and things like that. It allows them to develop their instincts more naturally. They develop their natural pointing skills on those walks, and they do it when they are working around other dogs. That makes them ... easier to train.

"I think one of the biggest mistakes some people make when they get puppies is to not take them out and let the dogs learn things for themselves. I think that is why some older dogs never develop because they never were exposed to anything [when they were puppies].

"They encounter a lot of things when you take them out as puppies, and then when you start hunting them, everything is not a shock to them."

During fall and winter, when cool weather makes the conditions favorable for training dogs on live quail, Brown takes the puppies on walks where he's confident they will encounter quail.

"It is fun to watch them when they find their first birds," Brown said. "When they scent the quail or see them, they go ballistic. At that time, I start shooting a blank pistol behind them or I will clap my hands together or bang a pair of tin pans together. That takes any little gun shyness they may have out of them.

"To me, starting young dogs is the fun of it all. After that, when they get to a certain size, I take them out with a check collar and do a lot of yard work [teaching obedience] with them. They get the yard work when they are totally away from birds. I don't want them to associate anything negative with birds."

Once the young dogs have been yard trained, Brown takes them out either one at a time or with other dogs to hunt quail, pheasant and chukar.

"I took one German shorthair named Charlie Brown out one day last week, and he was incredible," Brown said. "He is 7 months old, and he pointed three coveys. He is going to be an awesome dog. He points, backs and retrieves right now, and most of it is instinct on his own. Basically, I just 'whoa' broke him and made a buddy out of him where he trusts me. He is going to be one heck of a dog."

To Brown, the thrill of watching and teaching a young puppy is like the feelings he gets while watching a parent and young child hunting upland birds.

"Hunting builds relationships," he said. "It gives everyone common ground. It is all about seeing the dog work, seeing the birds and being out in the fresh air."

IN THE KNOW

Dogged about genes

Picking the correct dog is important because trained bird dogs can be expensive, depending on their age and breed.

Check the family line: Trainer Matt Brown, who also raises and sells quarter horses, said he feels particularly strong about genetics in dogs. For example, he pointed out Sassy, the 5-year-old female lab pointer who has become his favorite. "Sassy is as good on wild birds as any English pointer or setter I have ever hunted over," he said. "... It is obvious she has some very strong genetics. All of her puppies [from] two different males point on their own." The father of one of Brown's pointing labs was Goose Creek Honey Smoke, a grand master champion -- the highest level in the American Pointing Lab Association.

Beware dogs bred for show: Many hunting dog breeds have had a lot of their actual hunting instincts bred out of them by people wanting other characteristics, such as speed or color. "In any breed of dog you have to be careful what you get," Brown said. "A lot of the dogs were bred strictly for show. I think that has held true for a lot of field-trial dogs. I am not opposed to field trials. I