Reading Your Breton in the Field, Part 1: What Does "Getting Birdie" Really Mean??

"The dog's getting birdie."

If you've spent much time around bird dogs, you've probably heard that phrase. It's common at field trials, hunt tests, training days, and especially during upland hunts. But what does it actually mean?

Over the next four weeks, we'll explore how to better read your Epagneul Breton in the field. While these articles focus primarily on hunting wild birds, the same principles apply during training and field trials. Learning to understand what your dog is telling you is one of the most rewarding parts of hunting behind a Breton.

In previous articles, we've discussed how the Epagneul Breton is expected to be an intelligent hunter — using the wind, terrain, objectives, and likely bird habitat while remaining connected to the gun rather than simply running a predetermined pattern. [Read about the range of the Breton.] We've also discussed the Breton's gait based on the breed standard [read about the Breton's gait]. Understanding your Breton's both and the subtle changes displayed by your Breton will help you decipher clues that your dog is getting birdie.

Today, let's focus on one of the first signs that your dog is finding birds.

Every Breton develops its own rhythm while hunting. Watch your dog enough and you'll recognize its normal gait, cadence, and pattern as it naturally quarters through the field. The more familiar you become with your dog's "normal," the easier it becomes to recognize when something changes.

When a dog first encounters bird scent, subtle changes often begin long before it establishes point.

Maybe it shortens its pattern and begins quartering more tightly. Maybe it slows down to carefully work a scent cone. Or perhaps it suddenly accelerates, trying to get ahead of a bird before pinning it for a point.

Head carriage often changes as well. Some dogs raise their heads to gather scent drifting on the wind. Other times, particularly with running birds or lingering ground scent, the nose drops lower as the dog begins sorting out exactly where the bird has gone.

If you're close enough, you may even notice a change in your dog's breathing. As it begins processing fresh scent, a Breton's breathing often becomes deeper, quicker, or more deliberate as it gathers as much information as possible through its nose. While the birds remain hidden from your eyes, your dog is using every breath to interpret what lies ahead.

This is what experienced handlers are talking about when they say a dog is "getting birdie."

CEB-US member and newly appointed Board member Steve Loveless, who hunts alpine grouse

and rimrock chukar in Utah with his three Epagneul Bretons, explains how he reads one of his dogs:

"My four-year-old female, Trix, is like a light switch — on or off. She tends to make longer casts at high speeds and slams into a point when she finds scent. I can tell she's on old scent if she spends time crisscrossing a smaller area with her nose low to the ground. That process will either lead to a short track and a point or she'll get back to her sprint to find where they went.

But there is a lot to read in her point. As with many dogs, I can roughly judge how far off the birds she's standing are by the height of her head — head high in a wafting scent cone means we've got some space, while head low means she's on top of them. Wind can play games with that, but it's a good guide."

The important lesson isn't that every Breton behaves exactly like Trix. They don't. The lesson is that every Breton has its own language. They give you cues before going on point and where the bird may be once they are locked on point.

Steve also added a Breton puppy to the family this Spring. Gus will be about 10-months old when upland season arrives, so this will be his first season. Steve has used the summer to watch Gus's progression at home and during socialization activities to better understand his demeanor when he gets into the field.

Gus is spunky. He picked up on crate training super quick, but his drive was slow to develop. I knew he enjoyed problem solving so rather than worry about his drive, I've focused on recall and staying connected to me when we go into the field while still encouraging him to run and explore on his own. That's built up his trust in me and his drive has quickly followed. Once I get him into the grouse woods and a nose full of wild bird, I know it will be game on! Having two older EB sisters to compete with in the field will also bring out the bird dog monster in him. I love that phase! But I also know I have the foundational connection and trust as a team to know when he's hunting for me versus just running around the meadows.

The best handlers aren't simply waiting for their dog to stop on point — they're constantly reading the small changes that happen before the point ever comes. As Steve shows, those oberservations start long before you approach hunting season and continue to evolve with each season as your Breton matures and adds experience. The more time you spend watching your dog's normal rhythm — both in the field and at home — the easier those changes become to recognize.

This Week's Field Tip

On your next training session or hunt, challenge yourself to spend less time looking for birds and more time watching your dog.

Ask yourself:

• How does my dog approach problem solving — be it at home or in the bird field?

• What is my dog's normal hunting rhythm?

• When does that rhythm begin to change?

• What happens to its pace, head position, breathing, and pattern before it points?

Those subtle changes are your first clue that something exciting is about to happen.

Next week, we'll build on this foundation by exploring how every Breton has its own unique "language" and how learning to read your individual dog will make you a better hunting partner.