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Is my dog a slow learner?

I have a female large munsterlander who is 7 months old. I recently sent her to a trainer, who after 2 weeks told me she had no talent. My question is, do munsterlanders develope slower than other breeds, or do they need more one on one attention. when I take her out for walks, she is always poking and is very bold. she has brought me dead song birds she has found and I can get her to whoa on balls and birdwings. Is it possible that the trainer I went to, doesn't have experience with munsterlanders or doesn't have the patience. steve

Steve,
A 7 month old pointing dog is still just a pup and has a tremendous amount to learn. I would strongly suggest you look for another trainer who specializes in pointing dogs. Try to find one who has worked with large munsterlanders. What I am saying is: get an second opinion as I do not think you got an honest first opinion based on your e-mail response. I mean, if the dog bring back dead song birds and you can make her stop with a wing, I am willing to bet their is some pointing instinct there. I would try to expose the dog to live pigeons. Does this dog point?

I also suggest you call the breeder and ask them for help. However I am assuming you bought this pup from a breeder who hunts. If not then read below.

If you would like to train the dog yourself and want help then I suggest you check out the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. (NAVHDA). This association was fostered by hunters for hunters to help train hunters to train their own versatile dog. The organizations is broken down into chapters which I hope you could find one in your area. These people can definitely help get you started. I just don't believe a 7 month old lacks talent but it does lack exposure to game birds and the chance to hunt. The people of NAVHDA can help you. So try www.NAVHDA.org. Currently there are several areas chapters running tests in the Midwestern area. I strongly suggest you visit a test to see what NAVHDA is about. Check out the testing page of NAVHDA and call one of the test secretaries as I am sure you can find a test in your area in the next few weeks. Ask them how to get to their test and tell them why you want to visit. I positive they will be more than helpful to get you there so you can see what other dogs such as yours can do. But that is the place to start as at these tests you can find people who have used a trainer such as yourself or have trained their own dog.

I hope this helps.

Good luck,
JW


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