How to Teach a Bird Dog to Quarter: Training Your Gun Dog to Hunt Objectives

A dog that runs straight down the middle of a field walks past most of the birds. Quartering teaches your gun dog to cast left and right so it covers the ground in front of you. Here’s how to teach a bird dog to quarter, and why good quartering is really about hunting objectives, not running a mindless windshield-wiper pattern.

What good quartering looks like

In featureless prairie, a pointing dog’s quartering may look like a wide back-and-forth sweep. That’s fine, as long as it’s wide. A pointing dog that quarters at 25 yards is wasting its talent; if that’s what you want, a close-working flushing dog like a Lab or cocker may suit you better.

In most country, a good bird dog casts to objectives: edge cover, fence rows, brushy draws, ditches, patches of plum or mesquite. It hits the objectives on the right, then swings to the ones on the left. Walking hunters give the dog time to do this; if you hunt from horseback, a truck or an ATV, the dog has less time and may need a second pass.

Choose your turn command

Pick one turn word and use it every time. Some trainers use “Hup” or “Yah” (retriever people use “Hup” for sit, so choose whatever won’t confuse you). Pair it with one whistle signal, such as two short toots, and always use the same number of blasts.

Step 1: Teach the turn with your body

1. With the dog on a long check cord, give the verbal turn command and the whistle together.
2. At the same time, turn and walk in the new direction with the arm on that side stretched out toward where you’re going. Don’t reach across your chest; that sends a mixed signal.
3. If the dog doesn’t turn, a light check on the cord in the new direction shows it what you want. Praise when it comes around.
4. Once the dog understands, use the word and the whistle separately so it learns that both mean the same thing.

Over time the dog learns to read your body language. Many experienced dogs will key off the direction you’re facing, or the direction your horse or vehicle is pointed, without any command at all.

Step 2: Make quartering pay off with birds

1. Plant pigeons or quail in remote launchers 50–75 yards apart, each in a natural objective (a brush clump, a fence corner).
2. Let the dog run to the end of its check cord, then lead it past, but near, the first bird’s scent cone.
3. Give the turn command and walk toward the scent cone with your arm out. If the dog ignores you, simply walk it into the scent cone.
4. Let it point or flush (depending on its stage of training). Fire a blank pistol, or shoot the bird if it’s pointing and ready.
5. Turn and repeat toward the second launcher.

Over several sessions, the dog learns that turning with you leads to birds. It starts to want to quarter with you.

Step 3: “Birds in here”

Later you can teach a cue that means “I know there are birds over here, come hunt this cover.” It’s useful when you see or hear wild birds on one side while your dog is working the other.

Related: How to teach whoa and How to start a bird dog.