Understanding your dog’s body language is crucial. Appraising the direction and quality of the wind and assessing the moisture in the air and on the ground are clues to triangulate where bird smells might be coming from. Identifying surrounding cover and how that particular bird species retreats away from pressure aids in pinpointing a potential flushing location. When you can understand these practical elements of approaching a dog on point, you can position yourself more strategically.

Learning what your dog is telling you is part of what makes hunting with a dog so magical. A pointing dog’s body language communicates a ton while standing stock still.  Different breeds and individual dogs will have their own style of communication. It is also dependent on the age of the pup and its training.