The harness is designed to:

1. Give you control over the bird as well as your dog and

2. Protect the bird from damage due to an overexcited or hard-mouthed dog.

It can be used in a number of training situations.

It’s a good idea to place the harness on the bird in a closed area—at least until you get used to the procedure. This way if it slips from your grasp, you haven’t lost the bird altogether.

The Quail Harness

•The hole in the harness goes over the quail’s head.

•With the "D" ring at its back, the two straps fit behind the bird’s wings and snap together at its
breast.

•There are two studs, two holes and two caps at this point, so that the harness can be attached
snugly.

The Pigeon Harness

•The pigeon harness fastens behind the bird’s legs.

•In many cases we find that a pigeon harness can be used on chukkar partridge, and that the
pheasant harness can be used with small ducks.

There are three common techniques employed with the harness.

1. Using the "D" ring, the bird is attached to a fishing pole. The bird then simply becomes a live replacement for training with a bird wing. This kind of yard training is usually done with a young pup. It’s important not to let the youngster catch the bird. This is a fun thing for the dog at this stage and punishment is to be avoided. A word of caution: It is possible to over-do this kind of training.

2. You can slow the bird by either attaching a "tail" to the "D" ring or fishing sinker at the point where the harness snaps together. Here the bird is planted and is free to fly. However, the weight of the sinker or drag from the cloth tail will keep the bird from flying far. Work your dog on this bird only once or twice for the bird will tire and may then be caught by the dog—and this will set your training program backward. Someone to help is recommended as you will be busy with your dog. He or she can mark the last flush on the bird, and since it is tired they will have little trouble catching it. This technique is more difficult with the larger, stronger pheasant, so you might consider hobbling the bird since it’s prone to escape by running as well as flying.

3. Teaching a hard-mouthed dog to handle his retrieved game properly can also be accomplished with the harness with studs. Here the harness is placed on a dead bird. It is then planted or thrown for the dog. If the dog is used to grabbing the bird hard, he will be surprised when he tries it on this one. The studs will cause discomfort, and force him to use a softer mouth for his retrieve. If you have a really hard case dog, the studs can be sharpened, however, we recommend this only if you really know what you’re doing. It’s very possible to put a dog off from ever retrieving again using sharpened studs.

When working with a check cord, do not jerk a dog up when he is carrying a bird wearing a harness with studs, especially if they have been sharpened. This jerk can cause an involuntary biting down and the dog can hurt his mouth. The aim is to make a better dog, not ruin one.