When he had the pheasant we thought he would start back across the river. Seeker figured there was a better way. He jumped back up on the bank and then hurled himself into the river. That is something that you don't teach a dog. The dog must enjoy what it is doing and learn from experience.
T hat is what great field dogs are about.
They are not there to help harvest more game but harvest less. They are there to retrieve the cripple that would normally be lost . They are an important part of wild life management to maintain a healthy stable bird population. W e started back along the river to see if Seeker had kicked that cock out of a flock. Sure enough, before we had gone very far they started to take flight.