We all know that our gundogs have been carefully bred to hunt and most dogs need little encouragement to participate in this intrinsic behaviour.
In their role as working dogs, however, effective hunting isn’t just about instinct.
For our flushing and pointing breeds, there is a requirement to work as part of a team with their handler, to methodically ensure that an area is searched thoroughly and efficiently, and in a way that maximises the chance of success for the Gun upon the bird being flushed.
For our non-working gundogs too, we cannot stop them from hunting. To do so would be a violation of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which states that dogs need to engage in their natural behaviour.
Instead of letting the hunting get out of control, what we can do is teach them the same skills as we do our working gundogs to keep them close and connected to us when they’re on scent.
For those high energy gundogs these skills are also a great way to tire them out mentally and physically without having to take them on longer and longer walks, which will only make them fitter and fitter.
That’s where quartering comes in.
While many understand quartering to be the “zig-zag” pattern a dog follows in front of its handler in their pursuit of live game, few fully understand the true definition or behaviour. To help you get started with mastering the art of quartering, in this blog we will explore what quartering is, the role played by the wind, and the common questions and problems that come up.
What is quartering?
The true definition of quartering is where the dog runs to and fro, while advancing in an up-wind direction.
While most people picture the dog working left to right, right to left, in front of, and moving away from the handler, true quartering should actually have no relevance to the handler’s position.
Instead the wind is the most important positioning factor. Its direction will dictate what the quartering pattern looks like as your dog should always be working into the wind irrespective of your location.
Handlers also need to bear in mind that the quartering patterns displayed by our dogs will never be precise or look exactly like the drawings, as the conditions always change, but the experienced dog will learn to adapt and change with the wind.
Quartering with the wind
This is what most people automatically think of when quartering is mentioned. It is the best, and easiest pattern to begin a young or inexperienced dog with.
Quartering with the wind is where the wind is blowing into your face and the dog will work from right to left across you into the wind, scenting the quarry ahead of themself and you.
Your dog will cast out to the left or right from you to find the wind, as they leave the scent cone area they will turn and travel back into it until leaving the other side, and then turning again back into it.
At each turn into the scent cone, the intensity of the scent increases and the size of the pattern begins to decrease until you see the dogs indicate that the quarry is here. At this point they do what is called a ‘scent strike’.
Quartering with a cheek wind looks very similar and the dog will still work at right angles to the wind but as the wind is hitting your cheek, not straight on into your face, it will look as if the dog is moving across your path. This is slightly more difficult and will take more experience from your dog before beginning.
Quartering with a tail wind
If you and your dog are already experienced with basic quartering, you can move on to quartering with a tailwind which requires a bit more skill.
Here, the wind will be coming from behind you. You will remain stationary at point A, and upon being sent, your dog should quest out, in a straight line, downwind as far as is appropriate for the breed.
The dog then turns, roughly at point B, and quarters in an up-wind direction, which will be back towards you. From there you and your dog will move forwards to point B, where the pattern will start again.
Quartering with a side wind
Quartering with a side wind is a difficult task as the dog must be sent out downwind to the side of you. You remain still at point A while the dog quarters into the wind, moving across your path.
Once the appropriate beat distance has been covered for your breed, you and the dog move to point B and the quest begins again.
How far away should my dog be when quartering?
When you’re quartering, your dog should remain at a “reasonable distance” away from you. This will vary depending on the breed and how they naturally work, as well as being appropriate to the job they are doing.
When looking at the quartering pattern itself, our dogs are only expected to quarter what is known as the limit of a beat. A beat is the area specified either by the distance between each beater in a beating line, a defined area in rough shooting, or tests and trials, or by you if you are out training.
Hunting Retrievers (HR)
The flushing dogs, spaniels for example, mainly rely on ground scenting when hunting. They might use air scent initially, but quickly make the transition to the ground scent to locate the quarry and not run over it.
This has been developed so they can work as a team with the Gun. The flushing breeds will work across the wind to quarter the beat at close distance, around 3 to 5m either side, holding their head low to locate the scent. This distance is important and specified because it is based on half the average range of the shotgun.
Hunt Point Retrievers (HPR)
The HPRs will use the air scent to locate their quarry when hunting, but they also develop the skill of identifying the ground scent, reading its message, and then moving back to the air scent to confirm the point.
Their beat is far greater than that of the hunting retrievers simply because of the pointing behaviour. The ability to remain still on the location of the game gives the Guns time to position themselves close enough to be able to make a successful shot. HPRs are then released to flush on cue.
Why doesn’t my dog always hunt in a zig-zag pattern in front of me?
For those working on organised shoots, it is very unlikely that the wind direction will be taken into consideration.
The beat will instead be set up by the gamekeeper for the most effective way to flush the birds over the Guns and as such the beating line will be expected to move forward regardless of the wind direction.
The experienced dog however will often try to change its working pattern to the wind and so when you are handling your dog in the beating line, you need to be aware of the direction of the wind as this might be what your dog is naturally trying to respond to.
Even when the wind is where you expect it to be, it’s important that you allow your dog to work and develop its own quartering pattern as no quartering pattern will ever match the diagrams perfectly anyway.
You also need to consider the other external factors that are likely present that will influence how the dog moves, such as wind speed, local gusting, natural obstacles, and the fact that at the dog's nose height the wind may well be moving differently than at your level.
Finally, how your individual dog quarters will also depend on their natural scenting ability. This will not only affect the amount of distance between the quartering lines but also the speed at which they move. The better your dog’s natural ability, the more distance there will be and the faster they will go.
Problems when using the turn whistle to teach quartering
If your dog ranges too far out on the beat, it’s important that you can use your turn whistle to bring them back into the area they should be working within.
Other than this, however, you should really leave your dog to quarter naturally.
While it is tempting to try and get the perfect “zig-zag” pattern, if you cue the dog to make every turn, they will not learn for themselves how to turn in response to the scent.
Without learning this natural cue, they will simply learn to range on until you tell them that it’s time to turn. And unless you can see scent cones as well as a dog’s nose can, going down this path is a fruitless endeavour and a waste of a dog’s breeding and natural abilities.
Need help with your quartering?
If you are looking for help getting started with your quartering, are still unsure about reading the wind, or have specific quartering questions or challenges you'd like to troubleshoot, we are holding a special Quartering Clinic on 26th April.
As well as ensuring you understand the essential theory, the Quartering Clinic will give you the skills needed to develop a confident, effective quartering pattern.
Our Quartering Clinic will build on the discussion in this blog and look at how to recognise the wind direction and how it influences your dog’s quartering pattern. Plus, understanding the different patterns to expect from your dog in relation to the wind, how to read your individual dog’s body language and the difference between them air scenting and ground scenting. From a practical point of view we will cover hunting exercises to develop a confident and controlled working pattern and will also look at the turn whistle and how it can be used without overriding your dog’s natural abilities.
For more information and booking, please click here: https://clickergundog.co.uk/products/quartering-clinic