New Pup's Nose

[Buster]

New pup owner, first time training.
At what age is it best to do bird training? When do their noses start to kick in? Any tricks to help develop their noses would be appreciated.

[jigglestick]

buster, the way I look at it is that the dogs nose is a physical attribute and feature that will , as legs and muscles do, develope with time.
not that they can't smell, but that this physical feature will grow as they do. it will become more keen, instinctively honing in on unusual or attractive scents.
the nose is used for more than just finding things too. you must realize that they use their sense of smell almost constantly, to identify other animals, members of the family, there surroundings.
to associate the scent of birds is natural and they should take to it naturaly. YOU can make the difference between making this introduction a positive one or a negative one.

using their nose as a tool to find things, place an object of their desire, like their food dish and some kibbles in the grass without them seeing it.
then take them down wind on a leash and physicaly work them back and forth until they scent the dish. they will then work towards it.
once they realize they can follow the scent trail to the reward, be it the food dish, or a downed bird, you will be in good shape.try tieing pheasant wings to the bowl. they will make that connection easily. then you can use just the wings, then get he / she out into the field.
game farms are an excelent source for training. you can place the bird in a location where you can work the pup down wind intentionaly. if that dog takes no interest in the scent of a live bird, you may have bigger problems.
the dog must certainly get excited at the sight of a bird trying to fly at close range. this will be the reward part of using its nose to find the reward.

without trying to confuse you further, let me say that if your dog is of hunting lines, your biggest hurdle will be making sure the dog is not gunshy. once you are past this point, I would make sure to get her on some birds. the surest way to do that is in the game farm setting. personaly, this is the only reason I like the game farm at all. once he/she has boosted a few birds, believe me, the light bulb will pop on and the rest will be history.

enjoy your dog!