I want to get into some kind of bird hunting with my dog. I think she is a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. I will attach some pics and maybe yall will have a better idea of what she could be. If you don't know/care about my dogs breed then jump to the next paragraph. She has the coloring down her back of a Ridgeback but not the actual ridge. She is definately not a retreiver. She might fetch a ball a time or two and then will look at you like youre stupid for throwing it away again. She has webbed feet but we just introduced her to water today. She would go into the pond but wasnt quite sure how to swim yet. She likes water but cant figure out how to move in it. She is 11mos and she is a rescue dog we got at 7 mos. She LOVES people and can get along with dogs but sometimes plays a little rough.

Anyway, she likes to be active and I don't want her to get bored. We live in the Brazos Valley in a subdivision but close to "country" so I was hoping to find some people who live near who can help me learn the ropes. I don't know much about hunting except for what I learned from my step dad. I have been duck hunting once. I want to learn how to hunt with my dog and how to train her.

I think she will take to bird hunting because she has a soft mouth. She had a bluejay in her mouth and when my father-in-law went to take it out and get rid of it it flew away because she had caught it alive and brought it back to the house. She also loves to chase bugs, especially ones that fly or jump like dragon flies, june bugs, butterflies and moths, and even grasshoppers and crickets. She knows basic commands right now but we are working with her because she doesnt listen for them if she is distracted so she definately needs more training. I am just looking for the best way to train her, hopefully without having to get a professional trainer involved. I have time to train her if I know what to do, and my stepdad has trained hunting dogs before.

If anybody has suggestions or can direct me to a better place for what I'm trying to do, that would be great. Any help would be appreciated.