My dog training this week has been sporadic at best. Monday and Tuesday, I worked the dogs on the whoa post but by the time I was through it was too warm to work them on birds. Finally, on Friday, I was able to put some pigeons out for the dogs. The dogs are happy with anything I do with them and I enjoy it, too.
Mann on point.
Sally on point.
Abby pointing a quail.
Mann usually raises his head and smells my breath when I’m bending over petting him. Except when I work him on the whoa post. For some reason this puts a lot of stress on him. He’s getting better the more we work on it but he still doesn’t like it.
I started working him on the whoa post when I started all the others but noticed the stress he was showing and quit for a while. It didn’t seem to bother the others but it did him. I decided that he really needs to have this and he will get over the stress.
The first few times I took him to the whoa post he tried to stop before we got close. I had to drag him to it. Now, he’s still tucking his tail as we get close, but he does walk to the end of the rope. After I put the half hitch around his flanks and hook the rope to his collar I pull him until the whoa rope is taut. I let the check cord, that I’m holding, sag a little but not lie on the ground.
Usually, his front feet move a little to get more comfortable and I go to him and stroke his sides then set him back a couple of steps. I hold the check cord as I kick in front of him. I go to him and touch his collar then go back in front kicking the cover. He doesn’t try to move. I go back, stroke his sides then unhook him, tap his head and lead him away.
But when I’m stroking his sides he doesn’t try to smell my breath. In fact, he doesn’t even look at me. After we finish the third whoa post I lead him away, whoa him then tap him on the head to release him. He runs toward the back as I wait for him near the retrieving bench. I have a GPS collar on him so I knw where he is. After a few minutes he comes looking for me and jumps onto the retrieving bench. We’re buddies again. I pet him and he smells my breath.
Abby does some funny things, also. She goes right to the whoa post but turns sideways, most times. When I hook the whoa post rope, lead her to the end and start to tighten the check cord she bites the bolen knot in the check cord, twice, then licks her lips. When I set her back a couple of steps and tighten the check cord she doesn’t bite at it.
Click on this picture and you can see some of the feathers, the pigeon Abby caught, lost.
Sally and Boss are pretty normal on the whoa post. Sometimes, Sally is slow to acknowledge but Boss usually acknowledges real quick. They all get to run for a few minutes then I pet them on the retrieving bench and when we get back close to the kennel I sit on the rock wall around the water faucet and pet them again.
I’ve been sticking my fingers behind the canine teeth on Abby and Boss when they are on the retrieving bench and having them hold them without fighting or chewing. Friday when Abby was on the bench she got to nosing around a box that holds some retrieving dummies. She actually picked one up and dropped it. I took it, opened her mouth and placed it behind her canine teeth telling her to hold. She did. I had her hold for just a few seconds then said, “give”. She opened her mouth. Just another case of the dogs being smarter than their trainer.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
After Abby taking the wooden dummy I tried Boss. After petting him for a while on the bench I put my fingers in his mouth and had him hold. I did that three times then got the wooden dowel retrieving dummy. When I opened his mouth and placed it right behind his canine teeth and said, “hold” he did. When I said, “give” he opened his mouth. That will be easier on my fingers. I will only use a dowel from now on.
When I put two pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds, the first two looked like good flying birds so I worked Abby first. If a bird hits a limb or for some reason doesn’t fly away pretty fast she will catch it. She’s getting real steady until the flush but at the flush all bets are off. And she is fast.
I led her out with the piggin’ string wearing an e-collar and GPS collar. When we got close to the 4-wheeler I said, “whoa”. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and said, “okay”. She was off like a shot. Because of the wet ground I haven’t been using the neighbor’s side and the dogs know. They may cross to his side but when they don’t smell the 4-wheeler they cross right back.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
She was on the wrong side to smell the first bird but was about a hundred yards ahead of me when she hit the scent cone on the pigeon at the very back. I had the release transmitter in my hand ready in case she moved a foot but she didn’t. When I got close I took pictures then went to her and stroked her sides. I went in front of her kicking the cover then went back and stroked her sides, again. I walked back in front kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon.
The pigeon came out and hit a limb. Abby had it by the tail feathers and it lost a lot of them but got away. But it only flew to a limb right above the trap. She jumped and got it but it got away again but didn’t fly very fast. She caught it. I knelt down and called her. She came out of the brush right to me. I petted her for a few seconds then blew in her ear. She released the bird.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
The birds she has caught before were in really bad shape. Usually, they were dead but this one didn’t look hurt. We had shot quite a few chukars at the game farm over her and she found them and picked them up tenderly. This may have been the reason she didn’t clamp down on this bird. I don’t know but it was fine later that evening.
I took the bird back to the pigeon coop then we went back for her to find the next bird. I wasn’t sure what she would do with the next one. I was close when she pointed. I watched her but she didn’t move. I stroked her sides then kicked in front of her. When I flushed this bird it got away in a hurry but Abby didn’t move until I flushed the bird, then she chased. I took her back to the kennel.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I led Boss out next. All 3 of these dogs are now waiting for me to get on the 4-wheeler, start it and then say, “okay”. They know there are birds on the training grounds and this is hard for them but they know they must wait. I always put the GPS and e-collar on them but I can’t remember when I had to stimulate one of them. I do use the tone, occasionally, to call them.
Boss also was on the wrong side to find the first bird and went on to the back. When he pointed I was quite away behind. I kept an eye on him. He hasn’t been moving but he does occasionally wag his tail. If I see him wagging I flush the pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
I took pictures then stroked his sides. I walked in front of him kicking the cover then went back and stroked his sides. I walked back in front, kicking the cover, then flushed the pigeon. This bird flew to the south west instead of back toward the pigeon coop. Boss watched for a few seconds then followed the bird.
When he came back we went back toward the front. He was moving pretty fast when he hit the scent cone and whirled into a point. I stroked his sides then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I try to hide the release traps really well but I think he saw this one. As I kicked he didn’t watch me. He kept his eyes on the bird. I flushed the pigeon and after a few seconds he chased. I took him back to the kennel.
Mann was next. This may be another case of the dog being smarter than the trainer. On wild birds I’ve never seen Mann move. I’ve never seen him flush a bird. But on these training birds he takes a step. Sometimes more than one step although he takes one step waits a few seconds then takes another. I’ve been watching him real close and if he points with a foot up and lowers it to the ground, I flush the bird. If he takes a step, I flush the bird. That’s the way we trained on wild birds. If the dog moved the birds flew.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
When Mann went to the back he was on the right side to point the first bird. I watched him from the 4-wheeler and he took a step. I flushed the pigeon. I went to him and set him back. I kicked in front of him, went to him and stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him. He went back to hunting.
He pointed the next bird. I took pictures from the 4-wheeler and waited a few seconds. He didn’t move. I went to him and stroked his sides before kicking in front. I went back and stroked his sides. I walked back in front kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move until I said, “okay”. We went back to the kennel.
Abby honoring Dottie.
Sometimes I wonder who is the trainer and who is the trainee. I, usually, learn as much from the dogs as I teach them. I know that a lot of times I move on too slowly. The dogs on the retrieving bench was a good example. They were ready to go to the dummies but I had to have them show me. It will be a long hot summer, probably, and I’ll have plenty of time to work them on the retrieving bench. We will start the force fetch in earnest, pretty soon.