I have been working Bodie on heel and whoa since I got the cast taken off his leg. But I hate to see the other dogs just sit in their kennel while I work him, so most days I work all 5 of them on something. Bodie needs lots of running as well since he spent over a month with his left hind leg in a cast. He broke his leg by jumping for a pigeon sitting on a low tree limb and landed wrong.
To help build Bodie’s legs up I’ve got him pulling some heavy chains.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
This morning I started Bodie pulling some heavy chains. I’m hoping this will help build his leg muscles up. Being in a cast for so long didn’t do them any good.
Abby and Boss retrieved a few birds last season but they also picked birds up and went away from me. Since they needed to be worked on retrieving I just started working Bodie on retrieving, also. Normally, I wouldn’t do the force retrieve on a pup of this age. But Bodie is mature for his age and I’m going to go really slow. I have several books that talk about force breaking to retrieve but have decided to follow Tom Dokken’s book, “Retriever Training”.
I have used the string on the foot before and it works but with Tom Dokken’s method you get the dog used to you putting something in the dog’s mouth before you ever do the ear pinch. For me, since I’m not having to do this in a hurry for a client, I can go as slow or fast as I want.
I started yesterday, although I had made Bodie hold a dowel rod, having him hold my fingers. I had a leather glove on my right hand and pried his mouth open and put my fingers in his mouth, holding on with my thumb under his chin. As soon as he quit fighting me I said, “give” and he moved his mouth off my fingers. They learn “give” really quick. They don’t want the gloved fingers in their mouth. I had him hold my fingers 5 times then set him on the ground.
I heeled him to the back whoaing him every few yards. As we started back toward the front I released him to run. He needs this happy timing to relearn to use his leg, I think. I never see him limp but when he slows down from a dead run he throws his foot to the side. Most people, would never notice anything wrong with the way he runs but I watch for anything.
I put two pigeons in release traps out on my side of the training grounds and heeled Abby out. I had placed three raised platforms in the yard to work all of the dogs on so I heeled her to them and made her whoa. After the whoa boards I heeled her to the retrieving bench. I have worked with her and Boss both on the retrieving bench before but today was a new start.
Abby concentrating on a pigeon.
I walked her back and forth petting her. Then I pried her mouth open, placed my fingers behind her canine teeth and waited for her to quit fighting. As soon as she quit I said, “give” and she moved her head off my fingers. I did this 5 times and set her on the ground. I heeled her away then whoaed her. I released her to hunt.
These dogs all run different when I have birds out than when I don’t have birds out. And they know. She was on the wrong side of the training grounds to smell the first bird and went to the neighbor’s side then right back to my side. Just as soon as they don’t smell the 4-wheeler tracks on the neighbor’s side they come right back to my side. They all do it, too. Call them dumb animals if you want but I don’t.
Abby on point.
Abby went to the back and hit the scent cone and whirled around. She took a step forward and froze. I was still 50 yards behind her but watched to make sure she didn’t move. I walked around in front kicking the ground. I took a couple of pictures then flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon then chased it back toward the coop.
She came back, running the edges, looking for another bird. She hit the scent cone on the next one and went on point. I walked in front of her and flushed the pigeon. She chased back toward the coop. I put her in her kennel.
I reloaded the release traps and heeled Boss out. I worked him on the place boards then had him jump onto the retrieving bench. After petting him for a while I pried his mouth open and placed my gloved fingers behind his canine teeth. As soon as he quit fighting I said, “give” and he moved his head off my fingers. We did this 5 times and I set him on the ground. I released him to hunt.
He was going really fast when he hit the scent cone and slid to a stop. I walked to him after taking pictures and stroked his sides. I walked in front kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon. He chased the bird toward the front then came back and went back to hunting.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
He was way off the next bird when he hit the scent cone but he pointed but was wagging. I went to him and tapped his head and said, “okay”. He moved up about 3 steps and got real rigid. I made a circle around him to his front. I kicked the ground, shook some bushes and made a lot of noise before flushing the pigeon. He didn’t move until the bird was in the air. I took him back to the kennel.
I reloaded the release traps and brought Bodie out. He doesn’t like for me to ride the 4-wheeler so I was way behind him when he pointed the first bird. He was holding real well so I took a video with my cell phone. I did get a picture but I almost forgot. I slowly went in front of him but he moved before I could get close to the pigeon and I flushed it. He chased far enough that I could have shot the blank pistol but I didn’t have it with me.
Bodie watching a pigeon in the tree.
We went on to the back and he pointed the next bird but before I could get close he moved and I flushed it. It only flew to a tree that was near. He pointed the bird in the tree so I threw a stick close to make it fly. He followed a short distance. We went back to the kennel.
Mann and Sally have both been force broke to retrieve but neither is really crazy about retrieving. Just to get them out of the kennel and to make them learn to like to retrieve I decided to work with them. I put 3 dummies out in a row and heeled Mann toward them. When we got close I said, “fetch”. He acted like he had never heard the word before. I had an e-collar on him but I didn’t have the transmitter with me. I never need it.
I had no way of making him pick the retrieving dummies up. I put him back in his kennel without letting him run or anything. Straight back to his kennel.
Sally retrieving.
I brought Sally out. When we got close to the dummies I said, “fetch” and she rolled the dummy around without picking it up. I said, “fetch” with a little more authority and she picked it up. I took it from her and gave her a treat. We went to the second one. I said, “fetch” and she grabbed it. I said, “give” and she dropped it in my hand. I gave her another treat.
Then I threw the dummy for her about 5 times. She retrieved it happily each time but she waited for her treat. I let her run for a few minutes then put her in the kennel.
I got my transmitter for the e-collar. I brought Mann back out and said, “fetch” when we got close to a dummy. He had never heard that word before. I held the transmitter button down on low 3. He gritted his teeth and stood there. I went to medium 3 and he said, “oh you want me to pick that up. No problem”. He grabbed the dummy and held it until I said, “give”. We went to the next one. He picked it up and held it until I asked for it.
Sally was closer for this picture.
I tossed the bumper out a ways and he brought it back. I gave him a treat and threw it again. I didn’t think he saw where it went but the second time I said, “fetch” he ran to it, scooped it up and came back. He dropped it in my hand and I gave him a treat. He got a lot better about retrieving. He liked the treats.
I worked with them again this morning. I had to use the e-collar on the first bumper but I threw a Dokken quail dummy and he retrieved it several times. Each time he got a treat when he did everything right. I will continue the treats. This, for both Mann and Sally, is making a difference.
Boss honoring.
When I worked Sally this morning I wanted a picture of her retrieving. Years ago, I was running Sally’s dad in a hunt test. He had completed everything he had to do to pass in just a few minutes but they ran them for 20 or 30 minutes. I wanted to take a picture of him and when I raised the camera he stopped and styled up. A judge that was close laughed and said that was the first time he had ever seen a dog pose for he camera.
As Sally was coming toward me with the Dokken quail dummy I raised the camera and she stopped. I went ahead and took the picture. When I dropped the camera she started to me again. I raised the camera and she stopped again. I took another picture then when I lowered the camera she came on to me. She never dropped the dummy until I said, “give”.
Both of these dogs really enjoy the treats they get when they retrieve. I think I will work with them through out the summer on retrieving and see if they don’t really get to where they enjoy the retrieving. Even if it’s just the treats I think it will make them much better retrievers.