It’s the time of year that it rains every day, or at least it seems that way. Yesterday my friend brought his young English setter over to work some more on the backing dog and to do a little on pointing the pigeons in release traps. We did one bird in front of the backing dog and she nailed it so we put birds out for her to point. When she first came over, she would point for a little while, then take a step or more.
Boss, not happy, but holding the dowel.
The string around the toes of Boss.
Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.
Millie pointed the first from a long distance. She was chewing the scent as she pointed. Millie has had quite a few pigeons hidden for her. Lew, her owner started in front and she took a step. I flushed the pigeon and she chased.
On the next pigeon, the way the wind was when she hit the scent cone, we were in front of her, near the pigeon. Lew went to her side to take pictures and when he was through I stepped in front of her kicking the grass. She didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon. She chased for a short distance.
I got another release trap and hid 2 pigeons on my side and put another in an area, on my neighbor’s side, where she had never found a bird. She found the two on my side and was pretty steady. On one of the pigeons I was standing behind her. She had a front foot in the air and set it down. As soon as it touched the ground I flushed the pigeon. She chased.
The next bird was hidden near an old pond that only has water during the wet times. It’s real close to my kennels and I seldom hide birds there. I have never hid one for Millie there. The time before we had only had 2 pigeons out so she really wasn’t expecting another. She was well off the bird when she ran into a small cove in the yard. She circled back down the other side and was really going fast when she hit the scent cone. Her front legs stopped and her rear legs slid around. Then she took a step. I let her get by with one step but then she decided to take another and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance.
Lew and I talked for a few minutes then I hid 3 more pigeons. Millie pointed all 3 and didn’t even try to move with either Lew or me walking in front of her. Each of these pigeons were hidden in bushes and when we got close to the bird and kicked a bush I flushed the pigeon. Most of the time when you kick a bush or something a wild bird would flush. That’s what we were trying to mimic. We will work her some more before the season but she has a good start. You could shoot birds over her now.
The string around Abby’s toes.
Before Lew got here with Millie I worked Abby and Boss on the retrieving bench. They both are taking the dowel without much pressure and occasionally with no pressure. I’ve been moving it down toward the bench top and today both dogs picked the dowel up from the table top. I had to have my hand on the end of the dowel but that is a start.
Today, I worked Sally on retrieving right in front of the kennel. I even took a picture of her running full out bringing the Dokken quail back to me, without her stopping. The last time when she saw the camera she stopped until I was through taking the picture. I had her retrieve about 6 or 7 times then let her run for a few minutes. I rode the 4-wheeler while she ran to the back and then back to the kennel area. I sat on my stump and petted her while she ate treats.
Sally waiting for me to take the dummy.
I brought Mann out next. Mann is starting to enjoy retrieving because he gets lots of petting. He will take the treats but he would be fine with just petting. I make him and Sally both retrieve the dummy and hold it until I take it. Then they get the treat. If they drop the dummy when they get back to me I grab it and throw it again, without giving the treat. They learned pretty quick to do everything right.
I followed Mann on the 4-wheeler while he made two circles of the back yard. Then I sat on the stump and petted him. He will not take a treat when I’m petting him here but he would stand all day if I would keep petting him, I believe. I forgot to take a picture of Mann’s retrieves.
Mann on point.
I heeled Abby near the retrieving bench then whoaed her, stroked her sides, tapped her head and said, “up”. She ran and jumped onto the retrieving bench. I walked both sides of the bench petting her and giving her treats. Then I put the string on her front leg with a half hitch around her toes. I held the dowel just above the table top, pulled on the string and said, “fetch”. She took the dowel but didn’t raise her head. I raised her head and petted her.
The next few retrieves I laid the dowel on the table top but left my hand on the end. She took the dowel but still didn’t raise her head. I raised it for her and petted her a lot. The last 2 retrieves I laid the dowel on the bench top and just had my hand near. She took the dowel. I raised her head and petted her telling her what a good girl she is. I heeled her back to the kennel, got on the 4-wheeler, started it and said, “okay”.
Boss pointing a pigeon in the tree above him.
She is fast to the back. I really think this, “happy timing” as Delmar Smith called it, is really important for the dogs. It releases some of the stress that the force fetch places on the dogs. After a couple of laps around the yard I sat on the stump petting her and feeding treats. This also causes some of the tension to go away, I think. I put her in her kennel.
Boss doesn’t like the treats so he’s more reluctant than Abby to get on the retrieving bench. When I first started this force fetch I whoaed him 15 yards or so from the bench and tapped his head and said, “up” and he would run and jump onto the bench. Now he doesn’t run toward the bench but saunters up to it and jumps on. It’s like he’s saying, “you can make me do it but I won’t like it”.
I’m going to change treats to see if I can find something he likes. That might help. He does like to be petted though. I walk both sides of the bench petting him. Then I put the string on his leg with a half hitch around his toes. He, too, takes the dowel without raising his head. I held it right above the bench and tightened the string. He took the dowel and I raised his head and petted him.
Sally pointing quail.
The next few I held with one end touching the bench and I was holding the other end. He took them without much pressure. The last 2 times, I just had a finger touching the end of the dowel, with it laying on the bench. He took it without raising his head. I petted him and heeled him back to the 4-wheeler. I put him on whoa, got on the 4-wheeler, started it, put it in gear then said, “okay”. He’s really fast to the back.
Earlier this year I was walking them to the back and Boss went about a mile to the west. Now I ride the 4-wheeler so I can be closer to them when they get to the back. If I’m close to them they will turn and stay on my property and the neighbor’s property. After a couple of laps I sat on the stump petting him. He doesn’t want treats. He wants to crawl into my lap to be petted. I enjoy that as well. After a few minutes I put him in his kennel.
Sally on point Vince’s short hair, Allie, honoring.
I go really slow when I’m force breaking a dog or in this case dogs. Someone being paid to force break someone’s dog couldn’t do it the way I do. No one wants to pay for that much time but I want the dog to really learn each step before we move on. I think my force is less but the force is still there. I don’t like that part but I believe it’s necessary. Getting them to move a few steps and pick a dummy off the table is a big step and when you get that far most of the force is finished. Hopefully, that won’t be long.