I have been on vacation. I wrote one Training Young Dogs while we were on the road and the Odds and Ends. I’m always ready to go but the best part is getting home.
Blaze, Tur Bo and Whitey really missed being worked almost every day. It’s been 9 or 10 days since they have been worked on birds. I always turn them loose and they run to the truck to go to the county park. This morning I couldn’t keep up with them on my 4-wheeler.
The temperature was in the upper 60’s with a south east breeze. I tied all 3 dogs where they could watch each other work.
Whitey
Whitey
After I hid 2 pigeons in the tall grass I heeled Whitey to the edge of the field and whoaed her. I started something new this morning. After I told her whoa I coiled the piggin’ string, walked out front of her then to the rear. I stood beside her then made another circle. Then I tapped her on the head to release her. I say whoa one time and they stop. They are learning they have to stay until they are tapped on the head and I say okay.
I tapped Whitey on the head and she went to work. She was going back and forth across the field in front of me when she went on point. She was over 40 yards from the pigeon. I thought she was too far from the bird to smell it so I tapped her on the head but she wouldn’t move. It had rained the day before so there was plenty of moisture and she was looking straight into the wind so she was smelling the pigeon. I took some pictures, walked in front of her kicking the cover and flushed the bird. She never moved. I continued to kick the cover, then walked back to her, stroked her sides then went back to kicking the cover. Finally I tapped her on the head to release her.
When she pointed her second bird she was almost as far from it as she was on the first. I took some more pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. When I flushed the bird she never moved. I tapped her on the head to release her to hunt back to the truck.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo
I heeled Tur Bo to the edge of the field said whoa then walked in front then to the rear. I came back to him and stroked his sides then walked back in front then to the rear. I walked back to him and tapped him on the head. I had only said whoa one time. He was going back and forth across the field when he went on point. He is usually going real fast and either slams into a point or whirls around. Today was no exception. He to was about 40 yards from the bird when he went on point. Today I was running him with an e-collar around his neck and a check cord with a half hitch around his flanks. When he went on point I said whoa one time, took some pictures then grabbed the check cord. As we stood there his mouth was opening and closing like he was chewing the scent. When I flushed the pigeon I held on to the check cord. I did not jerk, I just held it. He hit the end of the check cord and jumped sideways and stopped. I let him stand and watch the pigeon fly out of the field then picked him up and set him back. After he went back on point I tapped him on the head to release him.
He pointed his second bird from about 40 yards, also. The conditions must be perfect. I whoaed him one time, took some picture then picked up the check cord. I let him stand for a couple of minutes then flushed the bird. He just went to the end of the check cord and when it started getting tight he stopped. I picked him up and set him back. He went on point and I let him stand for a while then tapped him on the head.
Blaze
Blaze
Blaze has been barking while she is tied up waiting her turn so I started working her last. She barked this morning until I worked Tur Bo. Hopefully she’s learning. I heeled her out to the field and whoaed her. I made her stand even longer than I had on the other two dogs. She has to learn that barking doesn’t work. When she pointed her first bird, like the other two, she was about 40 yards from the pigeon. I took some pictures, walked in front of her kicking the cover, went back to her and stroked her sides then went back in front. When I flushed the bird she never moved. I continued to kick the cover, went back and stroked her sides then tapped her on the head to release her.
She pointed her second bird from a long distance, too. I took some pictures, walked in front kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. I have some young pigeons and it’s hard to tell the babies from the adult birds. This was a baby and when I flushed it went about 10 feet into the air and came back down. Blaze ran toward it and I yelled whoa one time. She didn’t even slow down so I decided to use it as a retrieving drill. I said fetch and she brought it part of the way to me. I picked the pigeon up and it wasn’t hurt so I carried it back to the truck.
Working these young dogs, most days, gives me an opportunity to work on several things such as Blaze barking. This just shows desire but I don’t like to hear it. She’s a really smart dog so she will figure this out.