The weather has been a lot cooler the last few mornings but it’s creeping back up. By the time I finished this morning it was getting pretty warm. The puppies are happy just being worked on pigeons. With Bodie in Nebraska, I put Boss on the chain gang with the two puppies. I may try to get Boss steady to wing and shot and run him in some walking trials. Even if I don’t get him steady he will enjoy all of the birds I will work him on.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
Annie pointing another pigeon.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
I put a couple of pigeons, in release traps, out on the training grounds and another two in a bird bag. I heeled Boss around the yard a short distance and whoaed him a few times. I whoaed him and put a pigeon to sleep and set it in the grass just in front of Boss. I stroked his sides and walked around him. I walked well out front kicking the grass. I came back beside him and held the Command lead and rolled the pigeon over. He watched the pigeon, tensely, while it took a couple of steps. When it flew away he jumped but didn’t take a step.
I heeled him around whoaing him a few times before whoaing him and putting another pigeon to sleep and setting it in the grass in front of him. Both of these pigeons were in front of the two puppies on the chain gang. I walked around kicking the grass. I held the Command lead and this pigeon woke up on it’s on. Just as I grabbed the Command lead the pigeon stood up. It turned it’s head to see what was around then flew away. Boss didn’t move. I stroked his sides then lead him away. I whoaed him and took the Command lead off, tapped his head to release him to hunt.
It’s been a while since I have worked him on pigeons but he still had to check most of the places where he remembered me putting birds in the past. He crossed to the neighbor’s side and was on point at the very back before I crossed the property line. I took a picture from a distance and then some more as I got closer. He looked good. I had forgotten the handheld for the release traps. I walked in front of him then had to release the bird by hand. Boss didn’t move until the bird was in the air. I whoaed him and set him back. I heeled him a short distance, whoaed him and tapped his head to release him.
Boss squatting, afraid to move.
I was close when he pointed the next bird. He was going really fast and almost ran through the scent cone but squatted to a point. I took some pictures then walked ahead of him, bent over and turned the pigeon loose by hand. He chased as this bird came up. It took about 3 whoas to get him to stop. He was a little excited. Well maybe a lot excited. I stroked his sides then lead him away. I let him free run back to the kennel.
I got the handheld for the release traps and put 2 more traps out for the puppies. They get 4 pigeons each. I took Annie off the chain gang after she settled down. I stand on the main chain and far enough back that the puppies can’t get their feet on me. I wait for them to settle down. It makes getting the e-collars and GPS collars easier to put on. Both of these pups are going so fast it is hard for me to know which bird they are pointing without the GPS collar, so this morning they have the GPS collar.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I have both of the pups pull a short check cord. This just makes it easier for me to get a hand on them. I don’t ever jerk them around nor do I even touch it when they are pointing birds. I do hold the cord until I turn them loose to hunt. I had Annie jump onto the whoa barrel. I didn’t hook her to the ropes. I just styled her up, clicked a clicker and gave her a chunk of hotdog, after she stood for a few seconds. I did this 4 times then set her on the ground and whoaed her. I gave her a chunk of hotdog, tapped her on the head and said, “okay”. She went hunting.
There are a lot of trees and bushes on both sides of the training grounds. It’s hard to know which bird they are close to. The GPS helps. Annie checked part of my side of the grounds then crossed to the neighbor’s side. She went to the very back and I saw her from a long distance on point. She was a long way from the bird, and I thought she was just getting a little scent. When I got closer she moved up a short distance but had more style. The scent must have been better. I took some pictures waited for her to move. After about 20 seconds she hadn’t moved so I flushed the bird. She chased a short distance and went back to hunting.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
She was closer to the next bird when she hit the scent cone. She pointed and I think the bird was moving around in the trap, making noise. She went toward the trap. I flushed the pigeon. This bird hit a low limb and fluttered. She almost caught the bird, but it got away. I like to see birds do this. It gives the puppies more desire, I think.
Annie was moving with the wind on the next bird. She was almost on top of it when she hit the scent. I flushed it. This bird came out low and she had a good chase. The last pigeon was back on my side of the training ground. We crossed over.
Annie.
Annie was going with the wind, what little there was, and was by the bird before she hit the scent cone. She swapped ends and pointed. By the time she got stopped she must have been out of the scent cone. She looked good for a moment then took a step. I flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
When we came by the retrieving bench I put her on it. After I slipped the clicker on my finger I styled her up saying, “whoa, whoa” over and over. She is pretty good about not moving other than her head. Well, she doesn’t hold her tail up all of the time. But we keep working on it. I style her up ab out 6 or 7 different places on the bench. This is just the start of whoa training. She will whoa when she is close enough for me to put my hands on her. I can set her on my weight scales and tell her to whoa and she will stand still. This is a help when giving worm medicine, tick medicine and making sure she is growing properly.
Stormy.
I reloaded the release traps and lead Stormy to the whoa barrel for a little barrel training. I have to hook her collar to a rope to keep her from hopping off. I style her up and after just a few seconds click and give her a chunk of hotdog. She is more hyper than Annie. Or most dogs of her age in the whole wide world. After 3 times I set her on the ground and whoa her. I make her stand just like on the barrel until I release her with an okay. Then we go hunting.
I started this post a couple of days ago and had written most of Annie’s before today. Instead of trying to remember that day I’m going to tell about this morning with Stormy. I can remember it better.
Stormy
I put a GPS collar on Stormy the last time but it was too big and wouldn’t adjust down to her neck size. As we hunted the time before she came to me with one of her front legs through the collar. She must have been scratching at it and ran a leg through. Anyway, she will have to grow some before I will use it again. But with all of the trees and bushes on the training grounds she is hard to keep up with.
She passed the first pigeon by being on the opposite side of the training grounds then went across to the neighbor’s side. I lost her for a few minutes and then she came to me. It’s easier with a GPS. We went to the back. She was running the edge when she hit the scent cone and pointed. I was 50 yards behind her but had a clear view. She held until I got close and took a couple of pictures. She took a step and I flushed the bird. It only flew a short distance and lit in a tree. She watched it for a while then we went toward the front.
Boss
When we got near the next bird she was ahead of me and I could just see some white through the bushes. She was on point then as I got closer I saw the white move. I flushed the pigeon. This is how they learn. The only fun they get is pointing the bird. She isn’t big enough or fast enough to catch the bird when it flies away. So they learn to point for longer and longer. They need to see a lot of birds.
We crossed back to my side. Again I had to wait for her to show up. I crossed over and called her. After a minute or so she showed up and started down the side. She hit the scent cone and pointed. Almost immediately she wanted to adjust her stance. When she moved I flushed the pigeon. This was a young bird that just flew to a low limb. I lead her away and started toward the front.
Annie
She crossed over to the neighbor’s side. I called her back and she caught up. I was standing closer to the pigeon in the release trap than I thought. I called her and she came right in front of me and went on point. I videoed her with my phone. She held this point for quite a while. First she had her right front foot raised and set it down. I should have flushed the pigeon then but with videoing and holding the release trap handheld, it was more than I could handle. She set that foot down and still didn’t move for a few seconds. She did turn her head. She was trying to pinpoint the bird. Then she started toward the hidden bird. I flushed it. She chased.
When we got close to the retrieving bench I tried to get Stormy to come to me but she was lying in a wet spot that was cool. She didn’t want to move. I went to her and lead her to the retrieving bench. I set her on it and styled her up saying, “whoa, whoa” over and over. I did this 6 or 7 times clicking the clicker and feeding her a chunk of hotdog each time. I set her on the ground and said, “whoa”. I clicked and gave her a chunk of hot dog. I put both pups back in the kennel.
Bodie
That’s the way most of my days start. Working puppies. I really enjoy seeing young dogs learn. They are like pre kindergarten kids. They have to learn everything and through repetition they will. It takes a lot of birds to make a bird dog. But you can’t make one without birds.