Tur Bo
Tur Bo
It rained almost 2 inches last night, so it was wet and cool this morning when I worked dogs. I hid the normal 4 pigeons, in release traps, in the tall grass. After putting the e-collars on Tur Bo I heeled him out and lifted him onto the 2X6 whoa board. I took some pictures then walked in front of him to the far end of the tall grass. Because of the rain the tall grass was really wet so I walked the edge in the mowed grass. As I came around the end and was looking at him I flushed the pigeon. I fired the blank pistol when the bird flushed then again when it landed. He never moved.
I continued to walk toward him and flushed the fly away pigeon and fired the blank pistol. He never moved. I walked to the fly away bird that was about 8 yards from him. I made him stay on point for a while before flushing it. It flew toward him then turned north. I fired the blank pistol and he never moved. I had to get in the wet grass for the next pigeon. After kicking the cover and walking back and forth I flushed the bird. I shot when it flushed then again when it landed. He never moved. My blank pistol was empty but I flushed the 2 pigeons that were attached to the pigeon poles. This morning I counted the flushes for each dog and made sure each one had 12 flushes. He never moved so I lifted him off the whoa board and heeled him back to the kennel.
Blaze
Blaze
I heeled Blaze out and lifted her to the whoa board. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass. When I turned the corner and was looking at Blaze I flushed the first pigeon. This bird is about 25 yards from the whoa board so there is not a lot of temptation to move. I shot at the flush and again when it landed. I noticed that she was moving her feet but she didn’t come off the board. I walked toward her and flushed a fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol and she danced but didn’t come off the board. I told her to whoa but she paid no attention.
I walked toward her and she was standing still on the board. When I flushed the fly away bird she started to move her feet. I shot the blank pistol and held the button on the e-collar, that was around her flanks, down on level 2. The instant she quit moving her feet I let off the button. I walked around the next bird for a little while so she could think about, what happens when you move your feet. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She started to move and I hit the button on the e-collar. She stopped moving and I shot when the pigeon landed. She didn’t move. I was out of blanks for my pistol but I continued to toss birds in the air. I held the transmitter in my left hand and tossed pigeons with my right but I didn’t have to use the e-collar again.
For her to quit moving her feet that fast tells me that she knows what she is supposed to be doing. She may just be bored with so much repetition or she may be saying I’ll do it my way. I’m going to work them a few more times on the 2X6 whoa board then put them on a whoa board on the ground. When it gets really hot in July and August I don’t want to run them so yard work will be the training they get.