Blaze
Blaze
When I came out to work dogs this morning it was really wet. I don’t know if it rained a little last night or we had a big dew but when I put Blaze on the 2X6 whoa board it was wet and slick. I thought that might be a good thing for me. She has been moving her feet when I shoot the blank pistol but yesterday when she danced I used the e-collar, around her flanks, on a real light setting. After 2 times she quit dancing or making any moves.
After I put her on the whoa board I took some pictures then walked to the pigeon hidden on the far end of the tall grass. When I turned so I could watch Blaze I flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol, then shot again when the pigeon landed. She never moved. I walked toward her and flushed the fly away pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She moved her feet and I held the button on the transmitter down on the e-collar on her flanks and she stopped moving.
The first 2 birds are about 20 to 25 yards away so the temptation is not as great as the closer birds. I continued toward her and the close fly away bird. When I flushed it, it flew straight at her and when I shot the blank pistol she came off the board. I held the button to the e-collar on her flanks down on level 2 until I could walk to her and set her back on the board. As soon as her feet touched the board I let off the button. I walked back and forth for quite awhile before flushing the bird that was attached to the pigeon poles. When it flushed I shot the blank and shot again when it started to land. She never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss pigeons into the air but she never moved again. I heeled her back to the kennel.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo
I heeled Tur Bo to the training area and after lifting him to the whoa board I took some pictures. He always looks the same. If you go back to the first of the training posts and compared pictures they would be almost the same. I walked to the far end and turned the corner starting back. I watched him as I flushed the bird and fired the blank pistol then shot again when the bird landed. He never moved. I walked toward him and flushed the fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. He never moved.
I continued to the pigeon that was real close to him but I made him stay on point for a while as I kicked the grass. Finally I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. After walking back and forth around the bird attached to the pigeon pole I flushed it and shot the blank pistol. Then shot again when the pigeon lit. He never moved. I tossed some more birds into the air but he never moved. Tur Bo is ready to go to the ground. He is not moving on the birds whether I shoot the blank pistol or not.
I tried to show the chain that is hooked to the dogs, on the picture of Blaze. The picture doesn’t show the chain as well as I would like but when the dog is standing on the board the chain must be loose. If the chain is tight they can’t come off the board. They don’t have to fall off the board to learn but they can’t think they are staked out on the board. When they point birds later they won’t be staked out and they can’t think they are now.
I may keep both dogs on the whoa board for a couple more days then put them on a 2 feet by 3 feet board on the ground. You never hear anyone say, “we moved too slow.” I think a few more days, on the 2X6 whoa board, will do a lot for Blaze. If I have to I can always come back to the 2X6 whoa board.