I worked puppies on pigeons this morning. The temperature was in the low 70’s with almost no wind. I worked Babe first on three pigeons then decided to work her on three more. About the time I cut her loose for the second time my wife, June, called. I had to drop everything and go to my son’s house and get a key for her. Babe had already found one of the three pigeons so after she found the other two I put her in the kennel and went after the key.
Babe with her head in the pigeon coop.
Babe after a pigeon under the coop.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
When I got back from getting the key for June I reloaded the release traps and turned Mann out. I jumped on the 4-wheeler and followed him to the training ground. He’s really fast. We went down the neighbor’s side then he crossed over onto my side. He went by the release trap without showing that he smelled anything. He went all the way to the back and I led him back past the trap again. He still never showed that he smelled anything. After he had passed the trap I rode close and the trap had released the bird. This trap sometimes releases on it’s own. Usually, it releases with me bending over the trap and the pigeon hits me in the face.
I’ve wondered if part of the smell the dogs get is the smell of the trap. My smell has to be there as well as the smell of broken grass and weeds that I use to cover the trap. Mann doesn’t have much experience but he knew there was no bird there.
He found the other two birds and let me walk in front of him, kicking the cover. Babe was on the chain gang and a few days ago Mann wouldn’t come to me when I was close to the chain gang. I had put him in the kennel and worked Babe. After she found her pigeons I had let her play while Mann was still in his kennel. Today I went to the chain gang and called him. He came right to me. I put him on the chain gang.
I reloaded the three traps and turned Babe loose. She hunts hard and sticks her nose in every place I’ve ever hid a pigeon for her but when she smells a bird she thinks there is something else she needs to do. Some of the time she points then gets behind me. Sometimes she points then circles the bird. I started flushing the bird at the first movement. The third pigeon she pointed and held for about 30 seconds. She took a step and I flushed the bird. She chased for a short distance.
I went to the chain gang and called her. She came right to me and I hooked her to the chain gang. I reloaded the release traps. I turned Mann loose, jumped onto the 4-wheeler and followed him. He found all three pigeons. He points and lets me walk in front kicking the cover. Most of the time he doesn’t move, even after I kick the cover several times, until I flush the pigeon.
I went back to the chain gang and called him. He came close but not close enough for me to get my hands on him. I gave him several opportunities. I needed more pigeons so I went back to the coop. When I opened the door he reared up at the door. I led him to his run in the kennel. I got six more pigeons and reloaded the traps.
I worked Babe on three more pigeons. When we got close to a bird I would get off the 4-wheeler. Most of the time she wanted to point then come to me. I set her up in the scent cone and stroked her sides, belly and even stroked her tail. She looked good and would stand as long as I wanted her to. I thought more birds might be the answer.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
We went back to the chain gang and when I called her she came right to me. I put her on the chain gang and reloaded the traps. I turned her loose again. She found all three and pointed but didn’t hold very long. As soon as she moved I flushed the birds. We went back to the kennel area.
I wanted to get her to really liking the pigeons. I had her stand with her feet in the door of the coop and try to catch a pigeon as they moved around the house. I turned some pigeons loose for her to chase. A couple of pigeons were too young to fly very good. They sat on the ground and she chased until they went under the pigeon coop. She tried to get under the coop but wouldn’t fit. One of the small pigeons tried to run but Babe herded it like a sheep dog. It finally flew into a tree.
After a while I put her in her kennel. I’m not sure how I’m going to get through to her but I’m going to keep trying. I may just not work her on birds for a while and see if the absence makes the heart grow fonder. She doesn’t act like she’s afraid of the birds or the release traps. When she points she is well away from the birds so she has a good nose. She’s smart, she checks most of the places I’ve hidden birds for her in the past. She’s worth working with to get her through this.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
This morning, 8/11/18, I hid three pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds. I turned Mann loose. I ran to the 4-wheeler and followed him to the training grounds. I was right behind him as we went down the neighbor’s side. I saw him cut across to my side and I followed. When I got on that side he was no where in sight. I rode by the bird on that side without seeing him. I went back to the neighbor’s side and found him rolling the release trap around trying to get the pigeon. He probably pointed for a little while then jumped in. I set him back and he went on point. I held him and stroked his sides. I turned him loose and flushed the pigeon. The pigeon didn’t even try to fly. It landed right beside the trap and Mann caught it. He wouldn’t come to me. In fact he hid and I never saw him for at least fifteen minutes.
I had already decided not to work Babe so I replaced the one pigeon and turned Sally loose. She had an e-collar around her neck and one around her flanks. I followed her on the 4-wheeler as she went down the neighbor’s side. She pointed the pigeon at the back. I took pictures then kicked the cover. I flushed the bird and she didn’t move. I hooked a leash to her collar and heeled her away. I had a frozen quail and I held it in front of her and said, “fetch”. She took it and held it until I said give. I laid the quail on the ground in front of her and said, “fetch”. She picked it up and held it until I said, “give”. I tossed the frozen quail about 15 yards and said, “fetch”. She grabbed the quail and brought it to me and held until I said, “give”.
Sally found all three pigeons and was steady for the flush and stayed on point until I led her away. Each time she pointed I threw the frozen quail for her three times. I’m hoping this will make her realize that the birds we shoot are mine and she should bring them to me. I’m hoping to get some pen raised birds to work her on as well. I took her back to the kennel.
Mann on another pigeon.
I was getting some more pigeons when Mann came to me. He reared up on the pigeon coop and I took him back to the kennel. If he won’t let me put him on the chain gang he has to go to his kennel.
I reloaded the release traps, put the e-collars on Tur Bo’s neck and flanks, put a long check cord on him with a half hitch around his flanks and turned him loose. I rode the 4-wheeler and followed him to the training grounds. He was really going when he hit the scent cone on a pigeon and slid to a stop. I had the stake with me and pushed it into the ground right behind him. I tied the check cord to the stake. I kicked the cover then flushed the bird. He may have hit the end of the check cord but when I looked he had some slack in the check cord. I pulled the stake, untied the check cord and heeled him away. I put him on whoa and threw the frozen quail. Tur Bo doesn’t do anything half way. He dashed out, grabbed the quail, dashed back and sat beside me holding the bird. He held it until I told him to give. I threw it three times. He retrieved it each time. I turned him loose to hunt.
Tur Bo pointed his three pigeons and each time I pushed the stake into the ground but as dry as it is it wasn’t easy. The third pigeon he pointed I couldn’t get the stake very deep and I knew if he hit the end very hard it would pull out but he didn’t move. I threw the frozen quail each time after I heeled him away. He did a good job each time.
I’m hoping that working Sally and Tur Bo with the frozen quail will convince them to retrieve birds for me this year. I used Sally to guide a group this spring and she got really good at marking the downed birds. She didn’t retrieve but she found most of them. I’m hoping that she and Tur Bo both will retrieve this year.
I may start working the puppies on obedience instead of working them on birds. Babe is getting better about coming to me but Mann is getting worse. Usually, puppies come to me because I control the birds but I may have let them play too much. If there was only one puppy it would key on me but with two they key off of each other. Trying to figure out what they need is part of the fun of training puppies.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Sally holding a frozen quail.