Between family commitments and the weather I haven’t been able to train for a few days so I decided to show some of the things I use either to hunt or train with. This will be some things that work for me.
Sign about my blog
No hunting trip could even get started without a good truck. I bought this truck in December of 2010 and just a few weeks later drove it to Arizona bird hunting. That was quite awhile before I started my blog. I have a magnetic sign on the front door on both sides saying “check out my blog” and the web site. I take the signs off when I get to the area I am going to hunt. It would not be fair to the birds to have people know exactly where I find birds, if I ever get into a lot.
My shed
My shed holds my training gear, dog food and my whelping boxes. The puppies stay in the shed until they get big enough to get out then they go to the kennels. All my kennels, dog houses and self feeders come from Pro Built Products. http://probuiltproducts.com/
Whoa board and whoa barrel
I have a whoa board next to my barrel. I walk the dog onto the whoa board, whoa them before they can step off, and walk out in front of them. Then I walk back to them, tap them on the head and heel them off. I walk just a few feet then turn around and walk them back onto the whoa board, saying whoa. They must learn that they can’t step off the board until I lead them off. Each time I work them on the board I put them on it 5 or 6 times, then I put them on the barrel. As soon as the dog is on the barrel I say, whoa, and this is the one place that I want the dog to stand with style. I rub under their chin, to get their head up and brush their tail up. When I put them on the ground I do the same thing on the ground that I did on the barrel
Pigeon pole.
In front of the whoa board and barrel I have a pigeon pole. After the dogs learn not to come off the whoa board and barrel I tie the pigeon on a string that is tied to the pole and place them in release traps. I place the dog on the barrel, say whoa then flush the pigeon. There is a chain hooked to the dogs collar and if he comes off the barrel his feet just barely touch the ground. A dogs neck is the strongest part of him. I put them back on the barrel but I don’t get in a hurry. If they are uncomfortable they learn not to come off the barrel. After they learn not to come off the barrel I move them to the whoa board.
I hook a check cord to a stake, then run it between the hind legs of the dog, then a half hitch around the flanks and hook the check cord to the collar. This way if the dog moves off the board the check cord tightens on the flanks. I set them back on the board and fly the pigeon again. Once they are staying on the board I put a pigeon on a string on a heavy fishing pole and fly it right in front of the dog. Each time the dog comes off the board I put them back. When they are staying on the board most of the time I put an e-collar around their flanks in addition to the check cord. Before the dogs have got to this point I have already worked them on whoa with the e-collar on their flanks. Now when he comes off, the check cord still stops him but I hold the e-collar button down on a low level until I pick him up and set him on the board. The instant his feet touch the board I let off the button. If he continues to come off the board (after 5 or 6 times) turn the collar up one level. If he continues to come off, turn it up again. Let him choose the level he needs.
I was getting tired of writing about the same thing almost every day and this has been fun to do. I have enough stuff for another day or two then I will get back to the training. Thanks for reading.