Quail season is over in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska (sigh) so now I’m back to training my setter puppies. Mann for his age, now 9 months old, did a good job on wild quail this year. He learned a lot and made a good bird dog. Babe isn’t quite as mature as he is but she’s starting to come around. Working them on pigeons isn’t as good as wild quail but it’s all I have. And it’s better than nothing.
Mann on pigeons.
Babe with a pigeon in front of her.
Another shot of Babe with a pigeon right in front of her.
We had snow and super cold weather for a long time and finally the weather cleared and it got above freezing on Friday, the first of February. I had been in the house, most of the time, for several days so when it got just a little warmer I worked setter puppies.
I put 3 pigeons, in release traps, out on the training grounds and I had another 3 pigeons in a bird bag. I put an e-collar on Mann and heeled him out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. He was also dragging a short check cord.
We went to the east to the highway in front of my house then to the north to the property line then back to the west. Every few yards I whoaed Mann and walked ahead of him several yards. A couple of times I took the end of the check cord as I walked ahead of him. I tugged on the check cord and said, “here”. When he took a few steps I raised my hand and said, “whoa”. I whoaed him 2 or 3 times as he came toward me. Because these commands are total opposites it’s hard for a puppy to grasp. I have to tug on the check cord to get them to move off of whoa. I only do this a couple of times each session.
After a few heel and whoa sessions I whoaed him and put a pigeon, from the bird bag, to sleep about 3 feet in front of him. I walked circles around him kicking the grass. I stroked his sides and belly telling him what a good boy he is. (In his book on dog training, Paul Long says that stroking their belly gives them confidence. I don’t know but it doesn’t hurt anything and it may help.) When I got ready to flush the pigeon I held onto the piggin’ string and rolled the pigeon over with my foot. Mann stood and watched it fly away.
I had two more pigeons in the bird bag and I whoaed him and placed the pigeon about 3 feet in front of him. I kicked and walked around him then stroked his sides and belly. I woke the pigeons and he watched them fly away. When I got close to the training grounds I took the piggin’ string off and let him hunt.
He pointed all three pigeons from a good distance. He let me walk in front of him kicking the cover and flush the pigeon without him moving. He was steady on all three pigeons on Friday. I let him run until I took him back to the kennel.
I put the e-collar and check cord on Babe and heeled her out with the check cord. I whoaed her several times then tugged on the check cord and said, “here”. I stopped her with a whoa a couple of times then heeled her on. I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her after I whoaed her. I walked around her, came back and stroked her sides and belly. I rolled the pigeon over with my foot and she watched it fly away. She was steady on all three of the pigeons I had in the bird bag.
I heeled her to the edge of the training grounds, took the piggin’ string off and released her to hunt. She pointed all three of her birds and let me walk in front of her, kicking the grass. She was steady when I flushed her pigeons. I let her run before taking her back to the kennel.
Mann with a pigeon in front of him.
The weather on Saturday, the second of February, was nicer than Friday had been. I put the e-collar and check cord on Babe and heeled her out with the check cord. We went through our heel and whoa and I even did the here command a couple of times before we got to the front yard close to the highway. My yard is four feet or so higher than the highway. I whoaed Babe, put a pigeon to sleep and placed it about 3 feet in front of her. I walked around her kicking the grass. The cars going by on the highway didn’t distract her from the pigeon. When I woke the pigeons up she watched them fly away, without moving.
I did two pigeons near the highway and one close to the training grounds. I released her to hunt. She hit the scent cone on the first pigeon and locked up. She decided she could get maybe a step closer. When she moved I flushed the pigeon. She stopped and watched the bird fly away.
We went on to the next bird. She went on point as soon as she smelled the pigeon. Then she took a step and I flushed the bird. She stopped and watched it fly away.
The next pigeon she did the same. She pointed then tried to move. I flushed the pigeon and she stopped. She’s not chasing the pigeons so she will stop trying to move after she goes on point. All of the fun she is getting is the pointing. She should start holding longer and longer. If she was chasing them a long way she would get some fun from the chase but she’s not. I took her back to the kennel.
I brought Mann out with the e-collar around his neck and he was pulling a check cord. I heeled him toward the highway with the pigging’ string. I whoaed him and put a pigeon to sleep in front of him. Although a couple of eighteen wheelers came by he didn’t take his attention off the pigeon. I put two pigeons to sleep near the highway for him and the third close to the training grounds. When I woke them he didn’t move as they flew away. I released him to hunt.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
On the first two pigeons in the release traps he did a good job. He let me walk in front of him kicking the cover. He didn’t move when the pigeon flew away. On the third pigeon he pointed it just fine, looked really good. I walked in front of him, stroked his sides and belly. I flushed the pigeon and it hit a limb and almost came down to the ground before flying away. He went toward it and almost caught the pigeon. I whoaed him and he stopped. I carried him back to where he was on point and styled him up. I tapped his head to release him. I let him run before taking him back to the kennel.
Babe and Mann are only 9 months old. To have them this steady on pigeons is pretty good for their age. I will work them for a while like this then introduce a blank pistol. I have shot several quail over Mann’s points and Babe has been with me when I’ve shot the shotgun. So both have been introduced to the gun.
Now I will put the pigeon to sleep right in front of them, flush the pigeon, shoot the blank pistol and say, “whoa”. Pretty soon they will anticipate the whoa command is going to be given after the shot. After several times the blank pistol will become another whoa command. Sally has been trained this way and, on the training grounds, I can shoot the blank pistol and she will stop.
This is one way of making the setter puppies steady to wing and shot without putting much pressure on them. To really get them steady to wing and shot I should work them on quail the same way. In my opinion, if they quit chasing the pigeons they will hold better on quail and other game birds. I really don’t care if they are steady to wing and shot. I don’t field trial but I want my dogs to hold and let me flush the birds.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Mann with a pigeon right in front of him.