I have been working the English setter puppies, Mann and Babe, on steady to flush on pigeons. I, also, am working them on the retrieving bench. I haven’t started the force breaking yet, just having them hold a dowel rod and give when I say, “give” not before.
Babe on the bench holding the dowel.
Babe after the pigeon has flown away.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
June and I took Sally Joe to Texas to have her bred by Wynona’s Last Sunrise (Rip), owned by Bruce Sooter. He’s a tri-colored, frozen semen son of Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. He looks a lot like Tur Bo, who’s her sire. Rip and Sally both share a grandfather on their bottom sides. Ch. Tekoa Mountain Outrage is the sire of both of these dogs dams. Sally goes back to Tekoa Mountain Sunrise on both sides of her pedigree.
We dropped Sally off on Thursday evening and drove to San Antonio to see the Alamo. After fighting the crowds at the Alamo we drove through the Texas hill country looking at the Bluebells that were in bloom. We picked Sally up Sunday morning, hoping she is pregnant, then drove home. Bruce had done a good job of taking care of her while we did the tourist thing.
Back to training the English setters. Actually, I’m working all of the dogs. I worked Luke, Tur Bo and Sally on retrieving. I put 7 retrieving dummies, of different types and textures, in a line and heeled them close. Each day I stop a little farther from the line and try to get the dogs to pick up a dummy. I wave my hand in the direction of the nearest dummy and say, “fetch”.
The first retrieve is always the hardest. Luke, especially, doesn’t want to go very far to get a retrieving dummy. I heel the dogs at a right angle to the line of retrieving bucks and when they get the dummy, I have them carry it a little way, before tasking it from them. At the end of the line of dummies I throw a frozen quail. Not far for Luke but Sally and Tur Bo are really starting to enjoy bringing the quail back. They go as far as I can throw the frozen quail.
After working the older dogs on retrieving I hid some pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds. I have 6 release traps. The last time, before this, that I worked the English setter pups, I put out two pigeons in three different places. This time I put two pigeons in one set and 4 in another.
Babe got an e-collar and a long check as I heeled her out with a piggin’ string. Babe likes to go to the west of my property and hunt, if I don’t put the long check cord on her. She comes back but it usually is after 30 minutes or so. I worked her on “whoa” and “here” on the way to the retrieving bench. When we get close to the bench I say, “up”. She jumps onto the bench.
To keep her from being used to just one way of retrieving on the bench I walk down both sides of the bench petting her. Then I put the one inch dowel just behind her canine teeth and tell her to hold. I repeat the hold command several times as I stroke her chin and rub her head. I say, “give” and she spits it out. I just hold the end of the dowel and make her move her head off the dowel.
As I walked down the bench to the next place I was to put the dowel in her mouth she decided to go hunting. The only problem, I had hooked the chain on the pulley system, on the retrieving bench, to her collar. Her back feet just touched the ground but it was still uncomfortable. I was a little slow but I helped her back onto the bench. I had her hold the dowel in 6 different places on the bench. I put her on the ground.
Tur Bo retrieving a retrieving buck.
With the long check cord on she doesn’t always go hunt on someone else’s property but I can’t take the chance. I try to always put a GPS collar on her so if she does go off I will know where she is. I held the end of the check cord to the first set of two pigeons. She pointed from a good distance. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon that was the farthest away. She watched it fly away. When she turned her attention back to the bird she had originally pointed I started kicking the cover, again. I flushed the second pigeon and she watched it fly away.
We went to the back of my place then crossed to the neighbor’s side. I try to let her hunt where she wants but still hang onto the check cord. She pointed one of the four pigeons I had hidden in a large circle. I stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is.
When I started kicking the cover in front of her I flushed a pigeon that was several yards behind her. When the pigeon flapped it’s wings she turned her head but didn’t move her feet. She turned back to the bird she was pointing. I continued to kick the cover and flushed another pigeon that was 20 yards to her left. She didn’t even turn her head. Just continued to look toward the pigeon she was pointing.
I continued to kick the cover and flushed a pigeon that was about 15 yards to her right. She flinched and turned her head but didn’t move her feet. She slowly turned back to the bird she was pointing. I kicked the cover and flushed the last pigeon. She watched it fly away. I stroked her sides then heeled her away.
When we got almost back to the kennel I turned her loose. She ran to the pigeon house and went on point. There were some pigeons lounging around the kennel. When I got to her I stroked her sides, unhooked the check cord and heeled her into the kennel.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
When the release traps were reloaded I heeled Mann out with an e-collar around his neck and dragging a short check cord. We worked on “here” and “whoa” on the way to the retrieving bench. I said, “up” when he got close to the bench and he hopped on.
I petted him in 6 different spots on the retrieving bench. When I got the dowel out he started looking at the training grounds. He knew there were birds to be pointed. I put the dowel right behind his canines. He held it until I said give. He’s not as good as Babe is but we persist. After the first time he started thinking about jumping off and going hunting. I let him stand, looking toward the training grounds.
He ran back and forth, looking. He’s jumped off before with the chain hooked up. He never jumped but after each time we worked with the dowel he wanted to. After I had him hold it six times I set him on the ground.
When we had three sets of two pigeons he tried to move on the first two sets but he was steady on the third. During bird season I had let him move as the birds flushed because I was looking for a shot, not paying attention to him. He was always steady to flush. He stays with me really well so I only put a short check cord on him. I did put a half hitch around his flanks.
He went past the first set on the other side of the yard. He circled around and caught the scent from the north fence line and went on point. I went to him and stroked his sides. I walked in front of him kicking the cover. I circled back behind him and stood on the check cord. I flushed the farthest pigeon and he didn’t move. I stroked his sides then went in front of him, kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and he didn’t move. I stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him.
Luke pointing a pigeon.
He checked my side to the very back, crossed to the neighbor’s side and went to the back. As he came back up the south edge he hit the scent cone and slammed into a point. He was in a better spot, for training, than Babe had been. All 4 of these birds were in front of him.
He had not moved on the others so I stayed in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed a pigeon that was 30 yards in front of him. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and flushed another pigeon that was near the first. He knew his bird was still right in front of him. He didn’t move.
When I had put the next pigeon in the release trap, there was a pigeon from Babe’s pigeons, that was sitting on the ground. I flushed the pigeon from the release trap. He didn’t move.
I stroked his sides then flushed the last pigeon. He didn’t move. I stroked his sides and heeled him away. I whoaed him then tapped his head to release him.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
I don’t know if he saw the pigeon on the ground or he just happened to hit the scent cone but he pointed. I stroked his sides then tried to catch the pigeon on the ground. The pigeon was in a small clump of brush. I forced my way into the clump of brush and the pigeon started running. Mann was solid as the pigeon ran around in the clump of brush.
Finally, the pigeon came into the open. I started around the clump and it flushed, flying up onto a limb about 8 feet off the ground. That was more than Mann could take. He ran to the tree and reared up trying to get the pigeon. I caught him and carried him back. I whoaed him and stroked his sides. After about a minute I heeled him away. I took him back to the kennel.
With having the pigeons and release traps I can really enjoy having these puppies. I can go in the back yard and get several points every day I work with them. When we get closer to the hunting season I will work with the older dogs on pointing, too. When you can get several points its a good day. I’ve been blessed, I have a great life.
Tur Bo with a frozen quail.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.