Working Dogs And Selling A Puppy

I had a call from a man in Oregon, Charles Stock, wanting one of my puppies. We talked and he started trying to find someone to haul it from Missouri to Oregon. He texted me with the information on the dog hauler. A few hours later he texted me again and said he thought the guy was trying to scam him. He would try something else.

I didn’t hear from Charlie for a few days and I was thinking that it was just too hard to get the puppy to him and he, probably, backed out. Monday morning as I was talking to someone on the phone I got a text from Charlie. He would fly into Kansas City on Wednesday, pick up the puppy and fly back on Thursday.

I met him at the airport and brought him to see the puppies. We sat in the shade as the puppies played and they came by to be petted every once in a while. I had taken a bag of birds earlier and put some pigeons to sleep in the tall grass, in the back. I grabbed some more and we took the puppies for a walk.

At 11 weeks old they are under foot a lot of the time but, occasionally, they got out a way in front of us. When we got near the strips of tall grass, I had left in the field, and the puppies were away from us, I put a pigeon to sleep and hid it in the grass. I called to the puppies and clapped my hands real loud. They came back and found the pigeon asleep in the grass.

Some of the time the puppies just stumbled over the pigeon but sometimes you could see them smell the bird and go toward it. We, also, had a few points although they didn’t last long. This was the second time I had done this with the puppies and they learned, quickly. As soon as they saw me bend over to hide a pigeon they came running.

I wanted to show Charlie my dogs and how I trained so the next morning we got out while it was still cool. I hid two birds in the release traps on the training grounds. Usually, with Sally, Luke and Tur Bo I follow on the 4-wheeler. With two of us, we walked. I heeled Sally to the retrieving bench and decided to show Charlie what I was dealing with on retrieving.

Sally jumped onto the retrieving bench. I petted her for a few seconds then put her on whoa. I put 3 bumpers on the other end of the bench. I came back to her and motioned to the other end of the bench and said, “fetch”. She ran down the bench, picked up a bumper and brought it back. Sally held the bumper until I said, “give”. She dropped it in my hand. She retrieved all 3 bumpers. I set her on the ground.

I heeled her a few yards then whoaed her, tapped her head and said, “okay”. She ran toward the back but got out of sight by going around some bushes. We checked on the other side then came back and saw her on point on the first bird.

I have been putting a frozen quail in with the pigeon for Sally and Tur Bo. This morning I hadn’t done that but I think the frozen quail has made them a little less steady to wing and shot. I walked in front of Sally, kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and she took a step or two. I set her back and made her stay for a few seconds. I heeled her away, whoaed her and tapped her head. She went back to hunting.

She checked my side out and went across to the neighbor’s side. When we got near the next bird she was already on point. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon. She took a step but didn’t chase. I stroked her sides then released her to hunt. We took her back to the kennel.

I put an e-collar on Tur Bo and heeled him to the retrieving bench. He wants to do everything with speed. On his third bumper he dropped it when he turned to come back. I told Charlie that when they dropped the bumper on purpose I pinched their lip against their teeth. I gave Tur Bo the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think he dropped it on purpose. I picked the bumper up from the ground and sent him again. This time he did it right. I set him on the ground and heeled him a few yards and released him.

We were half way back, on my side, when we saw him on point. I walked in front of him kicking the cover. Tur Bo moved up a couple of steps then stopped. I set him back. I kicked a little longer then flushed the pigeon. He moved a step but didn’t chase. I heeled him a few yards then released him.

By the time we got close to the pigeon hidden on the neighbor’s side he was on point. As I started in to flush Tur Bo moved up a step. There was a rose bush between him and me, so I didn’t move him back. I flushed the pigeon and he took a step. I heeled him a few yards then released him. We took him back to the kennel.

I moved both of the release traps into the tall grass strips I have left and put pigeons in each. We turned all 4 puppies out and walked them toward the back. The puppies have found pigeons asleep in this tall grass so they move through it. When we got close to the first release trap the puppies were on it before I could release the pigeon. As they pawed at the release trap they released the pigeon. They chased a few steps then went back to playing.

As we got near the second pigeon hidden in the grass we saw the puppy that Charlie had chosen wheel and start toward the release trap. I flushed the pigeon before the puppies could get too close to the trap. They chased a few steps. We took them back to the kennel.

We wanted to let Charlie’s puppy get tired as well as clean out a little before getting on the airplane. We brought her to the front and let her play. I gave her a bath. She stood for the bath like we had done it before.

We put her in a soft sided carrier and started to the airport. I had taken her to the vet in a carrier just a few days before and she had barked for just a short time. This time she started barking when we left the house and barked all the way to the airport, about 45 minutes. When I stopped at the airport she stopped barking. There was a little grass strip near where I parked and Charlie walked her through the grass.

He brought her back and put her in the carrier. He knew if she barked like that on the airplane they wouldn’t let him fly. I told him if he had to, to leave her and take his flight. I would get her and take her back to my kennel.

Charlie texted me that there was hardly a peep out of her since they had left the car. That was about 20 minutes before they boarded. The next text they were taxiing and all was well.

The next text was from Portland and Charlie said she was perfect. He said, “Man am I glad, She really had me worried but it could not have gone better”. I was worried, too. All’s well that ends well.