The weather forecast was for cooler weather early this morning and it was almost as cool as they predicted. It was cooler than the mid seventies for a change. I put 4 release traps, with pigeons in them, on my side of the training grounds and another 2 pigeons in release traps on my neighbor’s side. I have some poles in my yard training area, with strings on them, that I use to tell which way the wind is blowing. This morning the string wasn’t moving at all.
Josie would lower that foot a little then pick it back up.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
After putting the pigeons out on the training grounds I went into Josie’s kennel. I make the dogs jump onto their house so I don’t have to bend over to put the training collars on them. Josie will jump onto her house with my help but not without. She has done it without my help but not often. I patted the top of her house and she was excited but wouldn’t jump. I patted the top and tried to get her to jump but she wouldn’t.
After a few minutes of begging her to jump onto her house I went to Abby’s kennel. Abby jumped onto her house. I put the e-collars around her neck and flanks and heeled her out of the kennel dragging a long check cord. I saw on Facebook a few days ago someone heeling a dog and said he takes old man steps. Both of these young dogs try to lead me instead of heeling. I started heeling them by taking tiny little steps and they heel better. It keeps them from getting way out front. When the dogs speed up I slow down.
I put Abby on whoa and walked to the end of the check cord in front of her. I tugged on the check cord and called her to me. When she took a couple of steps I whoaed her but she kept coming toward me. I held the button on the flank e-collar down on 2 medium. She came all the way to me. I picked her up and carried her back to where she should have stopped. I set her down and said, “whoa”. She stayed until I got to the end of the check cord. I said, “here” and tugged on the check cord. She came all the way to me even with me saying, “whoa” and hitting the e-collar. I checked the e-collar on her flanks and I hadn’t turned it on.
I got in front of her and called her to me. When she took a few steps I said, “whoa” and held the button on the now turned on flank collar, on 2 medium, and she stopped. I said, “here” and after a couple of steps stopped her again. I then called her all the way to me. I did this in three different spots.
These dogs are smart enough to know there are birds to be pointed and this “whoa” and “here” is keeping them from their fun. If they could, they would by pass me and go straight to the birds. When we get to the bird field I whoa them and take the piggin’ string off and hold the check cord.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
Abby drags me down the field. I had the 4 release traps in a line, hidden in grass strips. There was no wind and Abby went on the south side of the first bird but didn’t smell it. She came around on the north and as she got north east of it she pointed. I walked in front of her and kicked the tall grass. I went back to her and stroked her sides after taking pictures. I held the check cord and flushed the pigeon that was about 30 yards in front of her. She wanted to chase but I held her until she started smelling the pigeon she pointed again. When she got rigid I went back in front of her kicking the tall grass. I held the check cord and flushed the pigeon she was pointing. She tried to chase but I stopped her. I held the check cord and went on toward the back.
Abby was really dragging me down the field until she hit the scent cone on the next bird and pointed. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her kicking the tall grass. I went back to her and held the check cord and flushed the pigeon. She tried to chase but I held her. After I set her back I petted her then released her.
We had one more pigeon on this side, about thirty yards from the last one she had pointed. Lack of wind didn’t bother her on this one. She hit the scent cone and locked up. I took some pictures then stroked her sides before walking in front of her kicking the cover. I stepped on the check cord and flushed the pigeon. She hit the slack that I allowed in the check cord but couldn’t chase far. I set her back and petted her then took her on.
Abby.
When we got over on the neighbor’s side I turned the check cord loose. I had to hurry, in my case a slow run, to keep up. I didn’t want her to get ahead of me and point, then jump in. She was quite away ahead when she hit the scent cone but she pointed. I went to her and stroked her sides then kicked the brush and flushed the pigeon. I had held the check cord but when I set her back and petted her I turned loose of the check cord then released her, she went all the way back to the pigeon coop. We still had one bird but she likes the birds around the pigeon coop, also. I put her back in the kennel.
I reloaded the release traps and went in Josie’s kennel. I tried to get her to jump onto her house but until I put my hand on her collar she wouldn’t even try. I put the e-collars on her neck and flanks and heeled her out dragging the check cord. I whoaed her and when I got to the end of the check cord in front of her I tugged on the check cord and said, “here”. She started moving but was going to by pass me. I whoaed her and when I hit the flank e-collar on medium 1 she stopped. I tugged on the check cord and said, “here” drug her to me. I got really excited with my petting.
Josie.
The next time I whoaed her it was the same thing. When I said, “here” she tried to get around me instead of coming to me. I whoaed her and then pulled her to me with the check cord. We went through this 4 times and she never got better. “Here” is something I will have to work on with her.
The last time I worked Josie she tried to get too close to her birds. I had decided to flush any pigeon if she got too close. The first bird she pointed, with style, as soon as she hit the scent cone. I took pictures then walked in front kicking the tall grass. I went back to her, stroked her sides and flushed the pigeon. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the check cord. We went on down the field.
On the second bird I saw her catch the scent but turn toward the bird. When she turned I flushed the pigeon and stopped her with the check cord. I set her back where she first hit the scent cone and styled her up. I walked around her kicking the cover, then stroked her sides before taking her on down the field.
The next pigeon she pointed as soon as she hit the scent cone. I took pictures then walked around her kicking the cover. I held the check cord and flushed the pigeon. She tried to chase but I stopped her with the check cord. I stroked her sides then we went on down the field.
Josie.
On the fourth pigeon on my side I never saw her actually catch the scent. She just got too close and I flushed the pigeon. There wasn’t any wind to blow the scent around but there will be hunting days like that and birds will flush. She needs to get used to that.
When we got to the neighbor’s side and we were close to where I had the pigeons hidden I turned her loose. When she got close to the first bird she knew there was one close but she wasn’t sure. I whoaed her and she stopped, with style. I stroked her sides then kicked the cover. I grabbed hold of the check cord and flushed the pigeon. She wanted to chase but I set her back and styled her up. I led her away with check cord then released her.
I was afraid she would go back to the kennel too but she didn’t. She did go off away and I called her back. She was in the brush a little way when she hit the scent cone and stopped. Her front foot was in the air and I was watching her. She wanted to put the foot down. She would start to ease it down then bring it back. There was enough brush that I couldn’t get to her so I just kicked the cover in between her and the bird. She didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon. I stopped her with the check cord then released her to run. We went back to the kennel.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I reloaded the release traps and turned Boss loose. He is 4 months old today. He doesn’t have e-collarsw or piggin’ strings or check cords. He just hunts. I turned him loose from the kennel and he flushed the pigeons sitting around the pigeon coop then took off for the back. He knows where the pigeons are usually hidden.
He made a couple of points before we got back where the pigeons were hidden. There may have been some turkeys come through or he may have been anticipating the pigeons. I just kept walking. I didn’t do or say anything.
When he came to the first pigeon he pointed. He was fifty yards ahead of me and he held point until I got close then he moved. I flushed the pigeon and he chased.
Boss.
He was really wound up and he didn’t come close to the second pigeon but ran all the way to the third. I thought he got too close so I flushed it. Someway, when I flushed the third pigeon the transmitter moved to number two and it also flushed the second bird. He now had two to chase and he did.
When he came back we went toward the fourth bird. He was a long way from it when he pointed. I started toward him and he took a step. I flushed the pigeon. He has to learn that when he moves the bird flushes. We checked my side out then went across to the neighbor’s side.
When he came to the first bird on my neighbor’s side he did like Josie. He knew the bird was there but he wasn’t getting a good scent. He didn’t try to go in. Finally, he pointed. I just stood and watched until he moved then flushed the pigeon. He chased and was gone for a long time, then came back.
Both of these birds were hard for them to smell. He just got too close to the next one and I flushed it. He chased as it flew back toward the house.
Boss.
It was starting to warm up and when I got back to the kennel I got the 4-wheeler to pick up the release traps. I let Boss run with me. I had carried the two traps from the neighbor’s side over to my side and put them with one on my side. As I loaded the two from the neighbor’s side Boss laid down next to the trap that had been on my side. I put it on the 4-wheeler and he went to the next trap and laid down next to it. He did that to each of the other traps. Making sure I could find them or telling me he knew what we were doing.
All three of these dogs are doing better each time but there is still a lot I need to work with them on. But it’s a long time until next season so we have plenty of time. But we need a lot of these cool mornings.