Another day of rain. But April showers should bring May flowers and weeds for quail, we hope. The rain does make the grass grow this time of year and I have to mow a lot and often. I mow my yard which is almost 5 acres plus the part of my neighbor’s that I use to work dogs. I do leave strips of grass on both sides to hide pigeons. I use these grass strips, mainly for puppies and dogs that are new to pigeons. An older dog, that has never been worked on pigeons or birds in a release trap, I sometimes hide a few in the grass strips until they get used to finding the hidden birds.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Boss, stretched out, pointing a pigeon.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I run all 4 of these dogs with e-collars and GPS collars. This week turkey season has opened in Missouri and I don’t want to have problems with hunters. Sometimes the younger dogs go off my property to the west and that’s where some people turkey hunt. So I ride the 4-wheeler, when I let the dogs run. That way when they get to the west side of my place I’m close to them. They like to run in front of the 4-wheeler so they don’t go to the west. If they do go off me I can call them back, quickly.
I have been working Mann on retrieving a dummy for several weeks. He was force broke with a lot of pressure and didn’t really like to retrieve but since he was force broke he would retrieve. When we were hunting and he saw a bird drop he would have it back so quick the guys I were hunting with, if they weren’t watching him, wouldn’t know it had been retrieved. They were surprised when I had it in my hand. But Mann wasn’t happy.
So for several weeks I have thrown dummies, mainly Dokken quail, chukar and dove dummies, for Mann. When he returns with the dummy I have him hold for a few seconds, then say, “give” and when he drops the dummy in my hand I give him a small treat. For the whole time, until yesterday, he would retrieve but he didn’t really show any signs that he liked retrieving. For a few weeks his tail was down when he ran to the dummy.
Then for a week or so his tail was up but not really wagging. Yesterday, his tail was up and cracking and his head was up. Finally, he acted like he enjoyed retrieving. I had him retrieve 6 or 7 times then let him run for a while. I have a stump on my neighbor’s side near the kennels that I cut to the right height to sit on. When we get back close to the kennels I sit and pet the dogs. Abby and Sally want treats while I’m petting them but Mann and Boss are happy with just being petted. Boss even crawls into my lap. Right now Boss is only about 40 pounds. If he gets much bigger he will be more than a lap full.
Mann after the pigeon had flown.
Sally was force broke by me but when she was first force broke she enjoyed retrieving bumpers but it was hard getting her to understand that she needed to retrieve birds in the field. I could throw one and tell her to fetch and she would but when she found a dead bird she picked it up and dropped it. Last season near the end she made the connection. She did a good job retrieving. Some of my good retrievers I have fed them quail heads when they retrieved but Sally didn’t seem to like them. I want to build on that so I work her most days on retrieving.
I throw the dummy as far as I can and get a treat in my hand before she gets back. I make her hold the dummy for a few seconds then with my hand under the dummy say, “give”. When she drops it in my hand I give her the treat. She demands the treat. I may have to carry treats during the hunting season but that’s a small price to pay to have good retrievers.
After I let her run for a while I sit on the stump and pet her, too. But for Sally petting isn’t all of it. She demands treats. I give her 4 or 5 treats then put her in her kennel.
Sally, in orange vest, and Abby honoring Mann.
Abby was next. Her and Boss are being force broke, slowly, to retrieve. I heeled her to about 15 yards of the retrieving bench, whoaed her, tapped her head and said, “up”. She ran and jumped onto the bench. I fed her some treats then walked her up and down the bench, petting her and feeding her treats.
I slipped the string on her leg and placed the half hitch around her toes. The first time or two when I pull on the string I have the dowel right in front of her mouth. She reaches for the dowel and I quit pulling on the string. I have done this enough that she is reaching a few inches for the dowel. She knows how to get the pressure of the string to let off. Now if she’s standing with her head down I hold the dowel above her line of sight. She will reach for the dowel. Yesterday I moved the dowel to almost touching the bench and she reached several inches for the dowel. When she’s picking the dowel up from the bench we will be ready to move on.
I set her on the ground and heeled her back close to the kennel. I whoaed her and started the 4-wheeler and said, “okay”. She ran to the back and then we went to the front yard then to the back and back to the kennel. This is a little more running than I do when I’m walking but the dogs seem to enjoy staying in front of the 4-wheeler. I put her in the kennel.
Sally center, Mann on the left honoring Ally on the right.
I heeled Boss close to the retrieving bench and whoaed him. I took the wonder lead off, stroked his sides, tapped his head and said, “up”. Boss doesn’t like the treats as well as Abby does and now he’s slower jumping on the bench. He was the one that started the jumping on the bench but the force breaking is taking some of that out.
He still jumps on but he’s slower. I pet him as we walk up and down the retrieving bench. I always offer a treat but he usually doesn’t take one. I put the string on his leg with a half hitch around his toes. He’s ready to take the dowel as soon as I tug on the string. When he has his head down I hold the dowel above eye level and pull on the string. He raised his head and took the dowel. I held the dowel low and he reached almost to the floor and took the dowel. Both of these dogs are learning to relieve the pressure by getting the dowel in their mouth. I heeled him back to the kennel.
Sally pointing a single.
When we got close to the 4-wheeler I whoaed him and got on the 4-wheeler. I started it, put it in gear and said, “okay”. He’s really fast and I had to hurry to be close when he got to the back. I got him turned with no trouble and we went back to the front yard then to the back again then to the kennel. I sat on the tree stump and Boss crawled into my lap. That’s a lot of dog for one lap but he really enjoys that and so do I. After a few minutes I put him in his kennel. A fun few hours.