Turkey season isn’t as long as deer season is, in the fall, deer season goes on forever, but it seems really long. Usually the weather is nice when turkey season is open and I hate to miss even a little of the cool weather. But there are turkey hunters to the west of me and I don’t want to risk a dog. If one of my dogs ran their turkey off they might just shoot the dog, thinking it was a stray.
I try to really hide the release trap.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
We have had a lot of rain this spring and everything is wet and muddy. I don’t like to drive the 4-wheeler on the neighbor’s side of the training grounds when it’s really wet so when I put out birds I only use my side.
I am still working the dogs on whoa but they have all finished with the whoa posts. Before this week Abby has been in heat so I have worked her and Sally last to keep the males from having their mind on something besides training. But now she is out of season so I worked Sally first then Abby.
I put the e-collar transmitter on momentary stimulation. I had an e-collar around Sally’s neck and another around her flanks. I also had the GPS collar on her. I probably don’t need the GPS collar as much as I have worked these dogs here, on these grounds, but I would rather have it and not need it as not have it when I need it.
Another thing I do with the collars is the dog must be standing still. Their dog house is in the kennel and the dogs jump onto the house. I stand in front of them until they settle down before putting the collars on them.
Mann almost never moves around. He just stands while I put everything on him whether he’s on the dog house or I’m getting ready to turn him loose in the field. Boss may jump off his house and back on two or three times before I put anything on him. Sally and Abby are somewhere in between these two. But they all will stand still for the collars. A few times I’ve gone to another dog when I was trying to get Boss to settle down. Any bad behavior can be trained out of any dog with enough repetition.
I heeled Sally toward the back. Four or five times I hit the transmitter button on low 2 momentary and then said, “whoa”. She stopped as soon as she felt the momentary stimulus. I whoaed her then tapped her head and said, “okay” for her to run. I walked to the very back while she ran.
Sally gets a little sticky when we’re working on whoa. As she runs I hit the transmitter on 2 low, momentary. She does better on the stimulus when she’s at heel than she does as she runs. But when I say, “whoa”, she stops. A few more repetitions and she will stop as soon as she feels the momentary stimulation, I think.
Boss pointing a pigeon in a tree.
When we got to the retrieving bench she jumped onto it, with my help. I petted her then told her to whoa and put 3 dummies on the other end of the bench. She retrieved all 3. I petted her some more then said, “whoa” as I set her on the ground. I placed 3 retrieving dummies on the ground in front of her. I sent her to retrieve them. She got the first two but when she went for the third one she found a stick and brought it. I sent her for the other dummy. She grabbed it and brought it back.
I released her to run. When I got to the rock wall surrounding the water faucet I sat down and petted her. The dogs all seem to like this routine but I think Mann likes it better than the others. He would stay as long as I would stroke him, I think. I put her in the kennel.
Abby was next. She was really bad about moving around as I put the collars on her but now she just wants to lick me. After I led her out I whoaed her several times by hitting the transmitter on low 2, momentary. She has this figured out. After a few times I tapped her head and said, “okay”. She understands this. She’s off like a shot.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
The dogs learn real quick what they want to do. Although right now Boss is a little sticky when we’re working on whoa when I say “okay” to the others they know they have been released. Boss and Abby learned real quick what “give” meant. They want the retrieving dummy out of their mouth. When they are on “whoa” they want to be released.
We went on to the back and as she ran I hit the transmitter on low 2 momentary and said, “whoa” twice. She stopped more on the whoa but she slowed when I hit the momentary stimulus. We went on to the retrieving bench. She jumped onto it with my help.
After petting her I opened her mouth and placed a retrieving dummy behind her canine teeth. I have done this enough that she almost opens for the retrieving dummy but not quite. She doesn’t fight me. I use hold and give. When I say, “give” I hold the end of the dummy and she has to move her head off it. But she wants it out and she learned give really quickly. I had her hold and give 6 times on the bench.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I petted her some more then set her on the ground. I had her hold and give on the ground but just one time. When I tapped her head and said, “okay” she was gone like a shot. But when I got sat down on the rock wall around the water faucet she came running. These dogs enjoy the petting they get. I put her in the kennel.
It takes a while to get the e-collars and GPS collars on Boss. When I first step into his kennel he jumps onto his house then back off then back on. He’s excited. I make him stand still and not jump around before I even start. After each collar I have to wait for a few seconds. Finally, I get them on him and lead him out.
I whoa him several times with the e-collar before letting him run. He gets sticky when I work him on whoa. Sometimes when I tap his head and say, “okay”, he stays on whoa. When I tap him the second time he will release. When we get near the back I stop him a couple of times with the momentary then we head for the retrieving bench.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
He jumps onto the bench with no help from me. After I pet him I place the retrieving dummy behind his canine teeth and say, “hold”. He and Abby both are panting as I work them on the bench but they don’t try to clench their teeth as I put the dummy in their mouth. On the hold I still have my hand under their chin. But they hold fairly well. I hate to do the force retrieve but they are ready for it. I need to start. I had him hold and give once on the ground then released him to run.
Boss was close to the water faucet when I got there. I petted him for several minutes before putting him back in the kennel.
I let Luke run for a while then sat at the water faucet and petted him. Luke is even starting to like this attention. I then put everything on Mann and worked him. Mann whether, on the tail gate of the truck or on his house, stands and lets me put everything on him. He stands and waits. I worked him on the whoa and heel. Then whoa as he ran on the training grounds.
Abby pointing a chukar.
I worked him on the retrieving bench then beside it. He retrieved as he was taught. Of all my dogs he likes for me to sit at the water faucet and pet him. And I enjoy doing it. We may sometimes sit a long time but that’s okay. I put him in his kennel.
I put three pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds. I hide them so the dogs can’t see them. I don’t want them sight pointing.
I put all of the collars back on Abby and heeled her close to the 4-wheeler. I put her on whoa and got on the 4-wheeler, started it and said, “okay”. When the dogs know there are birds on the training grounds it’s hard for me to keep up even with the 4-wheeler.
I had left a strip of grass down the middle of the training grounds to hide birds. I had a pigeon in the tall grass then about 50 yards down another then another 50 yards another. There was almost no breeze. Abby went along the edge on one side then back the other side. When she didn’t find the birds she started crisscrossing the field. She hit the scent cone on the farthest bird and pointed. I stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is then kicked in front of her.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
After taking pictures I went back and stroked her sides again. I went back in front kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. She was really staunch until the bird left the ground. Then she was charging the bird. A slow bird will get caught but on this day all of the birds escaped. This bird flew low back toward the pigeon coop and she was right behind it.
When she came back she hit the scent cone of the first bird and pointed. I stroked her sides and kicked in front her then flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.
She pointed the third bird. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance then came back to the release trap. After sniffing it she went back to hunting. I sat at the water faucet and petted her for a while before kenneling her.
I reloaded the release traps and brought Boss out. As I get on the 4-wheeler with him on whoa he’s trembling, waiting for the release. I said, “okay” and he took off. I followed on the 4-wheeler.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
He went down the edge then crisscrossed the field and hit the scent cone on the bird at the end of the field and pointed. I took some pictures then stroked his sides. I walked in front of him kicking the cover. I went back and stroked his sides. I went back in front and flushed the pigeon. The bird came right back over his head and stayed low. He chased a long way.
He came back and went to hunting. He hit the scent cone on the middle bird and pointed. As I got close he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a ways then came back. As he got close to the next bird he got a little scent and pointed. He wasn’t getting a good scent so I said, “okay”. He moved up a couple of steps and went back on point. As I started to him he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He chased. I petted him at the faucet them put him up.
Boss in the berry vines pointing a chukar..
Boss last season was doing really well. When he went on point he stayed on point. Now he’s moving on his points. Not a big deal. Now is a good time for him to try different things and we can get it worked out before season starts. I’m going to just let them do what they want for a couple of months, on these pigeons, then before season starts I will demand more from them. They may figure it out on their own but if not, with them being well broke to whoa by then, I will make them stand.