The 2019/2020 quail season was over for me on February 13 2020. Vince Dye and I had met Jim and Rusty Smith in New Mexico for the tail end of their season. We had some good hunts and found enough quail to keep us satisfied but now it’s time to start working the young dogs, Abbie and Josie. Also, ten days after we quit hunting Sally had a litter of 9 puppies. One of the puppies didn’t make it but we still have 8.
Sally and Mann’s litter on the heat pad.
Mann’s 5 generation pedigree.
Sally’s 5 generation pedigree.
My vet, Dr. Becker, told me several years ago, that there are as many puppies born on 60 days as there are 63. Most of the books on raising puppies say 9 weeks, 63 days. Following Dr. Becker’s advice I put Sally in the shed, where I have a whelping box prepared, on the 59th day. When I went out to check on her the next morning there were 7 puppies. I thought she was through. All 7 puppies were cleaned and they looked good but she was curled around them like she didn’t want to share them. I didn’t try to see what their gender was.
A little later I went back and there were 8 puppies. I thought I could have miscounted before. She was still curled around them so I went back to the house. I came down a little later and there were 9 puppies. All of them were eating and doing fine, I thought.
Later that afternoon I came back and was able to check the puppies. We had 8 females and 1 male but one of the females had a hernia about the size of a small grape. When I saw the hernia it was Sunday but it was also after hours for the vet even if it had been a work day.
Monday morning I took the little girl to the vet. They took one look and said she didn’t fully develop and would need to be euthanized. I felt bad but before long the puppy would have been in real pain. At least we spared her that.
The puppies are mostly white with just a little orange and are hard to tell apart. I ordered some puppy collars from Lion Country Supply. When they came I put a collar on each puppy. I knew they were too big but I reduced there size as much as possible. When I went out this morning 2 of the puppies collars were gone and several of the others had a leg through their collar. Sally had evidently eaten the two collars. I found the metal D ring from both collars but not the collars. I took the collars off the puppies. I’ll try again later.
Now to working Abbie and Josie. When I first came back from New Mexico I started working them on heel and whoa.
My yard is approximately 5 acres but it is narrow, 165 feet, and long, 1398 feet. I put an e-collar around their neck and one around their flanks. I don’t turn them on at this time. I just want them to think when they get an e-collar on they are going to have fun. I lead them out of the kennel with a piggin’ string.
The first time they buck and rear and do what ever to get away. When they go north I turn and go south. It takes them a couple of minutes to realize that I’m in charge but soon they start watching to see which way I’m going to go. I don’t say anything to them.
Notice the piggin’ string is loose with me standing in front of Josie.
Josie is smaller than Abbie and I thought she would be easier to start with. I put the piggin’ string on her and started to the east. She was in front of me and behind me and tried to get on my right side. This was all before we got away from the kennel.
Once we got out of the kennel, where we had more room, she was still going in all directions. For me, this is important. I make sure that I go in the opposite direction of the puppy. A few minutes here will pay big dividends later. After a couple of minutes Josie was walking beside me. I would walk about 30 feet and stop. She was ready to stop. I didn’t say whoa or heel. I just took a few steps and stopped. After a few seconds I started walking.
We went from the kennel to the highway in front of my house then turned to the north and crossed the front. Then we went down the drive to the very back of my place. When we came back by the retrieving bench I had her jump up on the bench. I use the bench a lot for a loving bench. I petted her in several places on the bench. This gets them used to the bench but it also teaches them a new command. When they jump onto the bench I always say, “up”.
Abbie with me in front and the piggin’ string loose.
I set them on the ground. I never let them jump off. I don’t want them to think they can jump off when they want but I don’t let my dogs even jump off the tail gate of the truck. That puts a lot of strain on legs, in my opinion. After I set them on the ground I heel them back to the kennel with a few stops thrown in.
Then I get the other puppy out. We heel and whoa every 30 feet or so for approximately half a mile by the time we walk all the way around my property. The dogs don’t seem to get bored with this and neither do I. I did this with each puppy 3 times without putting a name to either action.
The weather this time of year isn’t great. I usually got 2 or 3 days of work, with the puppies, each week. After the third time I started saying, “heel and whoa”. I still walked the same path but I incorporated another 165 feet by using the front of my neighbor’s yard. After about 3 times with that I started trying different things.
Abby is happy on the retrieving bench.
I started saying, “whoa” then walking in front of the puppies. I kept the piggin’ string loose but was ready to pop it tight if they tried to move. Some of the time when I walked straight out in front of them they wanted to come with me but after popping them with the piggin’ string they figured it out.
Then today, I tried to walk a circle around them. This is tough because they want to keep their eyes on me. They want to turn around when I get behind them. I give them a lot of leeway on this. It’s hard for them but they will learn. Sometimes, when they move I pick them up and set them back. Sometimes I heel them away. Josie let me walk behind her better if I went on her right side then around her and Abby was just the opposite. We will continue doing it until they learn not to move their feet.
The last couple of times when we came by the retrieving bench I’ve had a glove with me. After I pet them in several places on the bench I throw a glove and they scramble down the bench and bring it back. I pet them until they drop it. They are hooked to the pulley system on the bench. I’ve worked with them on retrieving in their kennel with a paint roller cover and a tennis ball. I hope to get them to retrieve without force breaking.
Sally and some of her puppies.
When it dries out more and the weather gets better I will work Mann and Sally on retrieving when I work the puppies on the things they need. It’s fun for me and good for the dogs for me to get them out often. Some days I can go in my back yard and get 8 or more points. I have a blessed life.