Traveling Pointing Dogs

I have been working in my yard, between the rainy days, instead of working dogs very much. I usually turn Sally out to run after cleaning pens while I take care of the pigeons. The last few days she didn’t come back when I called her. Yesterday, before turning her loose to clean pens, I put an e-collar on her. When I got ready for her to come back, I called her and hit the tone button on the e-collar. She came right to me. I petted her and let her run a few more minutes. I hit the tone button and called her. She came right to me. I’ll continue to do this until it’s second nature for her to come to me.

Sally on the whoa board. Pointing a pigeon.

Betsy pointing a pigeon from the whoa board.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon from the whoa board. He’s not sticking his tongue out at the pigeon.
That’s the end of the e-collar.

I put 6 pigeons in a bird bag then put e-collars around Sally’s neck and flanks. I heeled her from the kennel with the piggin’ string. We went to the east then north to the edge of my yard then back west toward the training grounds. I whoaed her every few feet. As we started to the west I whoaed her and threw a pigeon in front of her. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the piggin’ string and set her back on whoa.

I heeled her on toward the back and whoaed her a couple of times without throwing a pigeon then whoaed her and threw another pigeon. Again, she wanted to chase but less than the first time. I held her with the piggin’ string and set her back on whoa. I heeled her away. After a couple of whoas without a bird I whoaed her and threw another pigeon. She moved but she knew I was going to stop her so she only took a couple of steps.

I put her on the retrieving bench and we worked on hold and give. The give command is always learned quicker than the hold. After a few minutes I set her back on the ground and heeled to the whoa board.

I have a 2×6 raised off the ground about 36 inches with a chain, above, hanging from a cable. I set her on the whoa board and put a pigeon to sleep, on the ground, in front of her. From the first time I put her on this board she hasn’t moved but this is the first time she had a bird in front of her. The bird put some style into the whoa. After a couple of minutes I woke the pigeon. She didn’t move as it flew away.

I talk to these dogs and pet them, as I’m training, a lot more than I put in these posts. I put 2 more pigeons to sleep in front of her, one at a time. When I woke them and they flew away she never moved. I set her on the ground, whoaed her then heeled her away. I let her run for a few minutes before taking her back to the kennel.

I got another 6 pigeons in my bird bag and brought Betsy out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I heeled her to the front, then across the yard and back toward the training grounds. As we started back I whoaed her and threw a pigeon in front of her. She wanted to chase and without the piggin’ string she would have been gone. I set her back on whoa. I heeled her a few feet then whoaed her, again, without throwing a pigeon.

After a couple of whoas I whoaed her and threw another pigeon. She really wants to chase but the second time was a little less than the first. We went on toward the back and I threw another pigeon and whoaed her. The pigeon flew away then came back over the top of her. She turned and watched it fly away but didn’t try to chase.

Sally on another pigeon.

I put her on the retrieving bench. We worked on the hold and give commands for a few minutes. I set her back on the ground and heeled her to the whoa board.

I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her. After a couple of minutes I woke the pigeon and it flew away. She came off the whoa board. The chain is long enough to let their back feet hit the ground but it holds the dog upright. It’s uncomfortable but not painful. I set her back on the whoa board and put another pigeon to sleep in front of her.

As I stroked her up the pigeon woke up on it’s on and flew away. She came off the board, again. I set her back on the board. I put another pigeon to sleep in front of her. Again, as I stroked her sides the pigeon woke up and flew away. She moved but not enough to come off the board. I stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is then set her on the ground. I let her run as we walked toward the back then put her back in the kennel.

I was running low on pigeons so I only had 4 for Tur Bo. I heeled him to the front then back toward the training grounds. With release traps Tur Bo always takes a step or at least moves his front feet when a bird is released. Throwing a pigeon might help in stopping this. Might not, too. I whoaed him and threw a pigeon. This was new. He wanted to chase. I stopped him with the piggin’ string and set him back.

After letting him stand for a few seconds I heeled him away. I heeled and whoaed him for a little way then threw a pigeon and whoaed him. He stopped but the pigeon only flew a few feet and landed in a tree. I heeled him away. I heeled and whoaed him a few times then threw another pigeon. He figured out I wanted him to stop so he did. I heeled him to the retrieving bench.

I threw a dummy for him a few times then heeled him to the whoa board. He’s been worked on force fetch so he retrieves bumpers pretty good.

He’s also been on the whoa board. I put a pigeon to sleep in front of him. Some of these pigeons don’t like to be put to sleep and they sometimes wake up on their on. This one did as I stroked Tur Bo. He didn’t move. That was all of the birds I had so I put him on the ground and let him run before putting him back in the kennel.

This time of year it’s awful easy to think that it’s a long time until bird season. I’ve got plenty of time to work dogs but a dogs life is really short and any day you miss is a day you can’t get back. Do something each day.

Tur Bo after the pigeon has flown away.

Betsy after the pigeon has flown away.

Sally on the whoa board watching a pigeon.

I’ve been working with all of my dogs some, even Lucky. I really don’t think he will be able to hunt this next season since he will turn 13 years old in May. But this morning I turned him loose while I put up the retrieving dummies and the e-collars. He was running the training grounds so I got on the 4-wheeler and went to check on him. When he heard the 4-wheeler he got in front and hunted all the way to the back. When we got back to the kennel he was still running good. I fed him some hot dog chunks. He may still hunt this fall. I hope so.

Betsy really likes my pigeon coops.

Sally learning to hold a retrieving dummy.

Tur Bo on whoa waiting for me to call him to me.

I put a Sport Dog e-collar around Sally’s neck, a Garmin e-collar around her flanks, hooked a check cord to her collar and heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. The Sport Dog e-collar wasn’t even turned on. It was just to get her used to wearing one. I heeled her to the east, past my house and most of the way to the highway in front. I made her heel and every once in a while I would say, “whoa”. When I said whoa I dropped the end of the piggin’ string that I was holding and continued walking. I would walk fifteen yards to the front then around to the sides and sometimes in behind her. I picked up twigs and limbs and threw them to tempt her to move. She’s used to this now and is really steady.

After we crossed the front yard to the north and started back to the west I would put her on whoa and then kneel down about 15 yards in front of her. I held a hot dog chunk in my right hand and would call her to me. A few days ago, when I first started this exercise with her she wanted to come get the hot dog before I would call her. When she moved without me calling her I would, hold the e-collar transmitter button down until she quit moving, pick her up, carry her back and say, “whoa” when I dropped her. I would walk around her then heel her away. She didn’t get the hot dog chunk. After just a couple of times moving without me calling her she quit moving. But she has been worked a lot on heel and whoa.

When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump onto it. I try to remember to always say, “up” whenever the dog jumps onto anything. I walked her up and down the bench feeding her hot dog chunks and petting her. I opened her mouth, placed a retrieving dummy behind her canines and said, “hold”. Now she’s holding pretty well but before when she spit the dummy out I would pinch her lip against her tooth with just enough pressure for it to be uncomfortable. Not enough for her to yelp.

Last Friday when I worked her on retrieving I started trying to get her to hold the dummy and walk down the bench. For some reason this is a big step. She held the dummy but her feet wouldn’t move. I had her connected to a chain that was hooked to a pulley attached to a cable that ran the length of the bench. I pulled on the chain and her feet would slide. I continued to coax her down the bench. Finally she took a few steps. This morning was about the same but I had noticed on Betsy that she was more inclined to walk from the far end of the bench back to the start of the bench. I tried it with Sally today and she was better. It usually takes me a few days to get them to walk and hold the dummy. That’s okay, I’m in no hurry.

I put her on the ground and heeled her away. I whoaed her, walked ahead of her, knelt down, called her to me and fed her a piece of hot dog. I released her to run. We went to the back then back to the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Betsy, attached the check cord and heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. We started toward the front yard. I saw my neighbors, Dave and Debby Hatton, working in their yard. I hadn’t talked to them in a while so I heeled Betsy almost to where they were standing. I told her to whoa and dropped the piggin’ string. We talked for about 10 minutes. Dave and Debby had two dogs inside their yard that barked at her but she never moved. I led her to the fence and she licked one of the dogs as it growled at her. I heeled her away.

Betsy practicing a whoa command.

When we started back to the west I told her to “whoa” and walked about 15 yards in front of her, knelt down and after about 20 seconds called her to me. She’s more reluctant to come than the other dogs. Sometimes I have to say, “here” a couple of times before she comes but when she comes she’s in a dead run. I usually do this 4 or 5 times each session.

She jumped onto the retrieving bench. I like to walk them back and forth petting them and giving them chunks of hot dogs before we try any part of retrieving. I got the retrieving dummy and had her hold it for a few seconds then asked her to give. She dropped it in my hand. I gave her a chunk of hot dog. I walked to the other end of the bench and called her. She didn’t want to come. The end she was on was closer to the training grounds and she would rather point a bird. I lead her to the other end and petted her. I opened her mouth, put the dummy behind her canines, told her to “hold” and walked to the other end, calling her. She held the dummy and walked to the other end of the bench. I took hold of the end of the dummy and said, “give”. She held on for a few seconds but I held the hot dog chunk in front of her nose. She moved her head off the dummy and took the hot dog. I had her walk the bench with the dummy 3 times then set her on the ground.

I heeled her to the training grounds and whoaed her. I walked about 15 yards in front of her, knelt down holding a chunk of hot dog and called her to me. I gave her the chunk of hot dog and heeled her away. I whoaed her, took the piggin’ string off, tapped her on the head to release her to hunt. We went to the back of the training grounds then back to the kennel.

Sally on point.

I did the same with Tur Bo. He’s been worked a lot on whoa but once during the season he self released when he should have stayed on “whoa”. So he gets to work on whoa. Maybe until the new season starts this fall. The first time I worked him on whoa then knelt down in front and called him to me he wanted to come when he got ready. I held the button on the flank e-collar down until he stopped moving then picked him up and set him back. I walked all around him then heeled him away. He didn’t get the chunk of hot dog. He moved a couple of times the first day but hasn’t moved since then. He’s been worked a lot on whoa and heel.

He jumped onto the retrieving bench and after walking him back and forth petting him and feeding him hot dog chunks I put 3 dummies on the other end of the table. I told him, “fetch” and he went down the table, picked the dummy up and returned. I made him hold it until I said, “give” then I gave him a chunk of hot dog. After he retrieved all 3 I set him on the ground.

I heeled him toward the training ground, whoaed him and walked about 15 yards ahead. I knelt down, holding a chunk of hot dog and called him to me. I fed him the hot dog and released him to run. We went to the back then to the kennel.

Before I put him up I threw a retrieving dummy for him to retrieve 3 times. ON the ground he wants to spit it out just as soon as he gets to me whether he is in front or behind me. I’m working on this. I put him in the kennel.

Betsy pointing a pigeon.

I didn’t put anything on Dolly. I just opened the kennel and turned her loose. I threw a dummy close to where a chukar dummy was and she retrieved the dummy. I gave her a chunk of hot dog and waved my arm and said, “fetch”. She went right back and got the chukar dummy. I gave her another chunk of hot dog. It was about 75 degrees so I threw the dummies about 5 times and she retrieved each time for a hot dog. I put her up.

I put the e-collars on Luke. I heeled him to the retrieving bench. Before we got to the bench I whoaed him then went in front. After I walked about 15 yards in front I knelt down, waited about 20 seconds then called him to me. It only took one time last week for him to try to come to me before I called him. He’s been steady since.

I took him back to the kennel but before putting him up I threw a dummy for him. He retrieved it but wanted to spit it out as soon as he got close to me. I had thrown the bumper and he dropped it near the chukar. When I told him to fetch he grabbed the chukar. He held it until I said give so I gave him some hot dog. I threw the chukar 3 or 4 more times and he retrieved it just fine. I put him up.

The dogs enjoy being out of the kennel and getting the attention. I enjoy working with the dogs and walking around the yard is good exercise. It doesn’t keep me and Lucky from getting old but it does keep us moving.

Sally waiting for me to call her to me.

Betsy close to the pigeon house.

Tur Bo after I flushed a pigeon.