Traveling Pointing Dogs

Today is opening day of quail season in Missouri and I didn’t hunt for the first time in over 40 years. The temperature was 64 degrees at daylight and the high was at least 80. I elected to work some young dogs instead of hunting.

Betsy pointing a pigeon.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

Sally possibly pointing quail.

A friend, B.J. Wilson, was coming over about 9:00 am to work his dogs on my pigeons so I got out about daylight to work Sally and Betsy. I put 2 pigeons, in release traps, in the brush on my training grounds. I got Sally on her house and put an e-collar around her neck. This is the first time I’ve put an e-collar on her. As I was trying to put it on her she kept trying to eat it. I finally got it on and as I followed her to the training grounds on the 4-wheeler she kept snapping at the end of the collar that was sticking out.

We went to the back on my side then crossed over to the neighbor’s side. Sally forgot about the e-collar. She started hitting all of the places I have hidden birds for her in the past. She must have got some scent and went into some brush close to where I had hidden the pigeon. She was deep in the cover when she went on point. I took some pictures and waited. After about a minute and a half I started in front of her. She let me get almost to the pigeon before she moved. When she moved I flushed the pigeon. She leaped trying to catch the pigeon. She didn’t even come close. She sniffed the release trap then went back to hunting.

I got back on the 4-wheeler and followed her. She worked her way to the end of the training grounds then started back through. When she got close to the other pigeon she went on point. Before I could get off the 4-wheeler she took a step and I flushed the pigeon. She only chased a few steps and went back to hunting. I took her back to the kennel.

I reloaded the release traps and put an e-collar around Betsy’s flanks and neck. I also, snapped a check cord to her collar and lead her out with the piggin’ string. A couple of weeks ago I turned her loose at 9 am and didn’t get her back until 2:40 pm. Since then I have been working her on “here”. I’ve also worked her whoa, kennel and heel but the “here” command is the important one right now. I want her to really know all of the commands before she ever feels any electricity.

The first hundred yards we worked on heel and whoa then I turned her loose pulling the check cord. She’s not used to having a check cord on and doesn’t get very far from me. She was within a few yards of me when she hit the scent cone and pointed. I took pictures and waited. After about a minute I started in front of her. On the first kick she started moving and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting. I said, “here” and she came in a hurry.

As we went toward the next pigeon we worked on the “here” command several times. I’ve also hit the tone button on the e-collar and said “here”. She really comes in a hurry on the tone button but if she’s a hundred yards away with something interesting in front of her will she come. I don’t know but we will continue to work on it.

She stayed fairly close to me until we got to the next pigeon. She pointed it. I took pictures then stood waiting for a minute or so. I walked in front and as soon as she took a step I flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance. She hunted back to the kennel.

Betsy hasn’t had a lot of work on commands but I intend to give her a crash course over the next week or two. She is doing real well on heel, whoa and here. George Hickox always uses the e-collar on the kennel command first so the first time the dog feels electricity they are going away from you. A few more days of kennel and she will be ready.

I really enjoy working with young dogs and watching them learn. I now have two young dogs to work with that are about a year a part in age. Sally will wear an e-collar when she goes hunting and for most of her training but it will not be turned on. A heavy hand with an e-collar will sometimes take something out of a young dog that can’t be put back. I will take it slow.

Sally in the brush.

Betsy pointing the quail pen.

Sally in the edge of a corn field.

A friend, Vince Dye, asked me if I wanted his young English setter, Betsy. I already had 6 dogs and I have only 6 kennel runs. Betsy is out of a Shadow Oak Bo pup, that I sold Gailen Cooper, and a litter mate to Tur Bo. So, basically, she is one of my line of pups. I don’t know anything about her mother’s breeding but I sent for a 5 generation Pedigree on her. Of course, I took her.

Betsy pointing my empty quail pen.

Betsy pointing the quail pen.

We are going through heel and whoa training.

She’s about 18 months old. When she runs she flows through the field. She, along with Sally, gives me two young dogs to work with. They are in different levels on their training and that should keep me from getting bored or frustrated with them.

I’ve been working a lot and haven’t been working dogs. I took Saturday off and decided I would work Tur Bo, Sally and Betsy. I had to unload one of my trailers to haul my 4-wheeler over to my 100 acre training ground that my friend, Kory Needham, lets me train on. When you train every day you know what you need and where it’s at. It’s been a while for me. I made several trips before I got it all.

I unloaded the 4-wheeler and hid two pigeons along the edge of the corn field. The corn had all been combined since I had run the dogs the last time. The first release trap I covered with some soy bean plants that were lying close to the trap.

I put the Garmin e-collars and the Garmin GPS collar on Tur Bo and turned him loose. He was on the wrong side of the first release trap when he came by. With the corn out I thought we might find some quail around the field so we circled it. We hadn’t found anything when we came back by the release trap. He almost passed the trap then caught the scent. He looked good when he pointed and I took some pictures with my phone. I kicked the cover and released the pigeon. It got tangled in the soy bean plants I had put on top of the release trap. It only fluttered one time and Tur Bo caught it. I told him, “give.” He dropped it in my hand. I whoaed him and tossed the pigeon in the air expecting it to fly away but it didn’t even try. Tur Bo stood and watched it walk away. I went about 25 yards, caught the pigeon and put it in the box on the 4-wheeler.

I released Tur Bo and started around a smaller corn field where the second pigeon was. He was running the edge of the field really well. He ran through the scent cone, whirled around, took a step and went on point. I didn’t have my regular camera with me so I took pictures with my phone. My regular camera was in the truck and each time I worked a dog I thought I will get it from the truck. I worked all 3 without my camera. I kicked in front of him and flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move. He hunted back to the truck.

I reloaded the release traps, put the e-collars and GPS collar on Bet and turned her loose. She hit the first fence line and went the opposite direction from what I wanted. I called her and she came with me. A lot of English setters have a rocking chair gate but she just flows through the fields. It looks like running is really easy for her. On a smooth road I could keep up with the 4-wheeler but in a rough corn field she was gaining on me. The closest she ever got to the pigeons I had hidden was about 40 yards. I called her in to hunt where I had hidden a pigeon. She got close then the next thing I knew she was 150 yards north of me. Pretty soon it was over a 1/4 mile. As I rode to the north she stayed ahead, by a lot.

As I got to the north edge she was off the property I was supposed to be on. Pretty soon she circled back down to the corn fields and went south. I followed as well as I could on the 4-wheeler. She was having a good time and my calling told her exactly where I was so she could stay away. There were a lot of robins around the corn field and I’m sure they were getting up in front of her. I tried to call her in for about an hour. I decided to go ahead and work Sally hoping she would come to us.

I put a GPS collar on Sally and turned her loose. I have run her at home with the 4-wheeler and she sometimes runs in front and sometimes behind. She acted like she knew what to do. She hit the edge and most of the time stayed in front of the 4-wheeler. She was on the fence row away from the first pigeon when we came by. We went on around the corn field and she came by the second pigeon. What little wind we had was out of the south west and she was running east. She was in the corn field and past the pigeon when she got the scent. She slid to a stop, whirled around and pointed. I took pictures with my phone and walked in front of her. She let me kick a couple of times before she moved. I flushed the pigeon. She didn’t chase. She just went to the trap and smelled around a little then went back around the corn field.

As we went around the corn field she pointed in an area where Betsy had pointed earlier. When Betsy pointed in that spot we didn’t find anything and we didn’t this time either. There must have been something there to leave some scent. Maybe more experienced dogs would have come up with some quail.

She came on around the corn field and pointed the other pigeon. I took pictures then walked in front of her. She was turning her head, back and forth, because she wasn’t sure where the bird was. I flushed the pigeon and she chased it about 10 yards. We hunted on around the corn field and Betsy came to us. I got off the 4-wheeler and petted her for a long time. I had a leash with me but with the 4-wheeler I didn’t want to try to lead her back to the truck. She had come to me so I thought she would go with us. Boy, was I wrong.

Both dogs were in front of the 4-wheeler going along the edge until we got about 150 yards from the truck. Betsy went into the brush along the fence row on the south side of the place. According to the GPS she continued on south. I took Sally back to the truck. I came back to the south fence and Betsy was about 200 yards south. I called and she started to me. She got within 48 yards then turned and went south again. I continued to call but she was having too good of a time, running.

I took the other dogs and the 4-wheeler home then came back. She had 2 e-collars on and it took a great deal of restraint on my part not to hold the button down until she came to my side. But it wasn’t her fault. She was new to me, I’ve had her a couple of weeks, and no one had ever taught her here. I should have checked that out before turning her loose. At 18 months I was expecting her to have her “name” and “here” down. She doesn’t. I had turned her out about 9 am and it was now about noon.

I had a friend coming over to work a couple of dogs with the pigeons. I reluctantly went home. I ate lunch and I had about 30 minutes before my friend got there so I drove back over. She was still off to the south where I couldn’t get very close. I called and she would start in my direction then go back away from me. I left my hat near where I had turned her loose and went back home.

We worked his dogs on the pigeons for about an hour and a half. As soon as he left I drove back over. The GPS showed her on point about 75 yards from where I had turned her loose. As I drove across the field toward where she was I saw her tail sticking up. She was on her belly pointing a bug. I stopped the truck and called her. She came running to me like nothing had happened. I loaded her up and took her home but she was on a leash when I took her out of the truck.

Today, Sunday, we started yard training. I put a e-collar around her neck and another around her flanks. I heeled her around the yard whoaing her every once in a while. I put her on the retrieving bench using it as a loving bench. I petted her and had her run up and down. I had an airline crate without a door that I made her kennel in. She was dragging a long check cord and we walked around the yard. Every once in a while I would kneel down and call her to me. If she didn’t start to me immediately I would pull on the check cord.

As we started back to the kennel we came close to the airline crate. Having the flank collar on er gave me another handle to get her in the crate. I would say, “kennel” and start her in the crate. If she didn’t go I would grab the flank collar and force her in. When she turned around I would pet her without letting her feet come out of the crate. The second session she started walking in on her on.

George Hickox teaches that you should teach kennel with the e-collar first. You are teaching them to go away from you. I will have her kenneling very well before I ever use the e-collar. After the kennel command with e-collar you go to whoa. After whoa you can teach the here command. It’s not long until hunting season so I’m hoping to get the here command taught quickly.

Pointing the quail pen.

On the whoa part of heel and whoa.

Sally either saw something or smelled something and pointed. She let me walk in front and take pictures.

Puppy training with Sally.

Sally on another pigeon.

Sally again.

I did some more puppy training with Sally. She has been doing really well on pointing the pigeons I have hidden for her. I put 6 pigeons in the bird box on the back of the 4-wheeler and hid two of them in the tall grass on my training grounds. I hid one on the neighbor’s side and one on my side. This makes her hunt all of the cover on both sides. She sticks her nose in almost every place I have ever hid a bird for her. Smart pups remember where I’ve put birds before.

I put a check cord on her and turned her loose to hunt. I only use the check cord to tie her up with. When we came into the first part of the training grounds she started slinking around. I walked on through that area at my normal pace. She came on through and went to hunting. About half way through my neighbor’s side she went on point. She was 15 yards from the pigeon. I had already decided to flush the pigeon if she got very close before pointing but she pointed as soon as she hit the scent. After taking some pictures I walked in front and kicked the cover. At the first kick she started moving and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.

We hunted all of the neighbor’s side then crossed over to my side. We went to the back and came back along a tree line then hit the north fence. I had hidden the pigeon just across the north fence in a deer trail. She was across a small opening, checking another clump of cover, when she got the scent and pointed. She was really stretching. I walked a little ahead of her taking pictures. As I walked in front of her she took a step and I flushed the pigeon. The pigeon came up and hit a limb dropping almost to the ground. She thought she could catch that bird and when she hit that barb wire fence she made it sing. The pigeon flew off with her right behind it. When she came back I checked her for cuts but she didn’t have a mark on her.

We were close to my permanent chain gang so I hooked her to it. I moved the release traps and reloaded them. Again, I put one bird on each side. When I turned her loose she headed to the neighbor’s side and I followed. It dawned on me that if I was going to hook her to the chain gang I didn’t need the check cord on her. I called her to me and took it off. After finding the first two pigeons she was hunting really hard for more. Almost to the back she hit the scent cone and pointed. I took pictures and walked in front of her after about a minute. After my second kick she started moving and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.

We hunted all of that side then went to the back on my side. We started back up the north tree line when she hit the scent cone and pointed. We had a pretty good breeze out of the north. The pigeon was back in the cover and she was out in the open away from it. The way she was stretched out made her look longer than she really is. I took more pictures then as I started in front she took a couple of steps. I flushed the bird. She chased a few steps, then went back to hunting. I put her on the chain gang.

I hid 2 more pigeons. When I take her off the chain gang I stand on the main chain and wait for her to quit jumping around before I turn her loose. It doesn’t take long for them to learn they have to remain quiet or they don’t get released. I turned her loose and she headed to the neighbor’s side. She’s found more birds on his side than on mine. The wind was swirling around on the very back on that side. She was on the north side of a big clump of brush when she pointed. The wind had been out of the north so she couldn’t have been getting much scent. I took some pictures and she moved before I could get in front. I flushed the pigeon. She didn’t see the bird for the brush in front of her but she heard it. She moved in to smell the trap then went back to hunting.

We hunted all of that side then crossed over to my side. Because of the swirling wind she was almost on top of the next pigeon when she pointed. I took a couple of pictures then flushed the pigeon as I kicked the cover the first time. She chased a little way then went back to hunting. I got on the 4-wheeler, picked the release traps up and ran her a couple of laps around the property.

Puppy training, for me, is the most fun. Sometimes you can see the light come on for a young dog. Most of the time Sally points as soon as she hits the scent cone. Sooner or later she will try to get closer before pointing. That is when I need to be ready to flush the pigeon. Usually, that makes them more cautious.

Sally

Sally stretching into a point.

Sally