Traveling Pointing Dogs

Luke pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Blaze pointing a pigeon.

Most of these posts are about the same but that is the way dog training is. You do the same thing over and over until it is second nature for the dog to do it. I’m trying to get the dogs to run the edges of tree lines, fence rows and hedge rows so I hide the pigeons along the edge.

I hid 2 pigeons for each of the dogs. I turned Luke loose first. I had a feeder hanging in a tree not far from where I had hidden the first pigeon. When he came close to the feeder he slowed but went on. I thought he was too far off the first pigeon but when he got close he slid to a stop. When he pointed his tail was level with his back but it slowly started coming up. I sat on the 4-wheeler until his tail quit rising then took pictures and walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon came out low and flew by him then over the hill to the west without ever getting very high. He turned his head but didn’t move his feet. I led him away and released him. He wanted to follow the pigeon that had flown over the hill real low but the 4-wheeler was heading over the hill to the east and he came back in front of me.

We went on over the hill to the east and he was really moving. When I hit the hedge row running back north he was 150 yards ahead of me. At the very end was a patch of cover that he circled and I caught up. As he came around the end he went on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon fluttered over his head and lit on the 4-wheeler. He never moved. The pigeon was wet but otherwise normal. I caught it and put it back in the box on the 4-wheeler. I led him away and released him. We ran a couple more edges on the way back to the truck.

Tur Bo and I hit the fence row and started down it. He turned at the end and started to the south along a tree row. He hit the scent of the pigeon and went on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him. The pigeon was in some horse weeds about head high and when I flushed the pigeon Tur Bo caught it. The bird never got above the weeds. This was an older bird that usually flies really well. I carried him back and when I said, “give” he dropped it in my hand. I made him stand for a while, led him away and released him.

We went over the hill to the east and hit the hedge row that runs north. He went to the end and went on point. I went in front, after taking pictures, kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and it went over the top of him and fluttered down about 10 yards behind him. He turned his head but didn’t move. I went to catch the pigeon and it flew about 20 yards and landed again. As I got close to it it flew into a tree about another 20 yards away. I went back to Tur Bo and led him away. I turned the 4-wheeler around and got him headed away from the pigeon before I released him. We ran a couple of edges before getting back to the truck.

Blaze was next. We went down the fence row and she went into the woods where the fence row hit the trees. I have a feeder with milo in it and a quail call near at this junction. I couldn’t see her but watching the GPS I saw her go on point. When I got inside the woods she was on point. I kicked the cover in front of her and nothing happened. I tapped her head and she moved up and went back on point. She pointed 3 or 4 times but she was never really rigid. I think some quail or turkeys had been around the feeder but had moved on.

She went on to the south and pointed the pigeon. I took pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move but the pigeon only flew into a tree right above where it was hidden. I led her away and released her.

She went to the east and ran to the very end of the hedge row and went into the cover at the end. She was deep in the cover when she smelled the pigeon and pointed. I took pictures then walked in front kicking the tall weeds. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. The pigeon fluttered out and lit on the 4-wheeler. That was the second bird to light on the 4-wheeler. I caught the pigeon and put it in the box. I led her away and released her. We ran some edges on the way back to the truck.

I don’t know what was happening to the pigeons. Of the 6 pigeons not a one had flown well. Both of Tur Bo’s birds were older pigeons. I had bands on both of them. Sometimes I have one or two young birds that don’t fly well but never before have I had all six.

Usually, most of the pigeons are home before I get loaded up and drive back but yesterday a day after I used the pigeons the land owner, Kory, called and said, “are you missing a pigeon? There is one sitting on the ground in front of me.” I told him what problems I had with the pigeons. He didn’t think it could fly very well but then it flew away. If it was one of mine it may just be slow coming home. It may have decided it wasn’t worth it. The dogs like the pigeons really well but I don’t think the feeling is mutual.

Luke

Tur Bo watching a pigeon fly away.

Blaze

Sally pointing a pigeon at 11 weeks old.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

A pigeon flushing in front of my puppy.

I really like puppy training. I have a female puppy that is out of my Shadow Oak Bo pup, Tur Bo and a female out of Tekoa Mountain Outrage owned by Jerry Larson. She was my pick of the litter for the stud fee. I used to have white and orange setters but all of my dogs now are tri-colored except Sally.

When I got Sally, at 7 weeks old, I started locking the wings on pigeons and letting her play with them. I had two puppies that were 4 days younger than Sally that I put her with. When all 3 puppies got too aggressive for the lock wing pigeons I started teasing them with the birds then letting them fly. All 3 pups would chase.

The other two pups went to their buyers. A few days ago I took 4 pigeons in a bird bag on a walk with the puppy. When she got a ways ahead of me I would put a pigeon to sleep and hide it in the tall weeds then call her back. She had no idea what to do. The very first pigeon she paid no attention to at all. I stopped near it and she sat down looking at me to see what I wanted. She sat right on top of the pigeon. I don’t know if she smelled it or felt it moving but she turned and rooted it out of the grass.

She found the other 3. I could tell when she smelled the pigeon. She would whirl and start rooting around. If she saw the bird before it flushed she would put her feet on it and push her nose and mouth against it. She didn’t try to bite it. I would grab her collar and finally the pigeon would fly away.

Yesterday, Saturday, I put 4 pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler. I rode back to where I had left some tall strips and put the pigeons to sleep and hid them. I turned Sally loose and we walked to the first strip. I walked her in close to the strip. When she smelled the pigeon, she jumped in, waking it up. It flew away.

When we came to the second strip she ran down the middle of it searching for a bird. When she got close to the bird it was awake, standing up. When she got close it flew away. The next bird was standing in the edge of the strip and she saw it before we got close. When it flew she chased.

The last pigeon was asleep, covered with tall grass. She smelled it but couldn’t see it from where she was. She pointed and held it for about 30 seconds before jumping in waking the pigeon. She followed when it flew away.

Puppy training is too much fun. Normally, I don’t work the dogs on Sunday but I couldn’t wait. I put 4 pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler. I put each of them to sleep and hid them in the strips of tall grass. I turned Sally loose and we headed to the strips. The first pigeon was still asleep and she smelled it. She jumped in waking the bird. I held her collar and the pigeon flew away. We headed to the next strip. This bird was awake and walking around outside the strip in the short grass. Sally saw it. As she ran toward it the bird flushed. She chased a short distance.

We continued to the next strip. This pigeon was awake but standing in the tall grass. When Sally got close the pigeon flushed. She chased then came back to check the strip for more birds. We headed to the next strip.

This bird was still asleep and buried in some tall grass. She smelled the bird and pointed. She stayed on point for 15 or 20 seconds then took a couple of steps going back on point. She held this time for about 30 seconds then moved in waking the pigeon. She chased a short distance then came back to look for more birds.

On the way back to the kennel we passed another strip and she checked it out from end to end. I really enjoy puppy training. You can see them trying to figure things out. They have every thing to learn and the sooner they start the quicker they learn.

This was original point. Then she moved up and had a higher tail.

Sally chasing a pigeon.

Chasing another pigeon.

Luke pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Blaze pointing a pigeon.

Finally, we are getting some cooler mornings. Yesterday and this morning were in the 60’s. This morning I roaded Dolly, Blaze, Luke and Tur Bo but yesterday I worked them on some pigeons on the farm a couple of miles from my house. I didn’t get out as early as I should have because I had to repair some of my equipment. By the time we quit it was getting pretty warm so I shortened their run time. Any time working dogs is enjoyable for them and me too.

The owner has dug a ditch for water lines, for his new home, along the fence row that I usually start the dogs on so Luke and I cut across an open field. This shortened the circle that we usually run but it was getting warm and I thought this was better for the dogs.

The wind was out of the north east and Luke was going down the fence row to the south when he hit the scent cone. He spun around, took a step to straighten and went on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I stroked his sides then went back in front kicking the cover. I went back to him and led him away. I released him to hunt.

We went over the hill to the east and hit another hedge row that ran to the north. I had hidden a pigeon at the very end. Luke checked where I had hidden birds before as we went down the hedge row. I had hidden birds on this hedge row a couple of times before and as we went down it all three dogs checked each place they had found birds before. They don’t forget.

I kept the 4-wheeler moving and he stayed ahead of me. We got to the end of the hedge row and he pointed. He was quite a ways from the bird. I didn’t think he had the scent very good so tapped his head and said, “okay”. He took a couple of steps and was more rigid when he pointed this time. I took pictures then flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. He watched it fly away without moving his feet. I led him away and released him.

On the way back to the truck I put him on some more edges. We came close to one of my feeders and I lost Luke. I waited for him to catch up because I hadn’t turned on my hand held for the GPS. I went back along the edge he was running and saw him trailing something. When I got close he quit trailing and hit the edge again. I’m hoping some quail ran out on him but it was probably turkeys. He hunted back to the truck.

I put the e-collars and GPS on Tur Bo and turned him loose. He hit the fence line but there are a lot of patches of tall Johnson grass that pulls him off the edge. He missed the first pigeon and we went over the hill to the east. He ran down the hedge row to the north. At the very end he went on point. I took pictures and walked in front of him kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon it came out low right over his head. He whirled around and took a step then stopped. I set him back without turning him around. I didn’t shoot the blank pistol. I released him to hunt.

We went back up the hill and started down the fence line again. Just as he started to check out a clump of Johnson grass he caught the scent of the hidden pigeon and whirled into a point. I took pictures and walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. He hunted back to the truck.

It was getting pretty warm by the time I turned Blaze out to run. I thought I would take her straight to the birds then put her up. She had other ideas. We started down the fence row and she pointed the first pigeon. This was a young bird and when I flushed it it flew into a tree right above the release trap. I shot the blank pistol and she didn’t move. She just looked into the tree. I led her away and released her.

She took the edge over the hill to the east, hit the hedge row and ran it to the very back. She went on point inside the hedge row. She was still 10 yards from the pigeon. I walked around kicking the cover and taking pictures. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I led her away and released her.

I took her back up the hill wanting to go straight to the truck but she hit another edge and I followed. We went in behind an abandoned house, crossed the drive and hit another edge. I started to the truck and she finally came off the edge when she got to the end. Maybe it’s not as warm as I thought.

Having this farm to run the dogs on has made a big difference in them. With me on the 4-wheeler they don’t have to check back as often and they are running to the front more. At home, I only have 5 acres so I can’t put the birds very far apart. The dogs hunt more and get more exercise on this farm.

I haven’t worked them in a long time on retrieving but I did this morning. They retrieved like they had been working each day on it. I, also, work Dolly on the retrieving. It seems like they are starting to really enjoy the retrieving. Luke and Tur Bo still mark them short some of the time but experience will cure that, I hope.

Luke

Tur Bo

Blaze