Traveling Pointing Dogs

Tur Bo with a Dokken quail..

Blaze with the chuckar.

Dolly with the pheasant.

It has been too hot to work dogs on anything except retrieving. Lord knows they need work on retrieving. I was going to work Tur Bo on some pigeons this morning since it was supposed to be in the 60’s this morning. I got up early and checked the temperature. It was 75 so I worked the dogs on force fetch.

The dogs would rather point birds (and I like the pictures of them on point better than of them retrieving) but they enjoy the attention they get from retrieving. Blaze has her 2 pups in the shed so she gets the run of the big pen. I usually work her first then put her in a kennel until I work the rest of the dogs.

I put the e-collars on Blaze. I always put both e-collars on the dogs, the neck collar and the flank collar. I work the dogs on a lot of commands in the yard and I don’t want them to be able to get by with not stopping if I say whoa. I heeled Blaze to the first retrieving dummy lying in the yard and said, fetch”. She dropped her nose but didn’t even try to pick up the dummy. I heeled her in a circle and held the button on the neck collar down on it’s lowest setting. When she came to the dummy she picked it up. I let off the button when she cleared the ground with the dummy. I knelt in front of her and called her to me. I petted her for a while before saying, “give”. She dropped it in my hand. I heeled her to the next bumper lying on the ground. She picked it up, brought it to me and held it until I said, “give” with no problem.

She picked each of the retrieving dummies up including the Dokken chukar and the Dokken quail and delivered them to hand waiting for me to say, “give”. I threw the Dokken quail and said, “fetch”. Blaze started for the quail pen. I turned the e-collar to level 3 and held the button down. I called Blaze back. I held the button down until she got to my side. I walked with her to the quail dummy. She picked it up and we walked back to where I had thrown it from. I knelt down and had her hold the dummy for a few seconds then said, “give”. She dropped it in my hand.

I threw the quail 6 or 7 times and she retrieved it correctly each time. I put her in the kennel.

My daughter, Dana, my son-in-law, Robert and grandson, Isaac, were petting the puppies a few days ago and I threw the quail dummy for Blaze and she refused to retrieve. I let her get away with it. With her running loose she thinks she is in charge. For some dogs, it doesn’t take much for them to take charge. I will have to enforce everything she knows to keep this from happening in the field.

I brought Dolly out with the e-collars on her flanks and neck. Dolly enjoys the attention and likes to retrieve. As we got close to the first dummy I said, “fetch”. She ran to the dummy, brought it back and sat in front of me. She held the dummy as I petted her. I said, “give” and she dropped it in my hand. She retrieved each of the dummies that were lying on the ground, correctly. I threw the quail for her 6 or 7 times. She ran to it, scooped it up, returned to me and sat in front of me holding until I said, “give”. I took her back to the kennel.

I heeled Tur Bo out next. He doesn’t do anything slow. As I heel him he is looking for the dummies lying on the ground. When he sees it I say, “fetch”. He saw the first one and I sent him to retrieve. He scooped it up and returned. He ran by me on the right circled around coming back on my left. He sat on my left holding the dummy. I petted him then said, “give”. He dropped it in my hand. I heeled him to the next one and he brought it back. I heeled him to the next and when he saw it I said “fetch”. He passed it then passed another and picked up the chuckar. He dropped the chuckar and grabbed the quail. He came back at 90 miles an hour on my right and circled back on my left. He stopped and I made him sit. He dropped the quail when I said, “give”.

I like to get 4 or 5 correct retrieves, in a row, before I quit with a dog. I must have thrown the quail 10 or 12 times before getting 3 in a row. Each time I threw the quail he would bring it back but a lot of the time he would sit beside me but drop the dummy before I reached for it. It was pretty warm and he wanted it out of his mouth so he could pant. Slowing down would work also. After 3 in a row I put him in the kennel.

Luke was next. I heeled him out and he retrieved all of the dummies that were lying on the ground, correctly. I have been trying to get him to retrieve the thrown dummies from longer distances. I threw a couple close then one farther out. He retrieved the close ones correctly and the first one from farther out. The next time I threw one farther he ran to it, acted like he was going to grab it and came back without it. I held the button down on the neck e-collar, on the lowest setting, and walked him back close to the dummy. He grabbed the quail and I let off the button. I went back to the place I had thrown the dummy from. He sat in front of me holding the dummy. He dropped it into my hand when I said, “give”. I threw 3 short retrieves then a couple a little farther. He did the close ones correctly and the first of the farther ones. The second of the farther throws he started to pick it up but didn’t. He circled it, grabbed it and returned. He sat in front of me holding the quail until I said, “give”. That was close enough, I put him back in the kennel.

During this hot weather the dogs are just happy for me to do anything with them. Force fetch is better than sitting in the kennel. Lucky doesn’t like to play these games so I just get him on top of his house and pet him for a few minutes. At 12 years old he has earned the right to not do something he doesn’t like.

Luke

Dolly

Blaze. I like pictures of dogs on point more.

Tur Bo with a Dokken quail..

Blaze with the chuckar.

Luke

It was close to 80 degrees when I got up early this morning. I don’t like to run the dogs when it’s that hot so I worked them on retrieving. All of the dogs have been through force fetch so I worked them on the walking fetch.

Blaze has the run of the big pen because she and her 2 pup litter are in the shed. The shed is air conditioned and she is learning to like the cool air. I always work her first then put her in the kennel until I’m through with the others. I put 2 canvas retrieving dummies, a plastic dummy, a wooden buck and a Dokken quail dummy out for the dogs.

I put an e-collar on Blaze’s neck and flanks and heel her to the area that I have seeded with the retrieving dummies. It seems like, no matter which dummy I heel Blaze and Dolly to first, they can’t see it. I hold the button on the neck e-collar down on the lowest setting and circle around to the dummy. The second time they pick it up. Maybe, they think that this time I won’t make them pick it up. After the first one they grab all of the others and act like they enjoy it.

I have the quail dummy last. After they bring it to me I throw it several times. Blaze holds the dummies and stands directly in front of me and waits for me to say, “give” before she drops it. When I throw the dummy for her, as soon as she picks it up, I clap my hands really loud and call her to me. Her tail is always up and wagging. I put her in the kennel and bring Dolly out.

Dolly blinks the first one, I press the button on her neck e-collar and make a circle. She sees it the second time and picks it up. Dolly comes to me, sits right in front of me and waits for me to say, “give”. I heel her toward the next bumper. When we are 4 or 5 feet from it I say, “fetch” and she picks it up, brings it to me, sits and holds the bumper. I say “give” and she spits it out. When I throw the quail bumper as soon as she picks it up I clap my hands real loud and call her to me. Clapping my hands seem to motivate her and Blaze. After I throw the quail 4 or 5 times I put her back in the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and heel him to the field. I don’t clap my hands with Tur Bo. As soon as he sees a bumper on the ground he’s pulling to get it. I tell him to fetch and he scoops it up and returns. Usually, he will hold the bumper until I tell him to give but not always. He is always motivated. If I started clapping my hands for him he would knock me over when he returned. For all of the dogs I squat down. Tur Bo sits but he doesn’t look at me. He’s looking for something else to go get. I make sure that he retrieves the thrown quail correctly several times before I put him back.

I put the e-collars on Luke and heel him to the retrieving dummies. When I’m a few feet from the first dummy I tell him to fetch. He scoops it up and returns with it. He’s starting to enjoy retrieving. He retrieves all of the dummies and I throw the quail dummy for him 4 or 5 times. About the second or third time I threw the quail he ran to it and came back without it. I held the button on the e-collar around his neck down on the lowest setting and walked him back to the quail. He picked it up and brought it to me. I make sure he retrieves correctly 2 or 3 times in a row before I put him up.

I change places in the yard that I use for retrieving and I change some of the bumpers. All 4 of these dogs are getting better on retrieving. I enjoy getting them out and they enjoy me petting them. I don’t work Lucky on this exercise. He’s 12 years old and doesn’t seem to enjoy retrieving. He has been through force fetch and he will retrieve sometimes. At his age I’m not going to force him to do anything. I just go in his kennel, get him on his house and pet him. He’s happy and I am too.

Blaze’s puppies.

The male is white and orange.

The female is white, black and tan.

Tur Bo with a Dokken quail..

Dolly with the pheasant.

Blaze with the chuckar.

The last time it was cool enough to work dogs, even getting out real early, was Monday morning. I took Tur Bo and 8 pigeons to the county park near my house. Tur Bo stands his birds real well if he can’t see them. If he can see them he will hold until I get in front of him then he wants to flush. I have been taking him by his self to the park and working him on birds that he can see.

I put the e-collars on him on the tail gate of the truck and heeled him to the field with the piggin’ string. He tries to lead me to the field, most times, so I do a 180 degree turn. Tur Bo is so fast that I never feel him on the piggin’ string. He pivots right with me. I heeled him to the edge of the field and put him on whoa.

After I walked around him I released him to hunt. About a hundred yards into the field I whoaed him. I put a pigeon to sleep and placed it about 10 feet in front of him, where he could see it. I walked in front of him kicking the tall weeds. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and dropped it behind me. He watched it fly away. I continued to kick the cover then woke the pigeon. He didn’t move when it flew away. I stroked his sides telling him what a good boy he is. I put another pigeon to sleep and placed it in front of him. I walked in front of him kicking the cover and woke the pigeon. He watched it fly away without moving. I continued to kick the cover and dropped another pigeon from the bird bag. He still didn’t move. I stroked his sides then led him away. I released him to hunt.

He is getting used to this exercise and doesn’t get very far away from me. I waited until we hunted to the back of the field and started back toward the truck to hide a sleeping pigeon in the tall grass. I called him in and told him to look close. He pointed and was close enough to see the bird. I walked in front of him kicking the cover and dropped a pigeon from the bird bag. He watched it fly away without moving. I took another bird from the bag and dropped it. It didn’t fly. It was a young bird and it just hit the ground and stood there. I picked it up and put it in the bag. I thought maybe he was learning that he couldn’t move once he went on point. I had one more bird in the bag. I dropped it and it flew away. He watched it without moving. I stroked his sides then went back in front of him kicking the tall grass. I woke the pigeon and when it flew away Tur Bo went with it. I held the button on the e-collar on his flank down until he stopped. He had chased about 30 yards. I started to him and he started moving again. I held the button down again and he stopped. I carried him back to where he had originally pointed and whoaed him. I kicked the cover and walked around him several times. I, finally, released him.

That was my last pigeon so on the way back to the truck we worked on whoa. He was about 30 yards in front of me the first time I said whoa. He stopped until I got to him but when I went past him he started moving. I didn’t say anything I just held the button on his flank collar down until he stopped. In my yard he knows whoa real well but in the park it’s different. I whoaed him 3 or 4 more times and he stayed until I released him.

I’ve been working Dolly, Luke, Blaze and Tur Bo on retrieving, early, on some of these hot mornings. I have been doing the walking fetch with them all then throwing the Dokken quail. Sometimes, when I heel them to the first bumper lying on the ground they are slow to pick it up. After the first one they do fine.

Blaze had her litter. She only had two pups. A white and black female and a white and orange male. They are all doing well and the pups are growing fast. With only two they get all the food they want.

Blaze pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Luke