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Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 5

Posted on August 22, 2015 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Puppies hunting puppy chow.

Another pup playing with the lock wing pigeon.

More puppies with a pigeon.

The puppies are almost 10 weeks old and 3 of them will be leaving in the next few days. I still have a female pup that hasn’t sold. I have enjoyed the pups but now it’s time for them to go to their new homes.

I have continued to socialize them by having as many people as possible pet them. Almost every day someone comes by (some days several people) and we pet puppies. I had several days that up to 7 people came by but the best day was a total of 11 people interacting with the pups. The pups are used to people and really like them.

I clean the kennels and replenish the food bowls for them twice a day. Each time I feed the pups I play the Master’s Voice gun conditioning cd. I started playing the cd when the puppies were 3 weeks old and they are almost 10 weeks old now. They still should be introduced to the gun properly but this makes it easier.

Each day as I let them play in the yard I turn pigeons loose for them. I put a pigeon to sleep and hide it in the grass. As they come by they smell it and sometimes point but more often just pounce on it. The pigeon wakes and flies away and they chase a few steps. I, also, dizzy pigeons and throw them down in front of them. The pigeon usually hits the ground in front of them, sits for a second and flies away with the puppies right behind it. This makes them bird crazy. When I open the pigeon coop door I usually have a couple of pups trying to get into the coop.

When I turn the pups out to play they go all over my yard. My house is east of the dogs pens about 75 yards and there is a little wet weather creek about 75 yards west. They cross the fence to the north and play in the fence line. There is no fence on the south side and the cover gets pretty thick just off my place. They go into the thick stuff but not far. This gives them a large area to play in.

Yesterday, Dennis Garrison, a good friend and a buyer of one of the females, and I were sitting in the shade watching the puppies play. We heard one of the pups barking near the house then just a few seconds later 2 of them came running, just as hard as they could run, back to us. When they got close they sat down and stared at the house. Our cat came regally, walking slowly across the yard with her tail straight up. She may have been sauntering. She was a homeless cat when we took her in and she doesn’t like dogs. She knew she was the toughest thing out there.

I do a lot with the puppies, when I have a litter but when someone buys a puppy from me I want him to get the best puppy he’s ever had. Running in a large area gives them confidence. They learn to cross fences, ditches and to go into the cover. They see tall people and short people. They think everyone wants to pet them. They see enough pigeons to become bird crazy. They hear gun shots on the cd twice a day. In my opinion, this makes a confident, well socialized puppy. The next chapter in their lives will be dictated by their new owners.

Puppies

Teasing the puppies with a pigeon.

The puppies like pigeons.

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Training Dogs, 8/17/15

Posted on August 17, 2015 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Tur Bo Pointing a pigeon.

Watching a pigeon flying away.

Tur Bo

I haven’t written about force breaking Tur Bo for a while. The last couple of posts have been about the puppies. I have been working Tur Bo on the bench and on some birds hidden on the training grounds. I don’t have time to work all of the dogs or even work Tur Bo each day right now. Hopefully, my life will get less complicated in the next couple of weeks. Hunting season is coming soon.

I’m now the proud owner of an English Cocker Spaniel and I ordered George Hickox’s dvd “Training The Upland Retriever”. He has some new (at least, new to me) force fetch steps that will fix some of the problems I have had in the past with force breaking. Most of the time when I force break a dog, they will retrieve but they sometimes don’t like it. I don’t have a place to shoot birds to finish the force fetch. He introduces live birds to the dogs on the bench then on the ground. I have 3 or 4 force fetch dvds and his makes the most sense.

I heeled Tur Bo to the retrieving bench and he jumped onto it. I walked him back and forth petting him. I held a bumper in front of him and said fetch. Tur Bo doesn’t just take the bumper he grabs it. I had him carry it up and down the bench then took it from him. I held the bumper about 2 feet in front of him and said fetch. This is new for him. He took a step and stopped. I held the bumper without saying anything. He took another step and grabbed the bumper. I started clapping my hands and really got upbeat. He started enjoying the game.

I worked him with 2 different bumpers on the bench. I held them a few feet from him and he moved to the bumper, grabbing it. I held it above his head and close to his feet. I didn’t matter where I held it he would grab it. I laid it on the bench and he would grab it as long as I kept my hand close to the bumper. We will continue to work on this until he learns to pick it up where ever it is.

I set him on the ground and said whoa. I held a bumper in front of him and said fetch. He grabbed it. I had him hold it as we walked a big circle. When I stopped walking he sat. I said give and he dropped it in my hand. I held it above his head and he was reluctant to stand or even move to the bumper. I just held the bumper without saying anything. Finally, he stood and took the bumper. We walked another circle with him holding the bumper. I said give and he dropped it in my hand.

This time he wasn’t sitting. I held the bumper about 2 feet above his head and he reared up grabbing the bumper. I clapped my hands telling him what a good boy he is. I said give and he dropped it in my hand. I held it above his head again and he jumped to get the bumper. He’s starting to like the game. I continued to be upbeat and his tail was up and wagging. I had him grab the bumper 5 or 6 times more with both of us enjoying it more than usual.

I said whoa and put the bumpers in their box. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it, put it in gear and said okay. He was off. We went down my side of the training grounds. He hit the scent cone on the first pigeon hidden in the tall grass and went on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon he was pointing and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and flushed the pigeon that was about 20 yards behind him. He turned to watch the pigeon fly away but didn’t move even when I shot the blank pistol. I continued to kick the cover then went to him. I led him away then tapped his head to release him.

I had another pigeon hidden in the tall grass about 50 yards away. He made a pass around the end of the field not expecting to find another bird and crossed to the neighbor’s side. I hit the tone button on the e-collar around his neck and he came back. There was hardly any wind and he was close to the bird when he smelled it. He pointed and I took pictures. I walked in front of him kicking the cover, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon came out low right over his head and he swapped ends but didn’t try to chase. I led him away then released him to hunt. I let him run before going back to the kennel.

Watching the George Hickox dvd taught me several things which is what they are supposed to do. Hickox rewards when the dog makes an effort. I have been too rigid in my training. Instead of rewarding for effort I thought they should only be rewarded when they got it right. Loosening up and rewarding effort took some of the stress out the training for both of us. Tur Bo actually had fun retrieving today. You can find the dvd “Training The Upland Retriever” at georgehickox.com.

I’ve had a few clicks on ads that are shown on these posts lately. I want to thank everyone that clicked on an ad. I make a few cents each click. When hunting season starts a few clicks might keep me on the road longer. Again, thanks a lot.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

Another pigeon.

His eyes are showing his intensity.

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Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 4

Posted on August 13, 2015 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Teasing the puppies with a pigeon.

More puppies with pigeons.

Puppies with pigeons.

This morning I cleaned kennels early then turned the puppies out in the yard. They don’t always stick around me like they did when they were younger. I called them back and got a pigeon from the coop. I teased them a little and let it fly away. They chased a short distance. It doesn’t do much good for them to chase the pigeon. The pigeons are really fast. I let them play for a while then put them in the kennel.

After it started cooling down in the evening I went out and cleaned kennels again. I turned the puppies out to play while I fed the pigeons. Some of the puppies always go from the kennel to the shed, to get pigeon food, with me. While I was in the shed I grabbed a bird bag. After I fed I put 6 pigeons in the bird bag and called the puppies.

The puppies are getting more confidence and are going farther from the kennel each time. Some of them were up near my house. When I got all of them near me we started on a walk toward the back. The pups have started in this direction but haven’t gone as far as I’m taking them this time. After we got a little way past the kennels I threw a pigeon in front of them. Before I threw the pigeon the puppies were under foot making it hard for me to walk. After I threw the pigeon they went exploring.

Before long they were right back in front of me. I tried to dizzy one where it would stay on the ground for a few seconds but I didn’t get the job done. The puppies didn’t care. They chased anyway. We went on toward the back and I hid a bird in the tall grass and 2 or 3 puppies were there before I could get my hand off the bird. It flew away with the puppies chasing. It’s hard to do anything with 5 sets of eyes watching.

We continued to the back and I threw another pigeon after teasing them with it. They chased but they were getting tired so we started back. I had a strip of grass that I hadn’t mowed all year. I finally hid a bird that the puppies didn’t see me hide. They were a little way ahead of me so I called them back. A couple of them smelled the bird but the first two went the wrong way but one of them pounced on the pigeon then all 5 were after it. They were in each others way and the pigeon was under one pup after another. They were all trying to grab it but were bumped out of the way by another pup. I grabbed the pigeon and let it fly away. They chased again.

We continued on toward the kennel but now the puppies were staying out front. All but one. One wouldn’t leave where the pigeon had been in the grass. I kept calling but it didn’t come. I released the last pigeon for the puppies that were with me. They chased then the stay behind puppy caught up. When we got back to the kennel I let them play for a while before I put them away.

This morning, 8/12/15, Isaac my grandson, came over early. His mom and dad are teachers and they went back to work. Isaac has a few more days of freedom. I had already cleaned kennels and had the puppies playing in the yard. When Isaac showed up the puppies all ganged him. All but the smallest one.

Isaac had on shorts and had to get on a chair to stop them from scratching his legs. I got a pigeon out of the coop and teased the puppies with it then let it fly away. The puppies all chased it except for the smallest one. She wasn’t there. I saw her under a cedar tree just a short distance from where we were sitting. Looked like she was taking a nap. I called her and she stood up but didn’t come. I walked over and all of the puppies went under the tree. Finally, I saw her rope was tangled on a little twig. (The puppies still wear a rope tied to their collars.) I fought my way into the center of the cedar tree and untangled her rope.

When I turned another pigeon out all 5 puppies were there to chase. When I bend over with the pigeon they really get excited. After all 5 try to get the pigeon I usually have blood running out of me. I turned several more loose that the puppies chased before we put them back in the kennel.

This evening after cleaning kennels I took the puppies for another walk. I had 6 pigeons in a bird bag. As we walked toward the back 3 pups were in front of me and 2 were playing around behind me. I called the ones that were behind but they didn’t pay any attention. I took a pigeon from the bag and teased the 3 pups in front of me then let it fly away. The 2 pups that were behind caught up.

We walked on to the back. I was hoping the pups would get ahead of me but they stayed right in front of me. I tried to hide a pigeon in the tall grass but the puppies came over as soon as I bent over to hide it. I finally separated the pigeon from them and let it fly away.

As we walked along I took a pigeon from the bag and dizzied it. I threw it to the ground and it stayed until the pups almost got to it then flew away. That really fired the pups up. The next pigeon I dizzied hit the ground but didn’t fly away. It was really dizzy. The pups caught it and I had to rescue it. The puppies chased as it flew away.

As we started back I let a pigeon fly right above the puppies as they ran in front of me. They chased a short distance then came back. I only had one pigeon left and I dizzied it and threw it down in front of them. The pigeon flew just before the pups got to it. They all stopped and watched it fly away. I let them play awhile after we got back to the kennel.

This morning, 8/13/15, I cleaned kennels about 8:00 am and turned the puppies out to play. I teased the puppies with 3 or 4 pigeons that I let fly away. I also dropped some Purina Puppy Chow in the grass for them to find. This makes them use their nose to find the food. The more they use their nose the better they should get. I put them back in the kennel.

While I as eating lunch I got a call from Keith Olsen saying he would like to look at the puppies. He came by and we turned the puppies out. I dropped some puppy chow in the grass for them. I turned a couple of pigeons loose after teasing the puppies with them. The puppy Keith wanted to look at was chewing on something under a willow tree about 100 yards from us. I went to him and took whatever he was chewing on, away. He just started hunting something else to chew on.

I went to the shed and got my bird bag. I put 4 pigeons inside and we took the puppies for a walk. Keith was wanting to look at the male puppy with 2 black eyes. He and the English Cocker Spaniel stayed in the brush for quite a while. After I released the first pigeon they came out of the brush. I teased them with a pigeon then let it fly away. I dizzied another pigeon and threw it in front of the puppies. They chased. I teased them with the last pigeon I had with me then let it fly away. They chased.

On the way back they found some water puddles to get in. They were really muddy but we got them back into the kennels. Keith decided to buy the male pup with 2 black eyes. They are all sold except the almost all whiter female. If no one takes her she will fit into my kennel just fine. Keith is going to leave the pup with me until he’s 9 or 10 weeks old.

About 4:00 pm my door bell rang and a friend and his helper stopped by. They had a flat on their trailer and needed a jack and a place to leave the trailer until they got the tire fixed. I talked them into petting the puppies. I put more food in the grass and teased them with a couple of pigeons. The pups are glad to be let out of their pens and to be petted. When they came back for their trailer they petted puppies again.

I will only have the setter pups for another 2 weeks or less. I really enjoy having puppies and it’s usually hard to see them go but I can’t keep them all. With the daily walks, all the ways I show them pigeons and hiding the puppy chow in the grass, the pups are learning things that they will use all their life. If I can sell people well socialized dogs then I have done my job.

More puppies.

Puppies hunting puppy chow.

Hunting dog food.

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Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 3

Posted on August 10, 2015 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Puppies finding dog food in the grass.

Hunting dog food.

Puppies finding dog food in the grass.

The puppies are still pulling a little rope from their collars. Every once in a while I see a puppy pulling one of the others around by the rope. They won’t be totally broke to lead just because they pull each around but it will make them easier to train. Either putting them on a chain gang or staking them out while you train other dogs really helps.

They are also still listening to the gun shy prevention cd, from Master’s Voice, twice a day. The gun should still be introduced in the right way but the cd makes it easier.

Tuesday morning I started writing down how many people came by and petted the puppies. In the 5 days, Tuesday through Saturday, there were 22 people that interacted with the puppies. It’s not always that way but this last 5 days they were well socialized. I do have as many people as possible pet them from the day they are born. This does cause the puppies to really like people. They think everyone wants to pet them.

Each day when I turn the pups out I throw some Puppy Chow in the grass in front of where I’m going to sit. This causes the pups to learn to use their nose. I keep dog food in front of them all of the time so they aren’t hungry but it’s like us finding Easter eggs. They run and fight then come back for a few pieces of dog food then run off again.

I also, get a pigeon from the coop, call the puppies to me, tease them with the bird and let it fly away. They chase a little way but the pigeons are too fast. Occasionally, when the pups are away from the area I’m in I put a pigeon to sleep and hide it in the grass. The puppies come back and either smell the pigeon or see it. The puppies pounce on the pigeon and it flies away.

Whenever I want the puppies to come to me I clap my hands and call over and over, here puppy, here puppy. Usually, they come to me at a dead run. When it’s time to go back to the kennel I also call them while I clap my hands real loud. I throw feed pans, buckets and anything else to make noise. When I wash out the feed pans and fill the water buckets, for all of the dogs, it makes a lot of noise. I want the puppies to know that when I’m around there is going to be a lot of noise.

I got an English Cocker Spaniel from a friend and threw it in with the English setter pups. The English Cocker is 6 days older than the setters. I brought him over late one evening. I turned all of the puppies out together in the yard. This was the first time the spaniel had been away from home, the first time of meeting other puppies. He was a little shy and the setters started picking on him. I felt sorry for him but I had nothing else I could do with him. I let them play and fight for about 45 minutes then put them all in the kennel.

The next morning when I went down to the kennel, the pups had worked it out. The spaniel was shorter but heavier than the setters. He was no longer shy. He was holding his own and then some. I got a pigeon from the coop and held it in front of the spaniel then let it fly away. The pigeon dropped some and as it flew away it’s wings hit the ground making a lot of noise. The spaniel shied from the noise. That was my fault. I should never have introduced the pup to a bird when it wasn’t used to the kennel. I had been doing this for awhile with the setters. I just didn’t think about it.

Over the next 2 or 3 days I held a pigeon in front of the spaniel and teased him with it. I held it high enough that it didn’t make much noise as it flew away. When I would tease him the setters would come around trying to take the pigeon from me. When it flew away the setters would chase. Finally, he started chasing, too. Now he’s as crazy about the birds as the setters are.

When people bring young dogs over to work them on my pigeons I always introduce the pigeons in a non-threatening way. I didn’t do it on my own dog. My mistake. It’s always better to go slow than to hurry any dog training.

Tonight I had my wife, June, come down to the kennel and take pictures of the me teasing the puppies with some pigeons. I used 4 or 5 pigeons. The puppies would scatter out playing and I would call them to me. Usually, I had a pigeon in my hand so I couldn’t clap but after a couple of pigeons the puppies came running when I called.

I have 2 of the puppies sold and they will be leaving soon. I still have 1 male and 1 female for sale. I like to keep the puppies at least 8 weeks and it’s probably better to keep them together for 10 weeks. I think the 2 I have sold will be here until they are 10 weeks old. The pups learn how to be a dog if left in the pack.

The puppies are getting active enough I can start taking them on walks. I will put some pigeons in a bag and throw some as we walk along. I will also, put some of the pigeons to sleep and hide them in the grass then call the puppies back to find them. This is fun for me as well as the pups.

As long as I have them with me I will keep introducing them to as many different things as I can. This makes bold confident dogs and I want people that buy my pups to get the best dog they have ever had.

Please click on the ads you if you see something that interests you. I make a few cents each time someone clicks on an ad.

Teasing the puppies with a pigeon.

More puppies with a pigeon.

The puppies like pigeons.

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Traveling Pointing Dogs

Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 5

Training Dogs, 8/17/15

Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 4

Pointing Dog Puppies, No. 3

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