Traveling Pointing Dogs

The temperature was 48 degrees this morning when I went outside. It was cool on the 4-wheeler even with a jacket on. But this is more like dog training/bird hunting weather. I hid two pigeons on the training grounds in release traps.

I worked Tur Bo first because he caught a pigeon yesterday and I wanted to have really good flying pigeons for him. The pigeon he caught was a good flying pigeon but it hit a limb when it came out of the release trap. It wasn’t hurt by the limb or Tur Bo catching it. I used the pigeon again today. I heeled Tur Bo out by the 4-wheeler with the e-collars on his neck and flanks. I started the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt.

When I got close to the first bird he was on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and he took a step. I picked him up and set him back. When he went back on point I shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I shot the blank two more times and he never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt.

He was about 15 yards from the second bird when he pointed. I took more pictures then kicked in front of him. When I flushed the pigeon it hit a limb but didn’t slow down. Tur Bo chased the pigeon to a near by tree. I stopped him with the e-collar on his flanks. I held the button down while I carried him back where he had originally pointed. I waited until he went back on point and shot the blank pistol. He took a step so I held the button down while I carried him back. I went back to kicking the cover and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol, again. He didn’t move. I stroked his sides then tapped him on the head to release him. I let him run for a while before returning to the kennel.

I heeled Blaze out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I started the 4-wheeler and released her with an okay. She sped through the training grounds all the way to the back then hunted back to the front and pointed. I took pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol 2 more times. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is. I started the 4-wheeler and released her.

I saw her whirl into a point on the second bird. She has been trying to get too close to her birds part of the time but I’ve been flushing the pigeon when she tries to take an extra step. This has made her stop on the edge of the scent cone. 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. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol two more times. She didn’t move. I went to her and stroked her sides then tapped her on the head to release her. I let her run for a while before taking her back to the kennel.

I heeled Luke out near the 4-wheeler with the e-collars on his neck and flanks. I started the 4-wheeler and released him. He was on point when I got to the first bird. Yesterday he got real close on one of his birds so I flushed the next one when he took a step instead of pointing. Today he was 15 yards or farther away from this pigeon. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon but I had not reloaded the blank pistol. I reloaded it, shot two times and he never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay.

I was ready to flush his next bird if he tried to get too close but he slid to a stop. I took pictures and went in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I shot the blank pistol two more times and he didn’t move. I stroked his sides telling him what a good boy he is. I tapped him on the head to release him. I let him run before returning to the kennel.

With the cooler weather I should be able to train most mornings. The young dogs and I really enjoy these training sessions. The pigeons aren’t real crazy about it but the dogs and I enjoy it.

I didn’t have a chance to work dogs early this morning but it was still cool after lunch so I trained the 3 young dogs. It was about 60 degrees with a good breeze from the north east. I hid 2 pigeons in the weeds on my neighbors side of the training grounds.

I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and heeled him out near the 4-wheeler. I started the 4-wheeler and released with an okay. I have done the same break away often enough that the dogs are heading, in a straight line, as fast as they can go to the bird field. By the time I got to the first bird Tur Bo was on point. He was about 15 yards from the pigeon. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon, it hit a limb on a small bush and Tur Bo caught it. When a dog catches a bird I don’t say whoa or no. I use it as a retrieving exercise. I went to Tur Bo and told him to give. He gave me the pigeon and I led him back to where he was on point. I put the pigeon back into the box on the 4-wheeler. I went back in front of him kicking the cover. I shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I shot the blank pistol 2 more times and he never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released him.

He hunted his way toward the back and found the second pigeon. He pointed and I walked in front of him. I took pictures then kicked the cover. He took a step when I flushed the pigeon. I set him back and kicked the cover then shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I shot the blank pistol 2 more times and he never moved. I went to him and stroked his sides. I tapped his head to release him. I let him run for a while before returning to the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Blaze and heeled her out near the 4-wheeler. I released and she was off like a shot. hen I got to the first bird she was on point. I took pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. The pigeon had only flown into a tree above where I had hid it. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol. When the pistol went off the pigeon flew to another tree. She never moved. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol again. The pigeon flew again. Three flushes, three shots and she never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released her with an okay.

She pointed the second bird. I took more pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and it came out low right over her head. She went with it. It flew into a tree about 20 yards away and she stayed with it. I pushed the button on the e-collar around her flanks, on level 4, and carried her back. When I set her down I released the button on the e-collar. I shot the blank pistol and she never moved. I picked up a stick and threw it into the weeds. She took a couple of steps. I pushed the button on the e-collar on her flanks and set her back. I threw a couple more sticks but she didn’t move again. I shot the blank pistol 2 more times but she never moved. I stroked her sides then tapped her on the head to release her. I let her run before taking her back to the kennel.

I brought Luke out with the e-collars on his neck and flanks. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay. When he came by the first pigeon I was between him and the bird. He hunted to the back and pointed the second pigeon. I think he smelled the bird and moved in because he was really close. I took pictures then went in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I tossed sticks, kicked the cover and shot the blank pistol 2 more times. He never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay.

I was close to the other pigeon when he smelled the bird. He started to point then moved up and I flushed the pigeon. He stopped to flush. I walked in front of him kicking the cover. I shot the blank pistol and he never moved. I shot the blank pistol 2 more times and he never moved. I went to him and stroked his sides. I tapped his head to release him. I let him run before taking him back to the kennel.

Maybe Mondays are hard for dogs, too. Luke has done real well on his birds without any mistakes for a long time and Blaze has been doing real well, lately. But today Blaze chased, Luke was crowding his birds and Tur Bo caught a bird. It looks like the weather will be cool enough to work the dogs most mornings and that’s how they learn, through repetitions.

Another cool morning. At 7:30 it was in the low 50’s. My kind of summer morning. I still haven’t built anything for the quail that I have in one of my pigeon coops. I have about 6 pigeons I can use in the other one, so I work all 3 young dogs on 2 birds each. I try each time to put the birds where the dogs have to hunt for them. I don’t have many new places to hide birds but I try to vary the places.

I worked Tur Bo last yesterday so I brought him out first this morning. He still wants to lead most mornings so I have to take the long way around to the 4-wheeler. When he gets ahead of me I go in the opposite direction. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay.

I stayed on the main trail trying to get Tur Bo to run a little more before he pointed but he was checking all of the cover, as he should have, and pointed the first bird. 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 kicked the cover then went to him and stroked his sides. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and released him.

He went straight to the next bird and was on point when I got there. I took more pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon he took 4 or 5 steps then stopped. I picked him up and carried him back. I kicked the cover and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and shoot the blank pistol. I shot 4 more times while I was kicking the cover and he didn’t move again. I went to him, stroked his sides and released him with a tap on the head. I let him run for a while before going back to the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Blaze and heeled her to the 4-wheeler. I started the 4-wheeler and released her with an okay. I thought she had missed the first bird but she had the scent from behind a tree that made her hard to see from my position. I walked in front of her kicking the cover then remembered that I had emptied the blank pistol with Tur Bo. She didn’t move while I reloaded then went back to kicking the cover. I shot the blank pistol without flushing the bird. Then I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I went to her and stroked her sides. I started the 4-wheeler and released her to hunt.

The wind had changed between dogs and she pointed the next one on the opposite side than Tur Bo had. I took more pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. I shot the blank pistol and continued to kick the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I kicked the cover then went to her and stroked her sides. I tapped her on the head to release her. We went from the back to the front then to the back on my side and then to the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Luke and heeled him out near the 4-wheeler. Luke reminds me of a sprinter in the starting blocks. He stands still but he is poised to be the first one down the field. It doesn’t matter how many you turn out he’s going to be the first down the field. If I tried I think I could run the 4-wheeler fast enough to beat him to the first bird but I’m not sure. Most times when I get to the first bird he’s already on point. This morning was no exception. 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 continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. the pigeon had flown a short distance and lit in a tree. He was watching it as I kicked the cover. After I shot the second time the pigeon flew out of the tree. He still didn’t move. I stroked his sides then started the 4-wheeler and released him.

He hunted to the back and pointed the second bird. I took more pictures then walked in front of him. I kicked the cover and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover then flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon flew right over his head real low and the only thing that moved was his head. It came up sharply but his feet never moved. I stroked his sides and tapped him on the head to release him. I let him run for a while before returning to the kennel.

I have said this before but these may be the most photographed dogs in existence. I took 25 pictures this morning and 35 yesterday. But it’s fun to do. Blaze found the quail in the pigeon coop this morning. There is a wire cage on the side of the pigeon coop. The quail were in the wire cage when Blaze came back to the kennel and I had to drag her away. She tried to go back to the pigeon coop on the way into the kennel. Pigeons are okay but they are nothing compared to quail. It won’t be long until we can hunt the real thing. I’m almost as anxious as the dogs are.

Finally, the weather cooled down to where I could work dogs this morning. I went out about 7:30 and the temperature was in the mid 50’s with a north wind of about 10 miles an hour. It was cool enough on the 4-wheeler to need a light jacket. I hid 2 pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds.

The last few weeks I haven’t been working Luke but this morning I heeled him out near the 4-wheeler and whoaed him. I started the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt. By the time I got to the first bird he was on point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay.

The wind on the back of the training grounds was swirling around. Luke knew the pigeon was near but he kept going the wrong way to pin it down. Finally, he hit the scent cone and twisted into a point. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. When I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol he never moved. I continued to kick the cover then went to him and stroked his sides while I told him what a good boy he is. I tapped him on the head to release him. I let him run before taking him back to the kennel.

I put the e-collars on Blaze’s neck and flanks and heeled her to the 4-wheeler. I whoaed her, started the 4-wheeler and released her with an okay. These young dogs went from 5 or 6 days of training a week, a month ago, to only training maybe one day a week because of the heat. They were ready this cool morning. When I got to the first bird Blaze was already on point. I walked in front of her after taking pictures. I usually watch the dog when I flush the pigeon to see if they move. If they don’t move on the bird then I shoot the blank pistol. Blaze was steady on the flush but when I shot the blank pistol she took 2 steps and stopped. I picked her up and set her back. I kicked in front of her then started the 4-wheeler and released her to hunt.

In the swirling winds in the back it was hard to pin point the bird. Blaze and Luke got birdy in the area but it took several passes to hit the scent cone. She went past the bird and whirled around to a point. I took pictures then kicked the cover in front of her. I flushed the pigeon. It came out low and flew right over her head. She never moved even when I shot the blank pistol. I went to her and stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is. I tapped her on the head to release her. I let her run to the front then to the back before returning to the kennel.

Tur Bo had to wait on Luke and Blaze before he got his turn. When I started into his kennel to put the e-collars on him he jumped on and off his house 3 times before I got inside. As soon as I start to put the e-collar on his neck he calms down but he tries to lead me instead of heeling. When he gets ahead of me, I go in the opposite direction. After a couple of direction changes he settles down and heels. I started the 4-wheeler and released him with an okay.

Tur Bo went on past the first bird and hunted all the way to the back then started back toward the front. He was really moving and was way ahead of me when he pointed. I took pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and he never moved so I shot the blank pistol. He still didn’t move. I kicked the cover then went to him and stroked his sides telling him what a good boy he is. I started the 4-wheeler and released him to hunt.

Tur Bo was a lot closer to the second bird than the other two dogs were when he hit the scent cone. He was only about 2 yards from the bird. I took more pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. With him being that close I expected him to move when the bird flushed but he was steady. I shot the blank pistol and he took a step. I set him back and shot the blank pistol again. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and shot the blank pistol. When I shot there was a pigeon from one of the other dogs sitting in a tree and it flew at the shot. Tur Bo watched the bird fly away but didn’t move. I went to him and stroked his sides and told him what a good boy he is. I tapped him on the head to release him. I let him run for a while before returning to the kennel.

Maybe the hot weather is over and I will be able to train most mornings. All 3 of these young dogs have come a long ways toward being steady to wing and shot. All 3 dogs let me walk in front of them and kick the cover. I don’t say anything. I kick the cover then flush the bird. Luke almost never moves. Blaze is steady most of the time but she will occasionally take a step. Tur Bo takes a step or two more often than not but he’s learning. None of them chase. When they move it’s usually only a step or two.