Traveling Pointing Dogs

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

I went back to the county park this morning with Blaze, Tur Bo and Luke. We have one more cool morning before the warm weather comes back. When I hid the pigeons this morning, I went farther down the field trying to find shorter cover to hide the birds in. Didn’t work but I got a better work out.

I heeled Tur Bo to the edge of the bird field and whoaed him. He has been moving, the last several mornings, when I whoa him but he didn’t move this morning. I walked a circle around him then tapped his head to release him. He went back and forth in front of me then veered off and went onto a hillside that was to the east of the bird field. I think that some turkeys had moved down the hillside. Tur Bo didn’t want to leave the hillside. Finally, he got back in front and started hunting. He pointed the first pigeon and I took some pictures. I walked in front of him then came back to hold his collar. I flushed the pigeon and he flinched but didn’t move his feet. I stroked his sides then tapped him on the head. He went back to hunting.

Blaze has been barking on the stake out chain, while I’m working the other dogs, and this morning I put one of the D.T. e-collars around her neck. As I work Tur Bo, I hold the button down on the e-collar until she quits barking. I’m still learning about the D.T. collars and each time she barks I move the level up a notch. She got a lot quieter when I got to level 6.

Tur Bo pointed the second pigeon and I walked in front of him, kicking the grass. I walked to him, held his collar and flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move. I walked back in front and he took a step. I picked him up and put him back. I walked back in front, kicking the cover and he stayed on point. I tapped him on the head and he hunted back to the stake out area.

Luke

I heeled Luke to the edge of the bird field and put him on whoa. I walked a circle around him then tapped his head to release him. He hunted back and forth in front of me but when he didn’t find a bird, quickly, he started trying to point where I had hid pigeons in the past. I moved him on when he started slinking along. He pointed the first pigeon and he was so far away I thought he might be just pointing where a bird had been before but when I tapped his head he wouldn’t move. I took pictures then kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. He never moved even when I shot the blank pistol. I kicked the cover some more then tapped his head to release him.

He went back to hunting but the grass is so tall I have to watch for moving grass, to know where he’s at. He pointed the second pigeon and I took more pictures. I’ve been doing this for a long time but I never get tired of seeing a dog, looking good, on point. I kicked the cover in front and to the side then flushed the pigeon. I waited about 10 seconds then shot the blank pistol and he never moved. I kicked the cover then tapped him on the head. He hunted back to the stake out area.

Blaze

Blaze

When I put the pigeons out for Blaze one of the traps released the bird and it flew away. I was lucky this time. Sometimes when it releases the bird before I’m ready, I’m bent over the trap and it throws the bird into my face. This time it just flew away.

I heeled Blaze out to the edge of the bird field and put her on whoa. I walked a circle around her then tapped her head to release her. She always does a good job of staying in front of me. She hunted back and forth in front of me and went on point. She’s so small she’s hard to see in the tall grass. I was watching the grass move where she went on point then had to walk closer to see her. I took pictures then went in front kicking the grass. I flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. She took one step. I picked her up and put her back then went back in front, kicking the cover. I went to her and released her.

When the trap released the pigeon I took it back to the truck but I worked Blaze into the area where it had been to see if she would point it. When she got close, she stopped then went to the spot and moved on. That was what she should have done. A dog with a good nose will figure out when a bird has been there but isn’t there now. They should act birdy but move on. She hunted back to the truck.

Some of my friends bring their dogs over to work them on my pigeons. I enjoy seeing their dogs on point just as much as I do my own. I had a couple of men stop by to see some puppies I had and I asked if they wanted to see the sire and dam on birds. They did, so I worked Dolly and Lucky on a couple of birds each and one of the men said, “you really enjoy this, don’t you.” That pretty well sums me up.

Train well, and God bless you.

Blaze

Blaze

Another cool morning in July, God is good. I took Blaze, Tur Bo, Luke and only 6 pigeons to the county park near my home. Yesterday, I took 9 pigeons to the park and only 7 came home, so today, I only have enough pigeons for 2 for each dog. There was a really heavy dew this morning. By the time I had hid the first 2 pigeons I was wet to my waist.

I heeled Blaze out to the edge of the field and whoaed her. I walked a circle around her then tapped her head to release her. She was out of sight in the tall grass almost immediately. When I got to the first bird she was on point. I took some pictures then walked around kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I went to her and stroked her sides then tapped her on the head to release her. When the dogs do everything right I’m going to release them quickly.

I started toward the next pigeon and I saw her come around close to where the release trap was hidden. She pointed then moved up a step or two. I whoaed her and when I got to her I saw she was right on top of the trap. I picked her up and set her back where she originally pointed. I spent a long time kicking the cover. If they don’t do it right they have to stay on point for a long time. I finally flushed the bird. She didn’t move. I walked around kicking the cover for quite awhile then started toward her to release her and she took a step. I picked her up and set her back then went back to kicking the cover. Finally, I tapped her on the head to release her. She hunted back to the stake out area.

Luke

Luke

I heeled Luke to the edge of the field and whoaed him. I walked straight away from him then circled around behind him, then back to tap him on the head to release him. At first I only saw the weeds moving then he came into an area of shorter grass and went on point. I took some pictures then walked in front of him kicking the grass. I flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I went to him and tapped him on the head to release him.

He went from the first pigeon to the second like he was the one that put them out. I followed and saw him go on point. He looked so good I took some more pictures. I walked in front of him, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I went to him and tapped him on the head. He went back to hunting and when I got back to the stake out area he was no where in sight. I called him but he didn’t come in. I changed the transmitter to the e-collar that was around his neck and held the button down on level 3. He immediately showed up on the trail and I released the button. He came to me and I staked him out.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo He’s hard to see but he’s in there.

I heeled Tur Bo to the edge of the bird field and whoaed him. I tell him whoa, drop the piggin’ string and keep walking straight ahead. He took a step to follow me but he looked like, “oh no, I screwed up.” He stopped, immediately. I held the button on the transmitter, to the e-collar on his flanks, down on level 2 and picked him up and set him back. I made him stand while I made 3 circles around him before I tapped his head to release him.

He went to hunting by checking every area where I had put birds before but I had walked farther than normal to hide these pigeons. He continued to work back and forth in front of me until he pointed the first bird. I took some pictures then walked in front of him. I came back to him to hold his collar and flushed the pigeon. He didn’t even pull against the collar. I stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him.

For some reason Tur Bo went to the east side of the field. There must have been some scent in that area (maybe some turkeys came through that area) because he stayed for a long time. At first I thought if I was real quiet he would come looking for me but he wasn’t leaving that area, so I called him. I was standing about 25 yards from the second bird but the cover was so thick that if I hadn’t been watching he would have been hard to find. I took some pictures and the second photo was in the thick cover. I walked to him, held his collar and flushed the bird. Again he didn’t pull against the collar. I stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him. He hunted back to the truck.

When I closed up my pigeons tonight 1 of the 2 that I lost was back. They are just learning to come back from a distance of 2 or 3 miles. Maybe the other one will show up tomorrow. After they learn to come back from short distances I can take them farther away and they will return. Without birds I can’t train my dogs.

Luke

Luke

I had to do some errands this morning so I didn’t get to work dogs until it had started to warm up a little but it was still nice for July. I took Luke, Blaze, Tur Bo, 9 pigeons and 3 release traps to the county park near my home. Instead of putting all 3 pigeons near each other this morning I spread them out about 50 yards apart. The young dogs had done such a good job yesterday that I could hardly wait to get to the park this morning.

I heeled Luke to the edge of the field and whoaed him. I walked a circle around him, then tapped him on the head. He stayed in front me as he crisscrossed the field then went on point at a spot where I hadn’t put a bird. I went to him and tapped him on the head but he wouldn’t move. I kicked the bushes and the grass that were in front of him but nothing flew. I tapped him on the head and he went back to hunting the field. He went on point again and I took some pictures then went in front of him kicking the grass. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I continued kicking in front of him then tapped his head to release him.

He went back to hunting. He disappeared into the tall grass but I could see him occasionally. I wasn’t sure which pigeon he would point next but he crossed an area that the grass was shorter with a dry ditch through the middle. He started across the ditch and went on point. He was about 5 yards from the bird and when I flushed it came back over his head. He whirled around and took 2 big leaps after the pigeon then stopped. I picked him up and returned him to the original spot he had pointed. I walked around him, kicking the grass then released him to hunt.

He went out of sight in the tall grass but there was only one pigeon left in the field and I knew where it was. As I got to the next bird he hit the scent cone and went on point. I walked in front of him, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I tapped him on the head to release him and he hunted back to where he had been staked out.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

Yesterday, Tur Bo had pointed and hadn’t moved while I flushed 3 birds in front of him. I had held his collar while I flushed the birds but he hadn’t pulled at all. This morning I heeled him to the edge of the field and put him on whoa. I walked about 15 yards in front of him then turned to walk back behind him and he was slinking along right behind me. I picked him up and carried him back to where I had originally whoaed him. I started walking a circle around him and he took 2 steps. I held the button on the e-collar down on level 3, picked him up and set him back. When his feet touched the ground I released the button. I made him stand, on whoa, as I walked 3 circles around him. Finally I tapped him on the head to release him.

He hunted through the tall grass and was out of my sight for the first couple of minutes then I saw him go on point. I took some pictures then went in front of him kicking the grass. Since he hadn’t moved yesterday, I thought I would see if he would stay steady to wing and shot. I flushed the pigeon and the race was on. The pigeon flew a circle around us and Tur Bo was right under him. I yelled whoa once then held the button on the e-collar down. I started on level 3 and he finally stopped when I got to level 5. I carried him back to where he had originally been on point. I made him stand, on whoa, while I kicked the grass all around him. I tapped his head to release him.

He went back to hunting and pointed his second bird. I could tell, before I got to him, that he was right on top of this bird. As I got close to him, he jumped in trying to grab the pigeon. I whoaed him and picked him up and set him back. I walked in front of him, kicking the grass and as I came toward him he moved up a step. I set him back, walked in front again then came back to hold his collar. When I flushed the pigeon he tried to chase but I had hold of his collar. When he went back on point I went in front kicking the grass. I came back and tapped his head.

He went back to hunting and pointed his third bird. I walked in front of him then went to him and took hold of his collar. I flushed the pigeon and he didn’t move. I walked back in front kicking the grass. I went to him an tapped his head to release him. He hunted back to the stake out chain.

Blaze

Blaze

I heeled Blaze to the edge of the field and put her on whoa. I walked a big circle around her then came back to tap her on the head. She disappeared in the tall grass and I saw the grass move in an area but when I got there she was not there. I continued toward the pigeons and saw her on point. I took some pictures then walked in front of her kicking the grass. I flushed the pigeon and it came out low, right over her head. She whirled around and started to follow. When I whoaed her, she stopped. I picked her up and carried her back. I went back to kicking the cover and started back toward her to tap her head but she took a step. I put her back again. I went back to walking in front, kicking the cover. This time she stayed on point and I tapped her head to release her.

She went back to hunting and I followed the moving grass. She pointed her second pigeon and I walked in front kicking the tall grass. I made her stand for a long time before I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I kicked the grass for a very short time then tapped her head.

I saw her point the third pigeon. I walked to her, then in front, kicking the cover. Again, I made her stand for a long time as I kicked the cover. Finally, I flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I walked in front of her kicking the cover but I went to her and tapped her head to release her pretty quickly. She hunted back to the truck.

Yesterday, I felt like my training was going really well and today it was terrible. All 3 dogs were steady yesterday and they all moved today. I’m going to release them quicker when they do everything right and have them stay longer, after the bird flies away, when they make mistakes. This will be a reward for doing things right. Maybe today was just a bad day for the dogs.

Blaze

Blaze

The temperature was in the upper 50’s when I got up this morning. The weather people said it was like the first week of October. Rather than work the young dogs on the whoa board, which is boring for me and the dogs, I loaded up 9 pigeons, three release traps, Blaze, Tur Bo and Luke and went to the county park. I no longer own Whitey.

I hid 3 pigeons, in release traps, in the tall grass at the county park. One of the places I usually work the dogs had been mowed but this area had really tall grass. We had a good breeze out of the north so this field was good choice for the dogs to smell the birds at a good distance. I put one pigeon where I thought the dogs would smell it and two pigeons a few yards away. I heeled Blaze to the edge of the field, with an e-collar on her neck and one on her flanks. When I released her to hunt she disappeared into the tall grass. I could occasionally see the grass moving and I knew where the birds were hid. I found Blaze on point when I got close to the birds.

I took some pictures then walked in front of her. She was about 10 yards from the pigeon she was pointing and I flushed one of the other birds. She never moved. I continued to kick the grass then flushed the other pigeon that was about 20 yards away and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I continued to kick the grass in front of her then flushed the last bird that was hid. It came out of the release trap and flew right over the top of Blaze. She swapped ends but didn’t try to chase. She just watched it fly away. I petted her and released her. She stayed in front of me until we got back to where she was staked out at.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

After putting the e-collars on Tur Bo I heeled him to the edge of the field and put him on whoa. I walked a big circle then tapped him on the head to release him. He’s a bigger, taller dog but the tall grass pretty well hid him as he hunted. I thought the wind was out of the northeast but when he pointed he was south and east of the single pigeon. I walked a circle around him kicking the grass then came back and slipped my fingers inside his collar. I flushed one of the two pigeons that were hid about 25 yards from where he was pointing and he never moved. I don’t know if he stayed on point because I had a hold of his collar or he was being steady.

He knew the bird he was pointing was still in front of him and he was on point. I let him stand there for a little while then flushed the second bird that was about 25 yards away. I still had my hand in his collar but he never tried to move. I turned loose of his collar and walked another circle around him kicking the grass then came back to hold onto his collar. I flushed the bird that he was pointing. He didn’t try to move. I walked in front kicking the grass then tapped him on the head to release him. He hunted back to where he was staked out.

Luke

Luke

I heeled Luke to the edge of the field with his e-collars on and whoaed him. I walked around him then tapped him on the head to release him. As soon as he hit the tall grass he disappeared. I walked to the hidden birds and didn’t see him at first then he came in front of me and slammed into a point. He was running all out when he crossed the scent cone and the only thing he could do was put on the brakes. He was only about 4 or 5 yards from the single pigeon I had hid.

I walked in front of him kicking the grass and flushed one of the pigeons that were about 15 yards away. He didn’t even flinch. He knew the bird he was pointing was still there. I continued to kick the tall grass then flushed the other bird that was about 15 yards away. He never moved even when I shot the blank pistol. I let him stay on point for a while as I kicked the cover then flushed the pigeon he was pointing. The bird came out low and flew right over his head and he only turned his head. He didn’t move his feet at all.

The weather people are predicting cooler weather in the morning than we had this morning so I will take the young dogs to the county park again. I may walk in front of Tur Bo tomorrow then flush the pigeon to see if he is steady. I hope he is but if he’s not he’s only 13 months old. He has plenty of time, it’s a long time until bird season.