Traveling Pointing Dogs

Blaze

Blaze

My e-collars, that I have been using, have been shortened by cutting the ends off and were getting too small to go around Tur Bo’s flanks. In the box that my cousin, Jim Smith, sent to me after he quit training dogs was a pair of e-collars made by D.T. They haven’t been cut so they will fit Tur Bo’s flanks.

I put the D.T. collars on Blaze, first. I put one around her flanks and one around her neck and heeled her out to the whoa board. When she stepped onto the whoa board I stopped her and hooked the check cord to the D ring in her collar after putting a half hitch around her flanks. I took some pictures, walked to the far end of the training area and flushed the bird that was tied to the pigeon pole. I shot the blank pistol when the bird flushed then again when it started to land. Blaze never moved.

Across the training area, about 8 to 10 yards in front of the whoa board, I had hid 3 pigeons that could fly away when flushed. I walked up close to these birds, kicking the tall grass, as I got near. I flushed the first one and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I continued to kick the grass, flushed another bird and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. As I continued to kick the grass I accidently kicked one of the empty release traps and saw Blaze flinch. She didn’t move her feet but she flinched so I kicked both of them several times before I flushed the last fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol but she never moved.

There was one more bird tied to the pigeon pole. I kicked the grass then flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I tossed birds several more times and she never moved. I heeled her back to the kennel.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

That’s as far as Tur Bo can go without coming off the board.

I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and heeled him to the whoa board. When he stepped onto the board I whoaed him and hooked the check cord to the D ring after putting a half hitch around his flanks. When he steps on the whoa board he always goes on point with lots of style. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the training grounds. When I turned the corner he was still on point, not moving but his head was real high, watching me. I flushed the bird tied to the pigeon pole and shot the blank pistol then shot again when it started to land. He moved on the board but he didn’t come off.

I walked toward him, kicking the grass as I came then flushed the first fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. The bird flew, real close to him. I put all of the birds in the release traps, pointed toward the dog on the whoa board. The pigeon coop is behind the dogs, also. He came off the board and I held the button, on the e-collar, down on level 5 until I picked him up set him back on the whoa board. As soon as his feet touched the board I released the button. He went back on point and I continued to kick the grass. I released another bird and shot the blank pistol. He danced but didn’t come off the board. I took the third picture to show how he goes to the very edge of the whoa board without coming off. His toe nails are off but not his feet. I flushed the last fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. He moved around but didn’t come off.

We had one more bird that was tied to the pigeon pole. I continued to kick the grass then flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. Each time he moved on the board I held the button, on the e-collar, down until he stopped moving. He moved on the board, without coming off and I held the button, on the e-collar, down until he stopped. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss birds for Tur Bo. He finally stopped moving on the last few birds. I’m not sure if he understands that he’s not to move or if he just got tired. I heeled him back to the kennel.

These young dogs are getting 50 to 60 birds flushed in front of them each week which is more than some dogs get in a year of hunting. We used to train our dogs on wild birds but when we hunted we would be in birds most of a day. Now if you don’t have pigeons or a quail call back pen your dogs won’t see enough birds to learn their job. You can’t make a bird dog without birds.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

Tur Bo on the whoa board with a pigeon in front of him

This morning I put the 2 feet by 3 feet whoa board beside the 2X6 whoa board I’ve been working the young dogs on. I drove a stake into the ground, behind the whoa board, and tied a check cord to it. I also, changed the way the pigeons were hidden. My cousin, Jim Smith, decided not to train bird dogs anymore so he gave me some equipment that he didn’t need. Along with some D.T. e-collars he gave me a D.T. bird release. I had 4 so now I have 5. I put 2 birds, attached to the pigeon poles, in the normal places. I hid 3 birds, in the tall grass, right in front of the whoa board. The last 3 birds were only about 7 or 8 yards from, the young dogs on, the whoa board.

I heeled Tur Bo out with an e-collar around his neck and another on his flanks. As he stepped onto the whoa board, I hooked the check cord to him by putting a half hitch around his flanks then hooking the snap to the D ring of his collar. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass and as I started back I flushed the bird attached to the pigeon pole. Tur Bo moved to the very end of the whoa board but didn’t come off. I shot the blank pistol at the flush then again when it started to land. He danced around on the board but didn’t come off.

I continued to walk toward him and when I got close I noticed that the check cord was tight without Tur Bo coming off the board. He was going as far as the check cord would let him go. He needs slack to learn not to come off the board. I retied the check cord to give him more rope then walked in front and flushed a pigeon and shot the blank pistol. When he started to dance on the board I held the transmitter button down on level 2 and let off when he quit moving. He went back on point and I flushed another pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He started moving on the board and I held the transmitter button down on level 2 until he stopped moving.

He went back on point and I walked in front of him kicking the grass and flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon didn’t fly very high and straight at him. He came off the board and I turned the e-collar to level 5. I held the transmitter button down and walked to him, picked him up and set him back on the board. When his feet touched the board I let off the button. I turned the e-collar back to level 2. I had another bird that was attached to the pigeon pole and I walked around close to it kicking the grass. When I flushed it and shot the blank pistol he went to moving but he didn’t come off the board. I held the transmitter button down on level 2 but he stopped moving, quickly.

The blank pistol was empty but I continued tossing birds into the air. He would move every time but when I hit the e-collar button he would quit. He, probably, had 15 or 16 flushes and he finally quit moving on the last two. He never came completely off the board except the one time but he had his toe nails hanging off the board several times. I heeled him back to the kennel.

Blaze

Blaze

Blaze. The way the stake and check cord are from behind.

I heeled Blaze out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks, then hooked her to the check cord when she stepped onto the whoa board. After taking some pictures I walked to the far end of the training grounds and started back toward her. I flushed the bird attached to the pigeon pole and shot the blank pistol then shot again. She never moved. I continued toward her, kicking the grass. I had 3 fly away birds right in front of her. I flushed one and shot the blank pistol but she never moved.

I kept on kicking the grass and flushed another of the fly away birds and shot the blank pistol. The release trap threw the bird about 4 feet in the air and it landed about 3 yards from Blaze. If that had of happened to Tur Bo, he would have pulled the stake to get to the bird but Blaze never moved. I walked toward the pigeon and it flew into a tree that was real near. I went to Blaze and petted her and told her what a good dog she was before going back to the tall grass and flushing the last fly away pigeon. I shot the blank pistol and she never moved.

There was still a bird that was attached to a pigeon pole. I walked around it for a while then flushed it and fired the blank pistol. She never moved but as soon as the pigeon landed her attention went to the bird that was in the tree. I flushed several more birds for her and she never moved. She never forgot the pigeon in the tree that was real close to her. I heeled her back to the kennel.

Ever since I started working the young dogs on the 2X6 whoa board Tur Bo was more steady than Blaze but on the whoa board on the ground it’s just the opposite. But that is dog training. Change one little thing and the dogs react differently. Trying to figure them out is fun.

Luke

Luke

This morning I decided Whitey and Luke needed to be worked on the 2X6 whoa board so I put e-collars around Luke’s flanks and neck. I heeled him to the whoa board and lifted him into place. After taking pictures I walked to the far end of the tall grass and started back toward him. When I got close to the bird attached to the pigeon pole I flushed it, shot the blank pistol and shot again when it started to land. Luke never moved. I continued kicking the grass and flushed the fly away bird. He didn’t move even when I shot the blank pistol.

I walked close to the other fly away pigeon, kicking the grass, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The bird flew over Luke and landed on the shed just behind him. He turned his head to watch it fly but his feet never moved. When he turned back to the bird field I started kicking the grass again then flushed the second bird tied to the pigeon pole. I shot the blank pistol when I flushed the bird and again when it started to light. He never moved. I tossed several birds in the air after I shot all of my blanks and he never moved. I heeled him back to the kennel.

Luke has only been on the 2X6 whoa board 4 times but he was on the whoa barrel a lot so he knows the routine pretty well. All of my dogs have been allowed to chase after the birds flush so even if they do these exercises right doesn’t mean they are going to be steady to wing and shot in the field until I reinforce this while hunting.

Whitey

Whitey

I put the e-collars on Whitey and heeled her to the whoa board. After lifting her to the board I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass. I turned the corner where I could see Whitey and flushed the bird on the pigeon pole. I shot the blank pistol when the pigeon flushed and again when it started to land. She never moved. I walked through the tall grass toward Whitey and flushed the fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol and she never moved.

I continued walking, in the tall grass, toward Whitey and when I got close to the fly away bird I flushed it and fired the blank pistol. Normally, Whitey is steady but this morning she started moving her front feet. I held the button down, on the e-collar that was around her flanks, on level 2 until she quit dancing. I worked my way around the next pigeon so I could watch Whitey while I flushed the bird. I shot the blank pistol when I flushed the pigeon and again when it started to land. She never moved. My pistol was empty but I tossed several more pigeons in the air and as they flew around she never moved. I heeled her back to the kennel.

I think all of these young dogs are ready to go to a whoa board on the ground. I may try that tomorrow. If they aren’t ready I can always go back to what I have been doing.

Blaze

Blaze

When I came out to work dogs this morning it was really wet. I don’t know if it rained a little last night or we had a big dew but when I put Blaze on the 2X6 whoa board it was wet and slick. I thought that might be a good thing for me. She has been moving her feet when I shoot the blank pistol but yesterday when she danced I used the e-collar, around her flanks, on a real light setting. After 2 times she quit dancing or making any moves.

After I put her on the whoa board I took some pictures then walked to the pigeon hidden on the far end of the tall grass. When I turned so I could watch Blaze I flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol, then shot again when the pigeon landed. She never moved. I walked toward her and flushed the fly away pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She moved her feet and I held the button on the transmitter down on the e-collar on her flanks and she stopped moving.

The first 2 birds are about 20 to 25 yards away so the temptation is not as great as the closer birds. I continued toward her and the close fly away bird. When I flushed it, it flew straight at her and when I shot the blank pistol she came off the board. I held the button to the e-collar on her flanks down on level 2 until I could walk to her and set her back on the board. As soon as her feet touched the board I let off the button. I walked back and forth for quite awhile before flushing the bird that was attached to the pigeon poles. When it flushed I shot the blank and shot again when it started to land. She never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss pigeons into the air but she never moved again. I heeled her back to the kennel.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

I heeled Tur Bo to the training area and after lifting him to the whoa board I took some pictures. He always looks the same. If you go back to the first of the training posts and compared pictures they would be almost the same. I walked to the far end and turned the corner starting back. I watched him as I flushed the bird and fired the blank pistol then shot again when the bird landed. He never moved. I walked toward him and flushed the fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. He never moved.

I continued to the pigeon that was real close to him but I made him stay on point for a while as I kicked the grass. Finally I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. After walking back and forth around the bird attached to the pigeon pole I flushed it and shot the blank pistol. Then shot again when the pigeon lit. He never moved. I tossed some more birds into the air but he never moved. Tur Bo is ready to go to the ground. He is not moving on the birds whether I shoot the blank pistol or not.

I tried to show the chain that is hooked to the dogs, on the picture of Blaze. The picture doesn’t show the chain as well as I would like but when the dog is standing on the board the chain must be loose. If the chain is tight they can’t come off the board. They don’t have to fall off the board to learn but they can’t think they are staked out on the board. When they point birds later they won’t be staked out and they can’t think they are now.

I may keep both dogs on the whoa board for a couple more days then put them on a 2 feet by 3 feet board on the ground. You never hear anyone say, “we moved too slow.” I think a few more days, on the 2X6 whoa board, will do a lot for Blaze. If I have to I can always come back to the 2X6 whoa board.