Traveling Pointing Dogs

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

It rained almost 2 inches last night, so it was wet and cool this morning when I worked dogs. I hid the normal 4 pigeons, in release traps, in the tall grass. After putting the e-collars on Tur Bo I heeled him out and lifted him onto the 2X6 whoa board. I took some pictures then walked in front of him to the far end of the tall grass. Because of the rain the tall grass was really wet so I walked the edge in the mowed grass. As I came around the end and was looking at him I flushed the pigeon. I fired the blank pistol when the bird flushed then again when it landed. He never moved.

I continued to walk toward him and flushed the fly away pigeon and fired the blank pistol. He never moved. I walked to the fly away bird that was about 8 yards from him. I made him stay on point for a while before flushing it. It flew toward him then turned north. I fired the blank pistol and he never moved. I had to get in the wet grass for the next pigeon. After kicking the cover and walking back and forth I flushed the bird. I shot when it flushed then again when it landed. He never moved. My blank pistol was empty but I flushed the 2 pigeons that were attached to the pigeon poles. This morning I counted the flushes for each dog and made sure each one had 12 flushes. He never moved so I lifted him off the whoa board and heeled him back to the kennel.

Blaze

Blaze

I heeled Blaze out and lifted her to the whoa board. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass. When I turned the corner and was looking at Blaze I flushed the first pigeon. This bird is about 25 yards from the whoa board so there is not a lot of temptation to move. I shot at the flush and again when it landed. I noticed that she was moving her feet but she didn’t come off the board. I walked toward her and flushed a fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol and she danced but didn’t come off the board. I told her to whoa but she paid no attention.

I walked toward her and she was standing still on the board. When I flushed the fly away bird she started to move her feet. I shot the blank pistol and held the button on the e-collar, that was around her flanks, down on level 2. The instant she quit moving her feet I let off the button. I walked around the next bird for a little while so she could think about, what happens when you move your feet. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She started to move and I hit the button on the e-collar. She stopped moving and I shot when the pigeon landed. She didn’t move. I was out of blanks for my pistol but I continued to toss birds in the air. I held the transmitter in my left hand and tossed pigeons with my right but I didn’t have to use the e-collar again.

For her to quit moving her feet that fast tells me that she knows what she is supposed to be doing. She may just be bored with so much repetition or she may be saying I’ll do it my way. I’m going to work them a few more times on the 2X6 whoa board then put them on a whoa board on the ground. When it gets really hot in July and August I don’t want to run them so yard work will be the training they get.

Whitey

Whitey

Whitey must like being on the 2X6 whoa board. On wild birds she has a lot of style but during training sessions she doesn’t usually show much style. When I put her on the whoa board she looks good. I had hid 4 pigeons, in the tall grass, in release traps. Two of them could fly away and two were attached to the pigeon poles by long strings. After lifting her to the 2X6 board I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass and started back toward her. When I came close to the first bird I flushed it and fired the blank pistol. When the pigeon started to land I shot again. She never moved.

I continued toward her, kicking the grass, and flushed the fly away bird when I got close to it. I shot the blank pistol and she never moved. I walked toward her to the next fly away bird and flushed it. This pigeon flew close to her but even when I shot she only turned her head to watch it fly away. The last bird was a little farther away so I circled the pigeon pole so I could be watching her when the pigeon flushed. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol, then shot again when the bird started to land. She never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to flush the two pigeons that were attached to the pigeon poles. She never moved. After 12 to 15 flushes I lifted her down and heeled her back to the kennel.

Luke

Luke watching a pigeon that flew real close to him.

After all the years I have been around dogs, occasionally I’m still surprised by them. This was the second time that Luke had even seen the 2X6 whoa board but when I heeled him close he leaped on with no help from me. I thought that the dogs would hate the whoa board but Luke seemed to like it. After hooking the chain to his collar I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass. As I started back toward him I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. When the bird started to land I shot again. He never moved. I kept walking toward him, kicking the grass and flushed the fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol and he never moved.

I continued walking toward him and when I got close I flushed the second fly away pigeon and fired the blank pistol. The bird flew real close to him and the only thing he did was turn his head to watch it fly away. (The second picture of Luke shows him watching the pigeon fly away.) I circled the pigeon pole so I could watch Luke as I flushed the next bird attached to the pigeon poles. As the pigeon came up I shot the blank pistol and shot again when it started to land. He never moved. I flushed some more pigeons after the pistol was out of blanks and he never moved. I heeled him back to the kennel.

I’m going to work the young dogs on the 2X6 whoa board for this week then try them on a whoa board that sits on the ground. I will have a check cord with a half hitch around their flanks and hooked to the D ring in their collar. The check cord will be tied to a stake driven into the ground. I’m hoping that after a lot of repetitions on the 2X6 whoa board they will figure out that they have to stay on point even through the firing of the blank pistol. With enough repetitions we will get there.

I didn’t train dogs this morning but for the computer to know the difference between the post from yesterday I had to change the date. I haven’t trained, Whitey and Luke until day before yesterday, for a while.

Whitey

Whitey

I put an e-collar around Whitey’s neck and flanks and heeled her to the 2X6 whoa board. In training, she has no style usually but when I lifted her on the whoa board her tail was up a little. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the training area. As I started back toward her I flushed the first bird that was attached to the pigeon pole and shot the blank pistol. Whitey has been steady to flush and shot in the field during training and she was steady on this. I continued to kick the grass, then flushed the fly away bird. I shot then shot again and she didn’t move.

I had one pigeon in a release trap about 7 yards in front of her and when I got close I flushed it. It flew close to her but she never moved even when I shot the blank pistol. I had one more pigeon in a release trap that was attached to the pigeon pole. I kicked the grass for a minute or so before flushing the last bird. I shot the blank pistol when I flushed the pigeon and then shot again when it landed. She never moved. My pistol was empty but I tossed the birds, attached to the poles, into the air several times and she never moved. I lifted her from the board and heeled her back to the kennel.

Luke

Luke

Luke is 4 years old and is a good bird dog that covers a lot of ground but I have never tried to make him steady to wing and shot. Before the season started last year he was flushing and chasing birds. If I was close enough to see him flush the birds I could whoa him and he would stop. I would pick him up and put him back where he had originally pointed. I would make him stay on point while I kicked in front of him for a minute or more. Then I would tap him on the head to send him on. Finally, he quit busting his birds. Now I’m asking him to not move after the gun is shot until I tap him on the head. It would have been easier 2 years ago but we are going to work on it.

I lifted him onto the whoa board and took some pictures. He has been on the barrel a lot but this is the first time for him to be on the 2X6 whoa board. I walked to the far end of the tall grass, kicking as I went, then started back and flushed a pigeon. I shot the blank pistol then when the bird was landing I shot again. He never moved. I continued to kick the grass then flushed a fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol and he never moved.

I walked on up to the fly away bird close to him, kicking the grass as I went. This bird is only 7 yards from him and when I flushed it, it flew real close to him. I shot the blank pistol and he never moved. I continued to kick the grass and flushed the last bird. I shot when it flushed then again when it landed. He never moved. That was the last of my blanks in the pistol but I flew the pigeons several times and he never moved. I lifted him from the board and heeled him back to the kennel.

Whitey and Luke have been steady in the field but some more practice won’t hurt them. I have never broke my dogs to be steady to wing and shot before. Only steady to wing. If I can get these 4 steady to wing and shot and I don’t think they are fast enough, to the retrieve, I can always let them go back to just steady to wing. Plus this gives me something to write about on my blog.

Although it’s a holiday, the dogs were happy to work this morning. I hid 4 pigeons in the tall grass in front of the 2X6 whoa board. Two of them were in release traps where they could fly away and two were attached to the pigeon poles by long strings.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo I flushed a couple of birds and he lifted his right leg and held it.

I heeled Tur Bo out, with an e-collar on his neck and another around his flanks, and lifted him onto the whoa board. He is getting more comfortable on the board. As soon as he hits the board he goes on point. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the tall grass, kicking the cover as I went. I usually go to the very end then turn and head back toward the whoa board before flushing a pigeon, so I am watching the dog. When I got close to the first pigeon I flushed it and shot the blank pistol when the bird was landing. He never moved.

I continued to kick the cover and flushed the fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon flew close to him but he didn’t move. I walked toward him until I got close to the second fly away bird. I stepped it off, to the closest bird to the dog on the whoa board, this morning. It was seven yards. When I flushed this bird it flew straight at him then turned 90 degrees. I shot the blank pistol, then shot again. I thought if I shot twice he might get real antsy and come off the board but he never moved.

I’m not sure at what point I took the picture of him with his rear leg in the air but he stayed like that for a good while. It was after a few birds. I continued to kick the cover then flushed the second bird attached to the pigeon pole by a string. I shot the blank pistol, then shot again. He never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss birds in the air. He stayed on the board. After 12 or 14 flushes, I lifted him off the board and heeled him back to the kennel.

Blaze

Blaze

I heeled Blaze out, with her e-collars on and lifted her onto the whoa board. She’s getting more comfortable, also. She points birds with a lot of style but she doesn’t have any on this board. I took some pictures and walked to the far end of the field then started back toward her. As I came by the first pigeon, I flushed it then fired the blank pistol, when the bird started to land. She never moved. I continued to kick the grass then flushed the fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol, then shot again. She never moved.

I came up close to her and flushed the second fly away bird. This pigeon came right over the top of her. I shot twice and she never moved. I walked back and forth for awhile then flushed the second bird that was attached to the pigeon pole. I waited until it was about to land before I shot the blank pistol. She never moved. My blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss birds in the air for her. After 14 or 15 flushes I heeled her back to the kennel.

Both of these young dogs are doing better and starting to understand that they can’t move, I think. I will work them on this several more times before putting them on the ground. Both of them have been steady on the flush of the birds but wanted to move when the blank was fired. I have been saying “whoa” after shooting the blank pistol, hoping that they will start to anticipate the whoa command is going to come after the shot each time. This is the same as the e-collar being on their flanks and when you hit the button they anticipate whoa is coming so they stop before you say “whoa”. Sounds reasonable to me, anyway.

It’s the fourth of July. Have a safe and happy fourth and God Bless America.