Traveling Pointing Dogs

We had a little more excitement this morning than usual. After I loaded the pigeons into the bird bag, that I take to the county park, I released Blaze, Whitey and Tur Bo. It’s about 125 yards to my truck and they always beat me to it. This morning after getting to the truck they all three ran over to the vacant 5 acres south of my yard while I was walking to the truck. As I came up beside the house they came back toward the truck. I continued on to the truck and Blaze came from in front of the house, as fast as she could run, with a doe deer about 5 yards behind. I don’t know whether the deer was chasing her or another dog had chased the deer and it was running to get away. But Blaze and I believe it was after her. When she came back she was happy to stay close to me.

Whitey

Whitey

I put the birds out, came back and put the e-collars on Whitey. I heeled her to the edge of the field, whoaed her then walked around with her standing on whoa. I only whoa them one time, then walk around them for a couple of minutes. Finally, I tap them on the head and say okay to release them to hunt. Whitey is real steady on her birds. She hit the scent cone, on the first bird, and froze. When she and Blaze point, I don’t say anything. I walked in front kicking the cover. I’m walking around more on their points, so they will have to be on point for a longer time. After a couple of minutes kicking the cover I flushed the pigeon. She stood watching the bird fly away.

Blaze is back to barking while she is tied out waiting her turn. She barked when I heeled Whitey away. She doesn’t bark all of the time, just the first few minutes of the other dogs run. But that is more than I want.

On Whitey’s second bird I just saw the grass quit moving. I knew where the bird was so she was easy to find. I walked around her for a while then flushed the pigeon. The bird flew back over her and the dogs that were tied out, waiting. She turned her head to watch the bird fly away but didn’t move her feet. I continued to kick the cover then walked back and tapped her on the head to release her.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

I normally work Blaze next but she’s been barking so I heeled Tur Bo out to the field and whoaed him, one time. He is so ready to find the birds but I make him stand while I walk around him. Sometimes, I come back and stroke his sides then without saying anything walk back in front. That is hard for him. Finally I tap him on the head. I would not want to be in front of him when he takes off. He is usually a long way off his birds when he points and this morning was no exception. He was about 25 yards from the first pigeon. He had an e-collar on his neck and was dragging a check cord with a half hitch around his flanks. I whoaed him one time when he went on point then walked to him and picked up the check cord. I was standing 4 or 5 feet behind him holding the check cord watching him suck the scent of the bird in. He wasn’t panting and his nostrils were going in and out. I let him stay on point for a couple of minutes then flushed the pigeon. He moved but only until the check cord started to tighten up. I set him back and walked in front of him kicking the cover. He took a step then stopped and I set him back. I walked around in front of him for a while then tapped him on the head to release him.

Blaze barked when I heeled Tur Bo out but she quit after a few minutes. I hope she figures out that barking causes her to get worked last. We will see.

Tur Bo pointed his second bird from about 15 yards. I whoaed him and grabbed the check cord. I was about 4 or 5 feet behind him. I let him stand for a little while then flushed the bird. It flew right back over his head and he hit the end of the check cord, hard, about 3 times before he stopped. I set him back, walked a circle around him then tapped him on the head to release him.

Blaze

Blaze

I heeled Blaze out and whoaed her. After I walked around her for a while I released her to hunt. She was going back and forth when she hit the scent cone and pointed then decided to get one step closer. I flushed the pigeon and she stopped. I didn’t say anything. I walked around her for a long time, making her stay on point with no bird there. If the dog can’t chase the only fun they get out of this is in pointing the bird. Finally I tapped her on the head to release her.

She went back to hunting and I was trying to watch her real close in the tall grass. She pointed her second bird then took a step and I flushed the pigeon. She stopped without me saying anything. Again I made her stay on point a long time before I released her. This is a smart dog and in my opinion she is trying to punish me for working her last. Sometimes smart dogs are harder to train but once you get them doing it right they make really good dogs. I’ve talked about her grandmother, Alley before. She was a good dog but she too would try to out figure me. Finally I tapped her on the head to release her.

The way I train takes longer than some other methods but if the dog is capable of learning (has good genes, good nose and desire) you can make a bird dog out him of him this way. I don’t put pressure on them by shocking or beating, just a lot of repetition. I do use an e-collar but it never makes them yelp unless they are chasing off game. That’s not to say I don’t punish them when they willfully disobey. If they know a command really well and disobey I punish them.

An example was Whitey and Blaze’s grandmother, Alley. When I clean kennels, I have a big pen that I turn my dogs into and when I’m through I can open the gate on each pen and the dog that belongs in it goes in. About twice a year Alley would go to the back of the big pen and act like she didn’t know she was supposed to kennel. I would pull my belt off and hit her one time with it and she would be good for about 6 months. But that was a command that she knew really well and she knew why she was being punished. She knew she had it coming.

It was cool, in the low sixties. I checked the wind this morning before leaving the house and it was about 10 miles per hour from the north east. I have two places at the county park, where I run my dogs. When the wind is out of the north, I go to the one where I can park on the south and work the dogs into the wind.

This is the area I have to run dogs in.

Blaze

Blaze

I hid 2 pigeons, in release traps, in the tall grass. The grass in this field is taller than the other one. By the time I got the pigeons hid the wind was out of the south. I hid the pigeons about 125 yards apart so the dogs would have to work harder to find them. Blaze has been barking, while she is tied up and I’ve been working her last to get her to stop. The last time I worked dogs she didn’t bark while I worked Tur Bo. This morning she didn’t bark while I put the birds out so I decided to work her first.

I heeled Blaze toward the bird field, whoaed her, walked in front then circled around behind her. I went back in front then came back and tapped her on the head. She flew down the field going back and forth until she hit the scent cone on the first bird and locked up. I took some pictures, walked in front kicking the cover. I’m making them stay on point for longer periods of time than before. When I flushed the bird she never moved. I continued to kick the cover making a large circle around her then went to her and tapped her on the head.

She went back to hunting but she expected to find the second bird close to the first. She tried to go on point without having any scent. I encouraged her to continue hunting by saying “okay” and clapping my hands. I could tell when she hit the scent of the second bird and went on point. I took more pictures, kicked the cover, then made a big circle around her. I came back to her and stroked her sides then went back in front kicking the tall grass. When I finally flushed the bird she never moved. I continued to kick the cover then came back and tapped her on the head.

Whitey

Whitey

The wind was getting stronger out of the south so I heeled Whitey about 100 yards north of where I had hid the farther bird. I whoaed her, then walked a big circle around her. I’m making them stand for longer and longer periods of time on whoa. Finally I tapped her on the head to release her. In this field, it is harder to see the dogs because of the tall grass. I have to watch the grass move as they run through it. When the grass quits moving they are on point. Here, I know where the birds are so I can find the dogs when they go on point but in a hunting situation this is another place for the GPS. I’m surprised how many times I find my dogs on point, 15 to 20 yards, from me and I can’t see them. Before the GPS, we would walk away. Later our dogs would rejoin us and we would have no idea they had birds.

I found Whitey on her first bird and walked a circle around her. I walked back and stroked her sides, telling her what a good dog she is. I walked back out kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. The only thing that moved was her head as she watched it fly away. I continued to kick the tall grass then came back and tapped her on the head.

I was standing in a different spot and Whitey hit the scent cone a little different than Blaze had because I saw her go on point. I walked in front of her kicking the cover, walked back and stroked her. Then I walked back in front and made a big circle around her. Finally, I walked in front and flushed the bird. She watched it fly away. (As I worked her Blaze was whining but she wasn’t barking.) I continued to kick the cover then tapped her on the head to release her.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

I heeled Tur Bo about 100 yards north of the farther pigeon I had hidden in the tall grass. I whoaed him then walked a circle around him. He really doesn’t like for me to pass him and go to the rear but he’s getting used to it. Because he’s learning I make him stand on whoa longer than Blaze and Whitey. Finally I tapped him on the head. I had put an e-collar around his neck and he was dragging a check cord that was half hitched around his flanks. When the grass quit moving I went looking for him. He was about 7 or 8 yards from the pigeon when I found him. I whoaed him one time then walked in front of him and took some pictures. As I checked something on the camera he moved up a step. If I had been watching him I might have been able to whoa him before he moved. I whoaed him then picked him up and set him back. When he went back on point I picked up the check cord. I let him stand on point for a little while then flushed the bird. He hit the end of the check cord and stopped. I didn’t jerk on the check cord, I just held it. I picked him up and set him back. When he went back on point I released him by tapping him on the head.

When he pointed his second bird I took some pictures, then went to him and stroked his sides. I picked up the check cord and waited for a minute or more before flushing the pigeon. He hit the end of the check cord then backed up and hit it again. He did this 4 times before he gave up. I picked him up and set him back. After he went back on point I stroked his sides telling him what a good boy he is. I let him stand for a couple of minutes then released him.

Dogs learn on repetition. If you’ve never trained a dog you will be surprised at the number of repetitions it takes to get a dog where you want them. You have to be patient and like what you are doing.

I started to title this, Things I Don’t Know, but I would never get through writing it. For some reason a couple of things I have tried to put on have not gone on as all the others have. The computer puts a search bar up and if you click on it the article appears. I don’t know why. It’s probably something I’m doing.

Stained glass windows in the Chapel at the Citadel.

My wife June taking pictures at the Citadel

Now you have to suffer some pictures of my vacation. Sorry, but I was really impressed with the Citadel.

Another thing, if you see something, that you are interested in, advertised on one of my blogs please click on it. I get a few cents for each click and it may be enough to keep me on the road this fall when the hunting season gets started.

< I'm up to over 40,000 hits on my blog and I want to thank everyone for reading it. I would be working the dogs without the blog but probably not as often. I enjoy writing and I enjoy working the dogs so it's a win, win for me. Once again, thank you, everyone for reading the blog.

I have been on vacation. I wrote one Training Young Dogs while we were on the road and the Odds and Ends. I’m always ready to go but the best part is getting home.

Blaze, Tur Bo and Whitey really missed being worked almost every day. It’s been 9 or 10 days since they have been worked on birds. I always turn them loose and they run to the truck to go to the county park. This morning I couldn’t keep up with them on my 4-wheeler.

The temperature was in the upper 60’s with a south east breeze. I tied all 3 dogs where they could watch each other work.

Whitey

Whitey

After I hid 2 pigeons in the tall grass I heeled Whitey to the edge of the field and whoaed her. I started something new this morning. After I told her whoa I coiled the piggin’ string, walked out front of her then to the rear. I stood beside her then made another circle. Then I tapped her on the head to release her. I say whoa one time and they stop. They are learning they have to stay until they are tapped on the head and I say okay.

I tapped Whitey on the head and she went to work. She was going back and forth across the field in front of me when she went on point. She was over 40 yards from the pigeon. I thought she was too far from the bird to smell it so I tapped her on the head but she wouldn’t move. It had rained the day before so there was plenty of moisture and she was looking straight into the wind so she was smelling the pigeon. I took some pictures, walked in front of her kicking the cover and flushed the bird. She never moved. I continued to kick the cover, then walked back to her, stroked her sides then went back to kicking the cover. Finally I tapped her on the head to release her.

When she pointed her second bird she was almost as far from it as she was on the first. I took some more pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. When I flushed the bird she never moved. I tapped her on the head to release her to hunt back to the truck.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo

I heeled Tur Bo to the edge of the field said whoa then walked in front then to the rear. I came back to him and stroked his sides then walked back in front then to the rear. I walked back to him and tapped him on the head. I had only said whoa one time. He was going back and forth across the field when he went on point. He is usually going real fast and either slams into a point or whirls around. Today was no exception. He to was about 40 yards from the bird when he went on point. Today I was running him with an e-collar around his neck and a check cord with a half hitch around his flanks. When he went on point I said whoa one time, took some pictures then grabbed the check cord. As we stood there his mouth was opening and closing like he was chewing the scent. When I flushed the pigeon I held on to the check cord. I did not jerk, I just held it. He hit the end of the check cord and jumped sideways and stopped. I let him stand and watch the pigeon fly out of the field then picked him up and set him back. After he went back on point I tapped him on the head to release him.

He pointed his second bird from about 40 yards, also. The conditions must be perfect. I whoaed him one time, took some picture then picked up the check cord. I let him stand for a couple of minutes then flushed the bird. He just went to the end of the check cord and when it started getting tight he stopped. I picked him up and set him back. He went on point and I let him stand for a while then tapped him on the head.

Blaze

Blaze

Blaze has been barking while she is tied up waiting her turn so I started working her last. She barked this morning until I worked Tur Bo. Hopefully she’s learning. I heeled her out to the field and whoaed her. I made her stand even longer than I had on the other two dogs. She has to learn that barking doesn’t work. When she pointed her first bird, like the other two, she was about 40 yards from the pigeon. I took some pictures, walked in front of her kicking the cover, went back to her and stroked her sides then went back in front. When I flushed the bird she never moved. I continued to kick the cover, went back and stroked her sides then tapped her on the head to release her.

She pointed her second bird from a long distance, too. I took some pictures, walked in front kicking the cover then flushed the pigeon. I have some young pigeons and it’s hard to tell the babies from the adult birds. This was a baby and when I flushed it went about 10 feet into the air and came back down. Blaze ran toward it and I yelled whoa one time. She didn’t even slow down so I decided to use it as a retrieving drill. I said fetch and she brought it part of the way to me. I picked the pigeon up and it wasn’t hurt so I carried it back to the truck.

Working these young dogs, most days, gives me an opportunity to work on several things such as Blaze barking. This just shows desire but I don’t like to hear it. She’s a really smart dog so she will figure this out.