Traveling Pointing Dogs

I’m sorry that I haven’t written a post in a long time. Part of the reason, my camera quit working. With no pictures the blog doesn’t look right. I had my camera at a field trial, to watch my puppies, Annie and Stormy, run. There was just a light mist most of the day. I didn’t think about it being hard on the camera but the next time I tried to use it, the telephoto lens popped when it was extended or retracted.

I also had a litter of puppies to keep me busy.

KODAK Digital Still Camera

KODAK Digital Still Camera

I knew I had bought it at Best Buy and I remembered buying a warrantee. I took it back to Best Buy and they checked the records and told me I didn’t buy the warrantee. But they showed me what I had paid for the camera and I was surprised. It was more expensive than I thought. I decided to buy another camera but not pay as much as I had on this one. So I ordered another. When I got it it wasn’t much.

But I tried it for a couple of days. The more I thought about the good camera the more I thought I had bought a warrantee. Carrying a camera while hunting I have run through a lot of them. I started looking in my closet for the box the camera came in. When I found it I had written, 3 year warrantee with Sony. I even found the receipt where I had paid for it. I got ahold of Sony and sent them proof of everything and they sent a mailing label. I sent it off and in about a week I got it back. I think they replaced the lenses. In any case it works now.

I had a litter of puppies and before they all went to their new homes I got Annie and Stormy back. They have been running field trials, in the puppy class. When the trials start this fall they will move up to the derby class. That means they will be expected to be steady to wing and shot and honor another dog that is on point. I won’t have them long enough to get them steady to wing and shot but I can get them started. Stormy for sure and maybe Annie, have backed another dog but I will work them on the backing dog.

I had worked Annie and Stormy on whoa, heel and here before they went to the field trial circuit. They had the basics but were not even close to being well started on the commands. As soon as I got them home I started again. My 4 point whatever acre lot is long and narrow. Approximately 165 feet by 1400. I put a metal pinch collar on them with an e-collar around their flanks. I have them pull a 20 foot check cord.

Vince walking in with Mann on point Sally and Boss honoring..

I had them wear the e-collar for about a week before I turned it on. I walked them all the way around the lot heeling them and whoaing them about every 30 feet. That makes a lot of heel and whoa commands. Some of the time I stand right beside them and after a few seconds tap them on the head and say, “heel”. Some of the time I walk a circle around them, sometimes I go behind them and then to the front. I kick the ground, shake bushes that are close and pick up sticks from the ground and toss them. Sometimes, I go to the end of the check cord in front of them and say, “here”.

Once I turned the e-collar on whoa command was quicker. Both pups knew the command but there was nothing to cause them to stop quickly. The first morning, I started with the handheld set on 1. I walked the pups just a few feet, pushed the transmitter button and about a second later said, “whoa”. They knew the command but they figured out, quickly, that the quicker they stopped the quicker the stimulation stopped.

It wasn’t long before they were stopping as soon as the stimulation came on. Well before I could say, “whoa”. After a few mornings like this, I started whoaing them, putting a pigeon to sleep and placing it right in front of them. I let them point the pigeon for a minute or so then turn it over with my foot, waking it up. I held the check cord and made them stay where they had been whoaed.

Boss on wild quail.

We had worked on the whoa command so much before I started using the pigeons that they knew they needed to stay on whoa, maybe. We took it up a notch. Before I took either pup out of the kennel I put a pigeon in a release trap and hid it where the wind was away from where the pup could smell it or see it. When I got close to this hidden bird I whoaed the pup and put a pigeon to sleep in front of her. I walked a circle around the pup holding on to the check cord. I stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is. I flushed the hidden bird. The first time they both wanted to move then went back to pointing the close bird asleep in front of them.

After a few seconds I rolled the pigeon over waking it up. Both pups wanted to move more on the close bird than they did on the pigeon from the release trap. Each time I had two birds in release traps and I put two pigeons to sleep in front of them. Both pups did really well on them except for one time. I was working Stormy and she did fine on her first set of birds. On the second set I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her, stroked her and walked around her. She was really steady. I flushed the hidden pigeon and she stood and watched it fly away. I took my eye off her for about half a second and she reached down and picked the pigeon up that was asleep in front of her. I pulled on the check cord and the pigeon flew away, unhurt.

Mann pointing quail on a foggy morning.

I normally walk them all the way around the lot but when she moved and grabbed the pigeon I took her back to the kennel. This morning I changed it a little. We still circled the lot heeling and whoaing. A few here commands and a few times I had them on whoa and called them to me. When they started to me I held my hand up like a cop stopping a car and said, “whoa”. This is hard on the dogs mentally but it reinforces the whoa command.

But this morning I just hid two pigeons for each puppy. I still used the check cord on each of them as we went to the hidden birds. Each pup pointed too close to the bushes on one of the birds, I had hidden it too far into the bushes, for me to walk around them. But on the other I held the check cord, with there being slack, as I circled them. Neither of them moved until I flushed the pigeon. They wanted to chase but I set them back, said, “whoa’ and stroked their sides. I heeled them back to the retrieving bench.

Sally ,Gracie and Beth pointing with Mann in back honoring.

When they were young I put them on the bench and fed them chunks of hotdog. They still check my hands, occasionally. Now I just pet them and tell them what good girls they are. After the bench we go to a chair I have sitting in the shade of a hackberry tree. Some of the time I get them to sit in my lap sometimes they just rear up on me as I sit. Both me and the pups enjoy these quiet times before they go back to the kennel.

You can tell from the title to this post that I haven’t had much to report. The puppies are doing great. This is when they are fun but also a lot of work. Now, at 6 weeks old, I take them out of the raised kennel 2 or 3 times a day. I put them in the grass and each day they get a little bolder.

A puppy learning about the big, big world.

More puppies.

It’s hard to see but one of the puppies is off the high part of the patio crying to get back on.

I did the Super Pup system with the puppies. The Super Pup thing is: Tickle between the toes with a Q-tip for 3 to 5 seconds; hold their head straight up for 3 to 5 seconds; hold their head straight down for 3 to 5 seconds; hold them on their back for 3 to 5 seconds and place them on a towel that has been in a freezer for 3 to 5 seconds. You do that from day 3 through day 16 each day. That’s just a snap shot of the procedure. If anyone is interested just Google “Super Pup”. There is a good video on how to do it.

Because of there possibly being two sires for this litter I sent the DNA kits off the same day I got them. They were furnished by UKC but the DNA test will be performed by one of the California colleges. It’s been more than a month and I haven’t heard from them.

On their 16th day as a graduation present, from the Super Pup program, I put collars on them. I’m not sure whether they think it was a present or more of a punishment. They stopped to scratch their collars every once in a while but after a couple of days they were used to them. Each collar is a different color so it makes identifying them from a distance easier. And most of them will wear a collar for the rest of their life. May as well get used to it.

Watching the puppies learn is a lot of fun. Their raised kennel sits on a concrete drive. There is a patch of grass between the concrete drive and the asphalt drive that wraps around. On the other side of the asphalt is more grass. The puppies were okay with the concrete drive but wouldn’t step on the asphalt for several days. After a few days I moved a chair across the asphalt and then called their mother, Abby, to me. If mom could do it so could they.

Then this morning, one of the pups was trying to get on the patio where most of the other pups were but she was at a spot where the patio was about 16 inches high. They just learned to get on the porch and that is only 6 or 7 inches high. It was crying until a couple of puppies went to check on her. She still couldn’t get up. Then another puppy came around through the yard to look at her. I could see her thinking. Hey, I can go that way. Puppies have to learn everything and that is one of the ways they do it. Watching each other.

Just puppies being puppies.

The puppies are 6 weeks old today and the guy with first pick will be by this afternoon to make his pick. Once he makes his pick I will know where most of them are going. A couple of people have made their selection if it isn’t picked by the guy with first pick. But they aren’t taking them today. I like for the puppies to stay until they are 8 weeks old, at least. But in my opinion, much longer and the pups either turn into bullies or wallflowers.

The guy that has my other two puppies, Annie and Stormy, was running them in a field trial in northern Oklahoma so I drove down to watch. Annie was in the second brace so I had to be there early. I fed Abby and the puppies so I could leave by 4:oo am. It was about 3 1/2 hours down there.

More puppies.

They were running in the open puppy class. The guy that is handling them had a side by side and I drove it hauling other spectators or handlers when their run was over. The first brace didn’t happen. Evidently someone didn’t show up and the puppy that was brought to the line kept going back to the chain gang that he had been chained to. So he was put back on the chain gang and Annie and her brace mate were ran.

Annie’s brace mate wanted to play to start with but she just went by him and went hunting. She was all business. About half way, up on a hill, she went on point. She was skylighted by standing on the hill and looked great. She was far enough in front of the handler that she stayed on point, for a minute or two, then flushed the bird. But it was a puppy class. That’s what puppies do.

Puppies.

Stormy ran later but she had a good race with no finds. But it is easy to tell that both of these pups have been worked a lot. Both of them are true puppies, with Stormy’s birthday the 25th of April, she will be 1 year old. Annie was a year old the 20th of February. They seem to get better each time I see them run.

Because of the puppies at home I drove home after the puppies ran. Another 3 1/2 hours. But I feed Abby and the puppies twice a day and I don’t like to ask anyone to do it for me.

Abby pointing a covey.

The puppies were running in the amateur the next day but it wouldn’t be until afternoon. I drove back but I didn’t leave until about 8:00 am. The handler (I’ve got to ask him if it’s okay to use his name in these posts) had a guy lined up to run the pups for him. The pro handler couldn’t run them in the amateur.

Just before I got there he called me. He and his young son put some ointment on a small cut on Annie’s foot. When they finished he told his son to put her up meaning in the truck. His son put her back in the kennel. Long story short, she was home. Too far from his kennel to go get her. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

He had Stormy with him. Then just before it was time to run her we noticed that we were braced against the guy that was supposed to run her. Originally he had asked me to run them but I felt at my age, 81 years old, I could walk 20 minutes for each heat but I knew I would be slower than the younger handlers. I didn’t want to hold someone up or be so far behind I didn’t know what was going on. But now I was it. They did offer a 4-wheeler but since there is only one dog to run I could tough it out for I brace. I had to borrow a blank pistol and GPS but I was ready.

Annie at Grove Springs break away.

I brought Stormy up on a Wonder lead and we turned them loose. She was running against a young pointer. A couple hundred yards into it both dogs went a long way to our right. We started calling and they weren’t gone long before they were both in front but covering a lot of ground. The temperature was 88 degrees with a strong south wind. Not the best of days for dog work.

Some of my dogs just get a drink out of any available water and go back to hunting. Not Stormy on this hot day. She jumped in to any available water. She was a muddy mess by the time we finished but it cooled her off. We ran in the last brace of amateur puppies.

They hadn’t given the placements on the amateur derby that was run just before the puppies. They gave those out then placed Stormy third in the puppies, the pointer we had run against was second and a German short hair was first. It was late afternoon so I jumped into the truck and went home. Another 3 1/2 hour drive.

Annie pointing an armadillo.

The next day I couldn’t believe how tired I was. My mind didn’t even work very well, if it ever does. I had driven 14 hours over Saturday and Sunday, and ran Stormy in 88 degree heat walking as fast as I could. But it was all worth it. I enjoyed both days with a bunch of people that like to do the same things I like.

Vince Dye and I ran the dogs in north central Missouri, a few days ago. With Vince and me it’s hard to know whether it’s more about the dogs or more about the good breakfast on the way. It’s hard to tell but they both are important. We stopped in down town Lawson Missouri for breakfast. I don’t remember the name of the cafe but Lawson isn’t very big. Should only be one down town and it was good.

Bodie pointing a covey.

Boss and Mann with a divided find.

Abby pointing a covey.

Vince has several places in this area to hunt but the place we were going to he had hunted twice during the season. One time he found 11 coveys and the other he found 10. Just running dogs we probably wouldn’t hunt it as close as we would hunting but it is a great place to run dogs.

Another reason we are checking this place, we have had two big storms. Once about a foot of snow and the other almost as much with super cold weather. One night it got down to minus 8 at my house and this is 50 miles farther north. So the weather could have devastated the birds.

We stopped by the owners house to make sure it was okay then drove to the farm. This friend of Vince’s has several places. After putting GPS and e-collars on the dogs, Sally, Boss, Mann, Abby and Bodie, we turned them loose. They didn’t go a hundred yards until Mann and Boss were on point, side by side. As we got closer Bodie pointed, looking into a plum thicket.

I could see Bodie real well but Mann and Boss were buried in the tall grass, side by side. Sharing a find. When I got closer I saw Abby on the other side of Mann and Boss. She was not honoring she was pointing into the plum thicket, too. When I looked back, I think, only Sally was honoring.

I took pictures then we walked in without flushing a bird. But I think they either ran from the dogs or flushed while we were putting the collars on the dogs. There was too much scent for there not being any birds. I think 4 of the dogs were pointing the same scent in different spots.

Sally honoring.

We went on around. It was a warm day and the dogs hadn’t been out of their pens since the middle of January. The were out of shape. I saw a pond and we went toward it. Before we got there Abby pointed, standing on the dam with Mann right behind her, honoring. By the time we got close the other dogs were backing.

Since we weren’t hunting Vince didn’t come on up. I tried to kick the cover in front of Abby on the down side of the dam and there was some brush hidden in the tall grass. I got my feet tangled in it and down I went. The dogs went through the cover pointing and moving. All 5 made points but we never saw a bird.

I got all of the dogs to water in the pond and we went on around. Just a little farther Sally went on point. Then Boss was close either honoring or on point, according to the GPS. Vince started around a clump of brush about 40 yards from me and walked into a big covey of quail. Neither of us had seen the dogs but they were close.

Mann honoring Abby. Abby isn’t black. She rolled in a muddy pond.

I kept watching the GPS. Neither of the dogs had moved. They were just about 40 feet from me but in the brush and tall weeds. I still couldn’t see them. I went through some brush and about 35 yards away I saw 7 or 8 quail flush. There were probably more on the other side. A few seconds later Sally came by, trailing.

I think both of these coveys were close together and when they detected either us or the dogs they started running. Had Vince stayed with me we wouldn’t have seen the first covey. If I had been back just a little farther I wouldn’t have seen the birds I saw. We were close to the property line and both coveys flew off the farm we were hunting.

We went on around an edge. The GPS showed Sally on point ahead of us. When we got close she was pointing into a thicket, then moved into the woods and pointed again. We started in and saw one quail flush about 40 yards down in the timber and heard some others. As I was standing, watching, Bodie came in front of me and pointed into a small brush pile. He only stood for about 15 seconds then started trailing.

Boss and Mann honoring Abby.

It was a warm day and with the dogs being out of shape we headed back to the truck. Actually, Vince and I aren’t in top shape either but like to blame it on the dogs being out of shape. We did see 3 coveys or we think we did and I believe 2 more ran away from the dogs that we didn’t see. A friend was hunting some pen reared birds 75 miles or so away and said they were all runners, too. Would pen reared birds and wild birds have the same traits. I don’t know but if wild birds last until late February they are smart. Maybe survivor is a better word.