Traveling Pointing Dogs

I’m still working all 4 of the dogs on retrieving. Sally and Mann, I just throw a few Dokken bumpers for but Abby and Boss are being force broke. As slow as I go with the force fetch it can’t be force broke. It’s more like force bending. Because I don’t force break dogs for other people I can go as fast or as slow as I would like. If I was paying someone to force fetch my dogs I would want them to hurry so it wouldn’t cost a great deal. But I don’t get paid so I can go slow.

Sally waiting for me to take the dummy and give her a treat.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.

Mann, when he retrieves, was coming to me but at the last moment would turn where his head was pointed away from me. The last blog I thought I had it figured out. I spread my arms out when he came back and the first day he came straight in and looked at me. The next time, with me holding my arms wide, he came in with his head away.

I’m not sure what he thinks he’s doing by coming in with his side to me but I want to fix it. He’s now taking a treat most of the time when he retrieves so I started asking him to come closer. The first few times he came side ways. I kept calling him until he looked at me. Only then did I take the dummy and give him a treat. That seems to be working. You can’t train each dog in exactly the same way as all of the others. With all of the dogs it’s as much being trained as it is training.

After 5 or 6 retrieves, according to the weather, cool it’s more, warm it’s less, I let all of the dogs run for a while as I follow on the 4-wheeler. Mann and Boss go really fast. For Boss I have to be fairly close when we get to my front yard since he isn’t scared of the highway. I have to be near to call him back and across the front then go toward the back. Boss is the only one that seems unafraid of the highway. The others turn as they pass the house.

My neighbor had a large tree that had died right between my pigeon house and dog pens. We cut it down before it fell on the pigeon coop or dog pens and destroyed them. It left a tall stump and I cut the stump to about the right size to sit on and I use it for a loving spot. After I work each dog and let them run for a while I sit on the stump and pet them. Abby and Sally want treats while they are being petted but Mann and Boss just want the attention.

While I sit on the stump I make Sally, Abby and Mann stand right in front of me while they are being petted. Boss thinks he should be in my lap. He jumps on me every time. I run all of the dogs with e-collar and GPS collars so this gives me time to take the GPS collar off and change their e-collar over to a bark collar, so I don’t have to listen to them bark while I train another. After about a minute of petting I say, “okay” and they all head for their kennel.

I force broke Sally about 3 years ago but she never put it together with retrieving dead birds until last year. She got pretty good but should be better this year. When I throw the Dokken bumpers, usually the quail bumper, she does everything perfect or she doesn’t get a treat. Treats for her are a big deal. And she really likes to retrieve now, too. She runs really fast and spins around to get the bumper. When she gets it she is straight back to me and will stand until I say, “give”. After I give her a treat she’s ready to do it again.

The stump I’ve made into a loving spot.

Abby and Sally both don’t run all out, in front of the 4-wheeler, like the boys do. I put them on whoa near the 4-wheeler, get on and start it then say, “okay”. Their break away is good but they dawdle. They both have to stop and eat grass or smell where a rabbit has been or whatever. The last few times I have been keeping them in front of me. When they stop to eat grass I stop the 4-wheeler until they move.

They both act like, “Oh, okay I’ll run if that’s what you want”. Before I would ride on to the back and turn and start back and they would get in front of me. But they were only running half way. Now I wait and they run all of it. They need the exercise.

I try to alternate on which of the young dogs I work first each time. Most of the time I can remember which one was worked first the last time. One week Boss will be a little ahead of Abby and the next week it’s the other way around. This week Abby has been doing a little better than Boss.

Boss, stretched out, pointing a pigeon.

I heeled her down to the retrieving bench. When she jumps onto the bench I walk her back and forth petting her and feeding treats. I use the Garmin Sports Pro e-collar for the force breaking. So far I have only used level 2 and level 3. This transmitter has 10 levels and they show just a little reaction to the level 3. Now I sometimes go back to level 2 when they are doing good with retrieving. Sometimes I skip the e-collar altogether.

I had her retrieve 6 different dummies that were placed part of the way down the bench. Each time, I would have to turn her around on the bench then say, “fetch” and walk down the bench with her. As soon as she picked up the dummy I would hurry back to the start and call her. When she turned and started toward me I would clap my hands and make a big deal out of it. I wanted her to know she was pleasing me.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

After she retrieved the 6 dummies sometimes twice I petted her on the bench and gave more treats. I set her on the ground and told her to whoa. I took the dowel dummy and held it in front of her and said, “fetch”. She took it and I said, “give”. She dropped it and I placed it at her feet on the ground. I said, “fetch”. She was slower but she picked it up. I said, “hold, then heel” and we walked a circle. The first few times she went a short distance and spit the dowel out. As soon as the dowel left her mouth the stimulation came on.

When I placed my hand close to the dowel she would pick it up. The first few times she would spit the dowel out 2 or 3 times. Each time the stimulation came on when the dowel left her mouth. The only thing that kept the stimulation off was having the dowel in her mouth. The last couple of times we have made a large circle without her dropping the dowel.

I let her run and she’s one I have to stop and wait on several times. But she’s starting to run a lot better. After 2 rounds of the yard I sit on the stump and pet her. Actually, I sit on the stump and feed her treats. She loves and expects her treats.

Sally retrieving the Dokken quail.

Boss is next. He doesn’t like the treats like the girls do so he’s more reluctant to get on the bench. I pet him as we walk both sides of the bench. I try to get him to eat a treat and sometimes he will but it’s not a big deal to him.

I do him the same way I do Abby. I start with the dowel. I hold it right in front to start then about half way down then on the bench top. Then I take it about half way down the bench, lay it down, turn him around and say, “fetch”. He moves really slow. One day this week he moved really slow to the dowel and when he picked it up it just barely cleared the bench and he stopped. I just stood and watched. I was a little behind him and I could see if he let it back down on the bench. We both just stood.

After a minute or longer he let it down and the stimulation came on. I didn’t say anything. He picked it back up and cleared the bench about an inch. I made him raise his head and then I called him to me. When he started to me I made a big deal out of it. He seemed proud to give me the dowel. After that he was slow but he retrieved it several times.

I set him on the ground and said, “whoa”. I had him retrieve the dowel from right in front of his mouth, then about half way down then pick it up from the ground. Once he picked it up from the ground I had him walk in a circle. The first circle for him he never spit it out but after that time he started spitting it out. I watched close and as soon as he spit it out the stimulation came on. The last couple of times, he hasn’t spit it out.

Mann honoring Ally.

I let him run for a while. He and Mann make me go about as fast as the 4-wheeler will go. But if I don’t stay close Boss may either go to the highway or go off to the west and be gone for a long time. Seems like just before I sit on my stump to pet him he finds a good mud hole so he can bring me plenty of mud. But that’s a small price to pay for a dog that wants to sit in your lap.

I worked the dogs Monday then it’s rained 3 days in a row. Tuesday and Wednesday the rain was too much to get out but today I got out for a little while between the rains. The dogs need the exercise nearly as much as I do. When the ground is wet it’s hard to not make ruts with the 4-wheeler but if I don’t ride I can’t keep up with the dogs and they go off my property. That wouldn’t be all that bad except in just a few minutes they can be over a mile off my property. Then it becomes a problem.

Mann on point.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Sally on point.

I worked Sally on retrieving this morning. She will retrieve as long as I will throw the dummy, as long as I give her a treat when she returns. But she knows she has to do it correctly or she doesn’t get a treat. That keeps her honest. She really wants the treat. After 5 or 6 retrieves I let her run while I follow along on the 4-wheeler. When we got back to the kennel I sat on the stump and petted her and fed a few more treats. In just a few minutes she’s was ready to go in her kennel.

Mann was next. The guy that force broke him put a lot of pressure on him. So I’ve tried not to stress him out, on retrieving. Because he was force broke he will retrieve but he doesn’t like it. Although he’s getting better. He was having a hard time knowing where to come to me when he retrieved. He, sometimes, came in sideways to me instead of to my front. And he often stopped a few feet away from me, without dropping the dummy.

This morning when I worked him the first retrieve he came in sideways and stopped a few feet away. I pulled him to me and petted him. Then I decided that I needed to get him to coming directly in to me. I threw the dummy about as far as I could throw and he went after it. I squatted down and when he got close I held my hands apart with my arms spread out. He came straight in to me.

I was surprised. I threw the dummy 4 or 5 more times and spread my arms each time as he came toward me. He delivered the dummy straight in to me each time. Maybe I was the problem instead of him. I will keep on with this until he get’s it ingrained into his routine. I let him run for a bit then sat on the stump and petted him. The temperature was in the upper 60’s with heavy humidity. It wasn’t long before he was ready to go in the kennel.

I heeled Boss to the retrieving bench. After a lot of petting and trying to get him to eat a treat I started the retrieving. I’ve been holding the button on the transmitter down as I pull on the string with a half hitch around his toes for over a week. Today I decided to try with just the e-collar. I held the button down and said, “fetch” as I held a dowel in front of him. He took it just fine. He held the dowel until I said, “give”.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

We went through all 6 dummies. On the last one which was another dowel I said, “heel” and walked down the table. He followed along holding the dummy. I turned and went back to the start and he followed. He dropped it into my hand when I said, “give”. We went through all 6 dummies with him walking on the bench before I took it from him. It wasn’t flawless but for the first time without the string and walking with each one, it was great.

I set him on the ground and heeled him back near the 4-wheeler. I made a couple of passes around the yard with him running all out. After the second pass we quit at the kennels. I sat on the stump and petted him. Boss makes the petting easy. He crawls into my lap as if he’s a little boy. All he wants is petting. After a couple of minutes he was ready to go into his kennel.

I heeled Abby close to the retrieving bench. About 15 yards short of the bench I whoaed her, took the Wonder lead off, stroked her sides and tapped her head as I said, “okay”. She ran and jumped onto the retrieving bench. Abby loves the treats so I usually give her several as I walk her up and down the bench.

Abby really concentrating on this honor.

Since I didn’t need the string around the toes for Boss I tried just the e-collar on Abby. She took the dowel, when I held the button down on the transmitter, but did it really slow. I use the Garmin Sport Pro e-collar for the force breaking. I have been using the level 3 for both dogs. I decided because she’s tougher than Boss I would go to level 4 on her. I pushed the button on the transmitter, on level 4, and Abby just stood gritting her teeth.

I went back to level 3 and told her to fetch and she took the dummy. We ran through all 6 dummies. She was slow but she picked them up. Boss will walk with the dummies in his mouth and it doesn’t bother him. I have to pull Abby but if she is at the other end she is easier to bring back to the start. So I led her to the other end and said, “fetch”. She picked up the dummy but she didn’t want to walk across the other dummies lying on the bench, but she did.

Each time I walked her to the far end of the bench and let her carry the dummy back to the start. She too wasn’t flawless but we got through it. A few days of this and maybe I will be able to have them carry a dummy on the ground.

John, Vince and Abby.

As I’ve said before, I’m going really slow because I can. There is no time constraints on my training. If we don’t get it done next week maybe we will the next week. That’s the neat part about force breaking dogs this time of year. Quail season is 5 months away. That gives me plenty of time to get the job done.

The weather cooperated this week and I was able to work the dogs every day. I’m still throwing a few retrieves for Sally and Mann before I work the young dogs on the force retrieve. Sally likes the treats but Mann is happy to be petted. After a few, usually about 5 retrieves, I whoa them, get on the 4-wheeler, start it and release them to run. We go all the way to the back, turn and come back to the front yard then to the back then to the kennel.

Boss, not happy, but holding the dowel.

Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.

Sally racing back with a retrieve. She gets a treat when she does it correctly.

I run all 4 dogs this way when I’m through with their training. When we get to the kennel I sit on a stump that is close and pet the dogs and feed some of them treats. I want each one of them to think they are my favorite.

A friend and I were talking about dogs and how we neither one let them jump from the tail gate to the ground. I, also, don’t let the dogs jump off the retrieving bench. The only place I let them jump from is their dog houses. I can’t keep them from jumping off all day when I’m not there.

My retrieving bench and the tail gate on the truck are higher than their house. When they jump from anything they land on their front legs with a lot of force. For puppies this is especially hard on them since their bones are not fully attached.

Another benefit from always setting them on the ground; years ago I parked on the street in front of a country grocery store as I went in to find something for lunch. I was in the store, probably about 15 minutes. When I came back out one of my dogs was walking around in the back of my truck. The door to his box had come open and he got out.

I put him back in his box with no bad results but if he had of jumped out and ran off I wouldn’t have noticed that he was gone until I got to the next place I wanted to hunt. Then I wouldn’t have known where he got out. But I really believe if he had of been used to jumping down he would have jumped and every thing wouldn’t have been as easy as it was.

Back to the force fetch that I’m doing with Abby and Boss. This week I have started using the e-collar along with the toe hitch. I put the half hitch around their toes as normal but I wrap the string around the transmitter and when I pull the string I push the button on the transmitter. I only use a light stimulation with the e-collar but if they drop the dummy or fail to pick it up I hold the button down, while I pull on the string, until they pick up.

The string around the toes of Boss.

I have six different dummies that I have them pick up from the retrieving bench two times, each session. Working two dogs just reaffirms what I already knew. Each dog is different although they are raised the same and treated exactly the same in each training session.

Abby is tougher and will try me more than Boss does. She will drop a dummy occasionally, knowing that I will pull on the string until the dummy is back in her mouth. When Boss drops a dummy it’s an honest mistake. But I pull on the string and hold the transmitter button down until it’s back in his mouth, too.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Also, we are starting to walk and hold a dummy at the same time. I first tried to get Abby to walk with the dummy and she didn’t want to move her legs. I could drag her and she would finally take a tentative step or two. She didn’t try to drop the dummy. Her mind was on me asking her to move. I had her about half way down the bench when I asked her to move. I turned her around and she was more willing to go back toward the starting place.

Boss was another story. Even the first time I asked him to move he came right with me and almost looked proud to be walking with the retrieving dummy. Any time I change something or introduce something new I start with the dowel. It’s the first thing I had them hold, so it’s familiar to them.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

I could, probably, go faster on the force retrieve but I don’t want to put a lot of stress on them. We work on something until they really understand it before going on to the next. With enough repetition you can teach almost anything.

Every day, except Sunday, I try to work Boss and Abby on the retrieving bench. Maybe I should work them every day but I like a day off occasionally and I think they probably do too. Mann and Sally have been force broke so I just throw a Dokken quail for them each day before I work Boss and Abby. Sally really likes the treats I give her when she brings the quail but Mann doesn’t want treats but he enjoys a lot of petting.

Sally waiting for me to take the dummy and give her a treat.

Boss, not happy, but holding the dowel.

Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.

Even the dogs that have been force broke try to make me think they don’t see the dummy or can’t find the dummy. This morning on the first throw for Mann he ran out, touched the dummy with his nose and came back. But he didn’t come back to me he stopped about 15 feet away. He knew he was wrong but, maybe, it would work this time. The e-collar was set on 1 and I hit him with a medium 1 and he went straight to the dummy, grabbed it and came back to my side.

He can barely feel a medium 1 but it was enough to get him to do the next 6 or 7 retrieves in a row perfectly. After the retrieves I let him run for a while but it was pretty warm, low 80’s, so he didn’t run long. I sat on a tree trunk near the kennel and petted him for a couple of minutes then put him in his kennel.

Sally was the next one. I heeled her near the 4-wheeler, whoaed her and had to walk about 25 yards to get the Dokken quail where I had left it after using it on Mann. She didn’t move while I walked after the dummy and came back. I threw it for Sally 6 or 7 times and she retrieved it perfectly each time. Sally really likes the treats and she knows she doesn’t get one if she drops the dummy, before I reach for it. She will stand, holding the dummy, for several seconds.

Sally, when there are no birds out for her, is a little lazy. When I release her to run she makes a good break away but when she gets where the grass is pretty tall, she slows down then starts eating grass. I have to stay after her to get her to run. Once I pass her she will come on if I insist. When we get back close to the kennel I sit on the stump and feed her treats as I pet her. She likes the petting but she really likes the treats. After a couple of minutes I put her in her kennel.

I took Boss to the retrieving table first this morning. I have started having Boss and Abby take 6 different dummies each time on the bench. I start with a dowel then I have 4 different dummies then I end with another dowel. I have them fetch and hold each one twice. Today Boss dropped one, two different times. When they drop the dummy, I pull on the string around their toes, until I pick the dummy up from the ground. As soon as they get the dummy back in their mouth I let off the string.

The string around the toes of Boss.

Boss won’t take a treat so I do a lot of petting with him. After he did the fetch and hold with the 6 dummies twice I heeled him back to the 4-wheeler. I whoaed him while I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and put it in gear. I said, “okay” and he was off.

I hate to tell this but yesterday when I let him run he wasn’t going very fast. It looked like he was getting shocked. He was running but real slow and a couple of times I heard him yelp. I slowed the 4-wheeler and he came toward me. I stopped and he got into my lap, on the 4-wheeler. I petted him, checked the e-collar and the transmitter. Everything looked like they were working fine. I set him on the ground and we took off again.

Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.

We didn’t go far before I could see there was still something wrong. I rode beside him and saw something flapping. I had forgot to take the string off his foot after the retrieving session. When he ran he would step on the string occasionally and get a strong pinch. I took the string off and he ran really well. This morning he ran really fast as he usually does. It was warm enough that I just put him back in his kennel after a short petting session on the stump.

I heeled Abby to the bench and petted her along with feeding her some treats. I’m getting these two so they will take anything I tell them to fetch. When I first introduced the different bumpers I went back to holding them right in front of their mouth. Now I’m having them reach for them each time. Abby, just like Boss, dropped a couple of dummies and I pulled on the string until I bent over, picked up the dummy and held it in front of her. As soon as she took it I let off the string.

Boss, not happy, but holding the dowel.

After she completed her retrieving drills I fed her a couple of treats and set her on the ground. I heeled her back close to the 4-wheeler and whoaed her. After I started the 4-wheeler and put it in gear she took off. I whoaed her and when she got stopped I said, “okay”. She took off.

Abby has a pet rabbit or something that she likes to mess with. She run straight to the same place and sneaks around. Sometimes she will point but most times she’s trying to sneak up on something. She was running in front of the 4-wheeler real well but the last few mornings not so much. I got her with me and we went back to the kennel.

Boss honoring.

I think we are going to work the rest of this week on fetching and holding these dummies really well then next week I will change from the toe pinch to the e-collar. As many different commands as they have learned with the e-collar it shouldn’t take much but time will tell. Once they have changed to the e-collar I can have them carry a dummy at heel, I hope.