Wow! It was 57 degrees when I got up this morning. A perfect morning for dog training. It was cool riding the 4-wheeler but it felt good. I put 3 pigeons in release traps about 10 yards apart and had 2 birds in the bird bag.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Betsy pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
I put the e-collars on Sally’s neck and flanks, put a half hitch around her flanks with the check cord and heeled her away from the kennel with the piggin’ string. About 20 yards out of the kennel I said, “whoa” and walked out front of her. I walked all around her, tapped her head then heeled her away. After another 20 yards I said, “whoa” and I walked in front of her I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
After another 20 yards I whoaed her and walked in front of her. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and held it by it’s feet. I moved the bird back and forth to make it flap as much as possible. I released the bird, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
We went another 20 yards and I whoaed her again. I walked in front of her and took a pigeon from the bird bag holding it by the feet. As it flapped I released it, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her on toward the training grounds. I whoaed her and released her to hunt.
As she ran through the field I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She turned to look at me but stopped. I’m just wanting her to think the blank pistol is another whoa command and I think she is getting there. I tapped her head and she went back to hunting.
I had 3 birds in release traps in a diamond pattern about 10 yards apart. She went on point on the west side of of one of the release traps. I pushed the stake into the ground and tied the check cord to it. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I continued to walk in front of her, flushed a pigeon but not the one she was pointing, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move.
I continued to walk around in front of her. I flushed another pigeon but not the one she was pointing, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I pulled the stake, untied the check cord and heeled her away. I whoaed her, placed the piggin’ string around her neck and heeled her away. After we were 40 yards away from the release traps I released her to run.
On the way back to the kennel I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She turned to look at me but she stopped. I tapped her on the head and we went back to the kennel.
I reloaded the bird bag and the release traps, put the stuff on Betsy and heeled her out with the piggin’ string. After about 20 yards I whoaed her and walked around her. After another 20 yards I whoaed her, walked out in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She did a little dance with her front feet but didn’t move her back feet. I moved her front end back, walked out in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. This time she didn’t move. I heeled her away.
Tur Bo after I dropped a pigeon in front of him.
After another 20 yards I whoaed her and took a pigeon from the bird bag holding it by the feet. I released the bird as it flapped, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. Betsy turned sideways to watch the bird fly away. I went to her and turned her back where she was originally. I walked back in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
Another 20 yards and I whoaed her again. I took a pigeon from the bird bag as I went in front of her holding it by the feet. I let it flap then released the pigeon. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. This time she didn’t move. I heeled her toward the back, whoaed her then tapped her head for the release.
As she moved through the field I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She stopped. As I walked toward her she started toward me. I tapped the button on her flank e-collar and she stopped. I moved her back. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I tapped her head and she went back to hunting.
She was on the north side of the triangle of pigeons when she went on point. I pushed the stake into the ground and tied the check cord to it. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover, flushed a pigeon but not the one she was pointing, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move.
I continued to walk in front of her. I flushed another pigeon that she wasn’t pointing, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I pulled the stake and untied the check cord and heeled her away. I released her about 40 yards away.
Sally and I are working on heel and whoa.
On the way back to the kennel I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I walked to her, tapped her head and sent her on. We went back to the kennel.
Dog training is fun when I’m not sweating and the dogs aren’t panting really hard. I reloaded the release traps, put 2 pigeons in the bird bag and heeled Tur Bo out with all of the stuff on. After about 20 yards I whoaed him. I walked around him then heeled him away.
After another 20 yards I whoaed him and walked in front. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. His front feet moved but the back feet didn’t. I set him back then heeled him away.
I whoaed him again after another 20 yards. I took a pigeon from the bird bag as I walked in front of him holding it by the feet. His head and tail came way up as the bird flapped. I released the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I heeled him away.
We went toward the back for another 20 yards. I whoaed him, walked in front of him and took a pigeon from the bird bag holding it by the feet. As it flapped I released it, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I heeled him away.
Luke pointing a single.
When we got to the edge of the training grounds I whoaed him. I tapped his head to release him to hunt. I haven’t worked him as much on whoaing when I shoot the blank pistol as the other two dogs. As he came close to me while hunting I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He stopped when I said, “whoa” but then started to move. I held the button on the flank e-collar down on low 2 until he stopped. I picked him up and carried him back to where he should have stopped. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I tapped his head for the release.
When I put the 3 release traps out I thought it would be easy to tell which bird the dog was pointing. And it usually is but Tur Bo pointed equally between two pigeons. I walked in front of him but still couldn’t tell which pigeon he was pointing. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover. I flushed the farther pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and flushed another pigeon. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He still didn’t move.
It dawned on me that I hadn’t tied his check cord to anything as I had on the other dogs but he wasn’t moving anyway. He has been worked on this exercise several times. I continued to kick the cover, flushed the last pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He didn’t move. I went to him and tapped his head for the release.
On the way back to the kennel when he came close I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He just kept going until I held the button down on the e-collar around his flanks. I set him back where he should have stopped. I walked around him then tapped his head to release him. A minute or so later I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. He stopped. It wasn’t perfect but it will do until I work him some more on it. I took him back to the kennel.
I always enjoy dog training but it’s a lot more fun when it’s cool, for me and the dogs. These dog training blogs are all almost the same because dog training is repetitive. I have worked Sally and Betsy the most and they neither one have been hunted very much. They haven’t been able to chase after the birds flush as much as Tur Bo, at 4 years old, has.
This is an after thought. I’m adding this a day after but I’ve been telling how many shots from the blank pistol for each dog. For Sally and Betsy I shot twelve times each. For Tur Bo it was fourteen. Immediately after the shot I said, “whoa” hoping to get them to use the sound of the blank pistol as another whoa command.
All 3 dogs are making little steps in the right direction and it’s a long time until hunting season. I will continue to work them on cool mornings. I expect to have them ready for hunting season.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Betsy pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.