Luke on the ground pointing a pigeon that is asleep.
Blaze pointing a pigeon as she stands beside the whoa board.
Tur Bo on the whoa board pointing a pigeon.
Over the week end I picked up 9 more quail to add to the quail pen. This time I got bob whites instead of the Tennessee reds. The next morning one of the bob whites was dead but the rest seem healthy. These birds are better for the dogs because they are wilder.
I put the e-collars on Luke’s flank and neck and heeled him to the retrieving bench with the piggin’ string. As we left the kennel I stopped him, held a bumper in front of his mouth and said, “fetch”. He took the bumper and carried it all the way to the bench. Before he jumped onto the bench I took the bumper from him. I walked him back and forth petting him every few feet.
I put 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench and sent him to retrieve. He retrieved 3 of them but he is such a hurry that when he picked one up and whirled to come back it shot off the bench. I put it back and he retrieved it, also. I put the 4 bumpers on the other end and he retrieved all 4 correctly. I set him on the ground. I placed all 4 bumper beside the bench and he retrieved them all. I tossed a bumper 5 times and he retrieved it each time.
I put the piggin’ string around his neck and held a bumper in front of him saying, “fetch”. He took the bumper and I heeled him to the whoa board. I took the bumper from Luke and placed him on the whoa board. I put a pigeon to sleep and put it in front of the whoa board. I threw my gloves close to the pigeon but it didn’t wake up. I picked each glove up and shook them then threw them away from the bird. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. Luke didn’t move.
I put another pigeon to sleep in front of him and threw my gloves close to it. I shook the gloves and threw them back past Luke. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. He didn’t move. I set him on the ground.
I whoaed him on the ground right beside the whoa board. I put a pigeon to sleep in front. I walked around him and waited for a minute or two then threw my gloves near the pigeon. I shook the gloves and threw them away from him. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. He didn’t move. I put the piggin’ string on him, held the bumper in front of him and said, “fetch”. He took the bumper and I heeled him for about 30 yards then stopped. I took the bumper and heeled him for another 10 yards. I stopped him, took the piggin’ string off and released him.
He ran to the quail pen and went on point. The new quail are wilder than the Tennessee reds are and when I walked close to the pen some started running but a couple flew to the other end of the pen. I whoaed him when he took a step. I picked him up and set him back. I ran the birds by him again. He didn’t move. I chased them until a couple flew and he didn’t move. I took him back to the kennel.
I heeled Blaze toward the retrieving bench with the e-collars on, carrying a bumper with the piggin’ string. When she heels she is behind me. The bumper had a rope hanging down and every once in a while she would drop the bumper. I would hit the button on the e-collar around her neck and make her pick it up. She was pretty honest about it. When she dropped the bumper she would stop. It finally dawned on me that she was stepping on the rope and it would pull the bumper out of her mouth. I tied the rope around the bumper and she never dropped it again. I really didn’t want to tell that but it happened and I like to be honest about the training. It’s not just the dogs that learn in these sessions.
After petting her on the bench I had her retrieve the bumpers from the other end, twice. A total of 8 retrieves then set her on the ground. I placed the 4 bumpers beside the bench and sent her to retrieve. She retrieved them all and then I threw the bumper for her 5 times. She retrieved it each time. I put the piggin’ string around her neck, held a bumper in front of her and said, “fetch”. She took the bumper and I heeled her to the whoa board. I took the bumper from her and set her on the board.
I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her then took pictures. I threw my gloves then shook the gloves right in front of her and threw them again. She didn’t move so I set her on the ground. I put another pigeon to sleep in front of her. I threw my gloves near the pigeon and it woke up. It took a couple of steps then flew away. She took a step and stopped. I set her back.
I got another pigeon and put it to sleep in front of her. I waited a couple of minutes then threw my gloves near the pigeon. I picked the gloves up, shook them and threw them again. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. She didn’t move. I put the piggin’ string on her and had her take a bumper. I heeled her about 30 yards then took the bumper from her. After I fixed the bumper where she couldn’t step on the rope she never dropped it. I feel bad about that. She got punished for my mistake. I heeled her about 10 yards and released her.
She ran to the quail pen and went on point. I ran the quail in front of her but they weren’t flying. I went inside the pen and they went crazy. But so did she. A quail tried to fly through the wire right in front of her and she reared up on the side of the pen trying to get it. I held the button on the flank e-collar down and set her back. I went back in the pen and this time when they flew she didn’t move. I went to her and petted her telling her what a good girl she is. I went back into the pen and flew the birds again. She didn’t move. I took her back to the kennel.
I brought Tur Bo out and he carried the bumper to the retrieving bench with no problem. I took it from him before he jumped onto the bench. I put the 4 bumpers on the other end and he retrieved them each, twice. I set him on the ground and placed all 4 bumpers beside the bench. He retrieved each one. He is comical. If I hold the bumpers that he’s retrieved in my hand while sending him to get one on the ground he tries to take one from my hand. I threw the bumper for him 5 times. He retrieved it each time. He and Blaze act like they are starting to enjoy retrieving. I put the piggin’ string on him and had him hold a bumper.
I heeled him to the whoa board. I took the bumper and placed him on the whoa board. I got a pigeon and put it to sleep in front of the whoa board. I walked around him taking pictures and the pigeon woke up. It walked around and he was getting excited. When the pigeon flew he fell off the whoa board. I helped him back on and got another pigeon. I put it to sleep in front of him. I let him stand for a while then threw my gloves. Falling off the bench steadied him up some. I woke the pigeon up and he didn’t move when it flew away.
I set him on the ground and said, “whoa”. I got another pigeon and put it to sleep in front of him. I took pictures and walked around him. I threw my gloves then picked them up and threw them again. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. He didn’t move. I put the piggin’ string on him and had him hold a bumper. I heeled him about 30 yards, took the bumper and heeled him about 10 more yards and released him. He ran to the quail pen and went on point.
The quail must have still been crazy from me being in their pen before because 2 birds started flying in circles when I got close to the pen. They were right in front of Tur Bo and he didn’t move. Those two landed then another bird flew to the other end of the pen. I run them back to the end Tur Bo was on then went inside the pen. I drove the quail to the very end and a couple flew back in front of Tur Bo to the other end. He didn’t move. I went to him, stroked his sides and told him what a great dog he is. I took him back to the kennel.
Blaze stepping on the rope to the bumper is just one more time when I’ve made a mistake when training dogs. I’m glad they don’t hold my mistakes against me. That just proves, there are no perfect trainers and there are no perfect dogs.
Luke at the quail pen.
Blaze beside the whoa board.
Tur Bo on the whoa board.