I worked Sally on the retrieving bench this morning and did some dog training later. Sally is doing pretty well on the bench. I still have to pull on the string but not every time. I’m trying to make a game out of it because she seems to accept and enjoy the sessions better. I’m not really a runner but to get her to retrieve I run back and forth telling her what a good girl she is. In dog training, you must be able to change what you are doing to get through to the dog. Each dog is a little different.
Sally on the bench.
I tried to show the rubber band around the pigeons wing.
Tur Bo watching me get a pigeon from the bird bag.
After working Sally on the retrieving bench I put her back in the kennel, got some pigeons for the bird bag and some for the release traps. I hid three pigeons on the training grounds and had two in the bird bag. I brought Sally back out with an e-collar around her neck. She was dragging a long check cord hooked to her collar with a half hitch around her flanks. I heeled her past some trees and put her on whoa. I tied the check cord to a tree with just a little slack.
I walked out in front of her and took a pigeon from the bird bag. I put a rubber band around it’s wing. The rubber band is not very tight. I want it loose enough that after a couple of tries the rubber band will come off and the bird goes back to the coop. As I walked in front of her I dropped the pigeon. It hit the ground, flapped a little then flew away. I shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move.
I had another pigeon so I took it from the bag. I put a rubber band around it’s wing and dropped it. The pigeon fluttered up, hit the ground, fluttered up and flew away. I shot the blank pistol and she didn’t move. I untied the check cord and heeled her away.
I whoaed her and tapped her head to release her. She immediately went to the neighbor’s side and when I got to the first pigeon she was on point. Sally hasn’t been moving but I tied the check cord to a tree. I walked in front of her kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon. I shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I untied the check cord and heeled her away. I whoaed her and tapped her head for the release.
I was watching her when she went on point at the back of the field. She was about a hundred yards from me when she whirled into a point. I kept an eye on her as I got closer. She never attempted to move. I tied the check cord to a tree then walked in front of her. I kicked the cover, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I petted her, untied the check cord and led her away. I released her to hunt.
She ran down one side of my property then back toward me on the other. I knew where the bird was hidden so I didn’t have to check everything. She crossed in front of me and went on point. She hasn’t moved for a long time so I didn’t tie the check cord, this time. I walked in front of her taking a video with my cell phone. I kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. I shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I petted her then led her away. I let her run for a while then took her to the kennel.
As I sat on the 4-wheeler a friend called. He was coming by for a few minutes. I left the release traps out and went back to the house. After he left I ate lunch and it was time to go shoot some skeet. Missouri Conservation Department has built a skeet range about 2 miles from my house. If it’s possible, I may spend too much time there. When I got back I reloaded the release traps and put two pigeons in the bird bag.
Sally
I put an e-collar around Tur Bo’s neck, hooked the check cord to his collar with a half hitch around his flanks and heeled him out with the piggin’ string. I put him on whoa after we passed a tree. I tied the check cord to the tree. I went out in front of him and took a pigeon from the bag. When I felt in the pocket there were no rubber bands. I started doing this exercise for Tur Bo. He holds his birds pretty well but if the pigeon hits a limb or flutters trying to fly away he’s fast enough to catch them. Putting the rubber band around the wing makes the pigeon flutter and he wants to break.
I put the pigeons head under his wing, pulled his legs out straight and it went to sleep. I placed it in front of Tur Bo. I walked close to the pigeon kicking the grass. Tur Bo decided he could catch that pigeon. He charged toward the pigeon and the check cord stopped him about two feet short. When he hit the end of the check cord his back legs came off the ground and he bounced backwards, putting a little slack in the check cord. He charged again. Hard. Again, his back legs came off the ground and he bounced back. I didn’t say anything. I let him fight it out with the check cord. He hit the end 4 times really hard. Each time he bounced back putting a little slack in the check cord. After the fourth time he decided to go on point. I woke the pigeon up and shot the blank pistol as it flew away. He didn’t move this time.
I had another pigeon so I put it to sleep and placed it where the other one had been. I walked around the bird kicking the ground. This time he didn’t move. I woke the pigeon and shot the blank pistol as the bird flew away. Tur Bo didn’t move. I untied the check cord, petted him and heeled him away. I released him to hunt.
Dolly on point.
He went about half way down on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. He went all the way to the back and went on point. I could see him a long time before I got to him. He wasn’t able to hunt very much this past season so he was a little rough on his birds. When we started working with pigeons, after the season, he moved on a bird. He didn’t try to catch it he just took a couple of steps. I flushed that bird and hollered, “whoa”. He stopped. I set him back and he’s not tried to move since, that I have seen. I tied his check cord to a fence as there were no trees close. I went in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He did his dance with his front feet but didn’t move, much. I led him away and released him.
He checked every where I had ever hidden a bird for him on the way back to the front. He went on point as soon as he hit the scent cone on the next bird. This pigeon was in a little thicket that might be hard for the bird to fly out of. I tied Tur Bo’s check cord to a big tree. I went in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He took one step but didn’t hit the end of the check cord. I set him back and walked back in front of him kicking the cover. A pigeon flew out of a tree near us and I shot the blank pistol, again. He did his dance with his front feet but didn’t move. I petted him and led him away. I released him to hunt.
He checked the neighbor’s side out then crossed over on my side. He went down one side then back up the other. He crossed in front of me and went on point. I tied his check cord to a tree then walked in front of him. I kicked the cover, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. The pigeon came out right above him and landed in a tree, just behind him. He turned sideways to watch the bird but he didn’t even tighten the check cord. I turned him back around then led him away. I let him run before taking him back to the kennel.
Dog training is getting the dogs to repeat something until it gets to be a habit. We have a long time to work on this. I enjoy working the dogs on birds but I really don’t like force fetch, but it’s necessary. Later on I’m going to work Tur Bo and Sally both really hard on retrieving to hand. When they point a pigeon and after I shoot the blank pistol I will toss a bumper or a frozen quail in front of them and make them retrieve it. If I can get them used to retrieving after the shot maybe they will retrieve in the field.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Sally watching me take a pigeon from the bag.