I did some dog training this morning after over an inch of rain last night. I believe every mosquito egg in the country hatched and were at the back of my training grounds waiting on me to get there. I took a picture of Betsy’s nose. There were about 10 mosquitoes on it but by the time I got the camera focused some had flown off but there were still a bunch on her nose and face.
Those blacks specks on Betsy’s nose and face are mosquitoes.
Sally after the pigeon has flown away.
Tur Bo watching a pigeon fly away.
I hid a pigeon in a release trap on the south side of my house and another one across the fence on the north property line. I took a third pigeon to the very back of my training grounds and hid it in the edge of some brush. I had two pigeons in a bird bag when I put the e-collars on Sally’s neck and flanks. She, also, was dragging a long check cord when I heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string.
We started to the east with her at heel. I whoaed her a couple of times before we got to the first pigeon in the release trap. When we got close but before she could smell the pigeon I released it and said, “whoa”. She stopped and watched it fly away. I walked ahead of her and kicked the cover near where the trap was hidden. I walked back to her, tapped her head and heeled her away.
We went on to the highway, turned to the north then back to the west. I whoaed her. The check cord had a half hitch around her flanks and I tied it to a tree with just a little slack. I walked around about 10 yards in front of her and dropped a pigeon. She didn’t move. I untied the check cord from the tree, tapped her head and heeled her away.
I whoaed her a couple of times then when we got close to the second pigeon, in the release trap, I whoaed her and tied the check cord to a tree. I walked down the fence, kicking the tall grass and each fence post I walked past. I kicked a fence post and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move. I kicked the cover then untied the check cord. I went to her and heeled her away after stroking her sides and telling her what a good girl she is.
I still had a pigeon in the bird bag and as we went toward the back I said, “whoa’ and threw the pigeon in front of her. She stopped and watched it fly away. I walked around her then heeled her to the retrieving bench.
She jumped onto the bench and I walked her back and forth feeding her hot dog chunks. I opened her mouth, put a retrieving dummy behind her canines and told her to hold. I said, “give” and she spit the dummy out. I gave her a chunk of hot dog. I had her hold the dummy and walk with it on the bench then set her on the ground. I put the dummy in her mouth and heeled her around. She spit the dummy out without me saying, “give”. I put some pressure on her lips and put the dummy behind her canines. When she held the dummy until I told her to give she got a chunk of hot dog. When she spit it out before I told her to she got her lip pinched. She figured out pretty quick that the hot dog was better than getting her lip pinched.
After she carried the dummy 3 times without spitting it out, before she was told, I released her to hunt. There was very little wind. She was pretty close to the bird in the release trap when she went on point. I tied her check cord to a tree. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon. She’s always been allowed to chase when she pointed a bird but the check cord stopped her. I picked her up and set her back where she had originally been on point. I walked around her kicking the cover. I untied the check cord, tapped her on the head to release her to hunt. We went back to the kennel.
I got more pigeons, reloaded the release traps and brought Betsy out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks, dragging the check cord. I whoaed her a couple of times before we got to the first pigeon. When we got close I flushed the pigeon and said, “whoa”. She stopped and watched the bird fly away.
Betsy watching a pigeon fly away.
We went on toward the highway then across the front and back toward the back. I whoaed her and tied the check cord to a tree. I walked in front of her and dropped a pigeon. She watched it fly away. I untied the check cord and we went on toward the back.
I whoaed her a couple of times then when we got close to the second pigeon hidden in the release trap I whoaed her and tied the check cord to a tree. I walked down the fence row kicking the tall grass and each fence post I went past. I flushed the pigeon and she never moved. I untied the check cord and heeled her away after petting her and telling her what a good girl she is.
I had a pigeon in the bird bag. I whoaed her and walked in front of her. I threw the pigeon in front of her and she didn’t move. I petted her then heeled her to the retrieving bench.
She jumped onto the bench. Dog training is fun when the dogs start to understand what you want. I fed her some hot dog chunks then had her hold the dummy and give. I didn’t have her hold on the ground because we were getting swarmed by mosquitoes. I released her to hunt.
We went on to the back and she pointed the pigeon that was hidden in the weeds. I tied her check cord to a tree and walked in front of her. I kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is after I untied the check cord. I tapped her head to release her. We went toward the kennel.
Sally watching a pigeon.
She got about a 100 yards ahead of me and I hit the tone on her e-collar that was around her neck. She turned and raced back to me. I fed her some hot dog. She likes to point the pigeons on their coop. She ran to the coop and when she got close a pigeon flew off the roof. She stopped. I whoaed her just to tell her she was right to stop. When I got to her I, petted her, then, tapped her head to release her. I put her in the kennel.
Tur Bo has been doing most of this since he was a small pup and should be doing this perfectly. He’s not. He does most of it great but he still thinks he’s in charge. I can whoa him and he will stand for a long time unless he decides to do something else. Or he will point a bird and not take a step when it’s flushed when he wants to but most of the time his front feet will move. Sometimes all 4 feet will move.
I heeled him out of the kennel wearing e-collars, check cords with the piggin’ string. I whoaed him a couple of times before we got to the first pigeon. I flushed the pigeon and said, “whoa”. He stopped. I kicked the cover where the bird had flushed from. I tapped his head and heeled him away.
We went to the highway, across the front and started toward the back. I whoaed him and tied the check cord to a tree. I walked in front of him and dropped a pigeon. He didn’t move. I untied the check cord and heeled him away.
I whoaed him a couple of times then when we got close to the second pigeon, in a release trap, I whoaed him and tied the check cord to a tree. I walked down the fence row kicking the tall grass and each fence post. When I flushed the pigeon he moved toward the pigeon but was stopped by the check cord. I set him back where he was on point, originally. I walked back down the fence row kicking the cover and posts. I dropped a pigeon that I had in the bird bag. He didn’t move this time. I petted him and heeled him to the retrieving bench.
Sally after the pigeons have flown.
He jumped onto the bench but I just fed him some hot dogs and put him back on the ground. More mosquitoes had hatched since I had been down here earlier. I tapped his head to release him to hunt. He was real close to the pigeon when he pointed so I set him back a few more feet. I tied his check cord to a tree. I walked in front of him and flushed the pigeon. He didn’t move. I tapped his head to release him to run. We went toward the kennels.
When we got close to the kennels 3 or 4 pigeons flew off the pigeon coop. Tur Bo stopped. I whoaed him and when I got close I picked up the end of the check cord to keep it from tangling on the coops. When I bent over to pick up the check cord Tur Bo came to me to see what I was doing. I whoaed him and set him back. Dang dog. To him whoa means don’t move unless you want to. I put him in his kennel.
Tur Bo is a good bird dog but he does things his way more often than not. To me dog training is about getting the dogs to do what you want without putting a lot of pressure on them. Maybe I should put more pressure on Tur Bo but I probably won’t. Most of the time his way will work too.
Betsy looked good this morning.
Sally is really concentrating.
Tur Bo watching a pigeon fly away.