Now, it’s pretty warm even early morning. I got out about 7:00 am for a little dog training this morning. It was about 60 degrees which is better than later in the day. I worked Sally Jo for a little while on her force fetching. I put 5 bumpers on the end of the retrieving bench and sent her to retrieve. She was a little sloppy with one on the first 5 but she did the last 10 really well. She’s getting to enjoy retrieving on the bench. I set her on the ground and it’s all new to her. I did get her to pick the bumper up from the ground and bring it to me. A few more sessions and I think she will understand it better.
Sally with a pigeon asleep in front of her.
Tur Bo with a pigeon asleep in front of him.
Tur Bo watching a pigeon that is asleep in front of him.
I hope, I’m just a few days from having Sally do a walking retrieve. I can put 6 or more bumpers in a large circle and heel the other dogs around. When I get close to a bumper, say, “fetch” and have the dogs pick up the bumper. When I get to that point with Sally, I’m going to start having her and Tur Bo, after they point a pigeon and I flush it and shoot the blank pistol, retrieve a bumper. Later I will toss a frozen quail into cover and have them hunt dead. Hopefully, this will get them used to retrieving shot birds this fall.
After I worked Sally on the bench I put her back in the kennel and got some pigeons. I hid 3 in release traps on the training grounds and kept 2 in the bird bag. I heeled Sally out with piggin’ string dragging a check cord with a half hitch around her flanks. She had an e-collar around her neck, also.
I heeled her through the front yard then down the north side of my house. When we came by a tree I whoaed her, took the piggin’ string off and tied her check cord to the tree. I went in front of her, put a pigeon to sleep and placed it about 7 or 8 feet in front of her. She knows I’m going to do this but doesn’t get intense until I place the pigeon. I walk around the bird kicking the grass for a minute or so. I placed the bird so that it would fly away from her but it woke up on it’s on and the first thing it saw was me. I was really close so it flew right over the top of Sally. I shot the blank pistol. She turned her head to watch it fly away but didn’t move her feet.
I took another pigeon from the bird bag, put it to sleep and placed it even closer to Sally. She was intense. I kicked the grass for about a minute then rolled the pigeon over. It awoke and flew away. I shot the blank pistol and she never moved. I untied the check cord, petted her and heeled her away. When we got close to the training grounds I released her to hunt.
She hit the south edge of my place and ran it to the back, crossed over and brought the north edge back then crossed to the neighbor’s side. We went toward the back on his side and when I came around a clump of brush she was on point. (It helps to be the one to put the birds out. I know where she is going to find the birds.) I took some pictures then tied her check cord to a tree. I went in front of her kicking the brush. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I petted her then untied the check cord. I heeled her away and released her to hunt.
She crossed back to my side and ran to the west for a little way then came back and started to the north. She hit the scent cone and slammed on the brakes. I petted her then tied the check cord to a tree. I kicked the bushes in front of her, flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She turned her head to watch the pigeon fly away but didn’t move her feet. I petted her, untied the check cord and heeled her away. I released her to hunt.
She checked my side out then crossed back to the neighbor’s side. It’s hard to hide a pigeon somewhere where I have never hid one before but I think I did this morning. It didn’t matter to her when she hit the scent cone she just locked up. I tied the check cord to a tree, petted her and walked in front of her kicking the bushes. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She turned her head but didn’t move her feet. I heeled her away. I let her run before taking her back to the kennel.
Sally in Oklahoma on quail.
I reloaded the release traps and put a couple of pigeons in the bird bag. I heeled Tur Bo out with the piggin’ string dragging a check cord with a half hitch around his flanks. We went to my front yard then turned to the west on the north side of the house. When I passed a tree I whoaed him. I had worked him in the same place last time and he went on whoa before I said anything. I petted him then tied his check cord to a tree.
As I started to put the pigeon to sleep he went from whoa to being on point. I placed the pigeon on the ground about 8 or 10 feet in front of him. I walked around the pigeon kicking the grass. I woke the pigeon and shot the blank pistol as it flew away. He did the dance with his front feet but didn’t try to chase.
I put another pigeon to sleep and placed it about 6 feet in front of him. This was close enough to make him think he could get this one. He moved up a step. I set him back and walked around the pigeon kicking the grass. I woke the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I petted him, untied the check cord and heeled him away.
When we got close to the training grounds I released him to hunt. He ran the edge on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. When I found him on point he was in the same spot that Sally had been. I tied the check cord to a tree and went around the clump of brush. This put the pigeon between Tur Bo and me. I spent about a minute kicking the cover. He didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon. The bird came fluttering out of the release trap and he thought he could catch it. He was almost right. The pigeon flew toward him then turned to the north. Tur Bo was right behind it. When the bird flew toward him it gave Tur Bo more slack in the check cord. Just about the time he caught the pigeon the check cord stopped him. The pigeon flew away. I set him back. I kicked the cover for a while then untied his check cord and heeled him away. I released him to hunt.
Tur Bo pointing a single.
He crossed back to my side, ran the edge to the west then came back and as he turned north hit the scent cone and went on point. I tied the check cord after petting him. I went in front of him kicking the bushes. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He turned to watch the bird fly away but didn’t chase. I untied his check cord and heeled him away. I released him to hunt.
He checked all of the spots that he had found birds before and was on the way back to the kennel when he hit the scent cone on the last pigeon and went on point. I tied his check cord to a tree, petted him then went in front kicking the bushes. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He moved to the end of the check cord. Without the check cord he would have chased. I set him back. After I kicked the bushes I untied the check cord and heeled him away. I released him to run before taking him back to the kennel.
Sally is doing pretty good on this exercise but Tur Bo is doing his on thing. I may go back to a e-collar on his flanks to keep him from moving. If them being steady to wing, shot and fall was really important to me I would really come down on him. He is bold enough to take some stress on being steady but it’s not that important, to me. I want them to let me walk in front and flush the birds. That is the most important thing for me. They are both at that point.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Sally on a sleeping pigeon.