Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo watching a pigeon fly away.
According to the weather forecasters this is the last cool morning for at least a week. I loaded Tur Bo and seven pigeons in the truck and drove to the county park that is just a few miles from my house. I hid a pigeon, in a release trap, in the tall weeds. There was a gentle breeze out of the north so I heeled Tur Bo to the south side of the field. On the way, as I heeled him, I would whoa him, occasionally. I, also, hit the button on the e-collar that was around his flanks on a real light setting. He whoaed on the command or on the e-collar with no command. He knows what whoa means.
As we heeled down the road to the south end of the field Tur Bo really looked into the field where I had hidden the pigeon. I don’t know whether he could smell the bird or could smell where I had walked into the field but the pigeon was at least 35 yards into the field. I whoaed him on the south edge of the field then tapped his head to release him. Usually, he stays fairly close to me because I have a bag of birds with me but not this morning. When I got into the middle of the field he was already on point 75 or 80 yards down the field from me.
When I got to him he was about 15 yards from the pigeon in the release trap. I walked in front of him after taking pictures. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and dropped it. He never moved when it flew away. I went to him and stroked his sides. I put a pigeon to sleep between him and the pigeon in the release trap. He had a foot up. When I placed the sleeping bird in front of him he put the foot down and leaned forward. I walked back and forth in front of him then released the pigeon in the trap. He never moved. I went to him and stroked his sides.
I reloaded the release trap with another pigeon. I went back and forth in front of him then woke the pigeon I had put to sleep in front of him. He watched it fly away without moving. I went to him and stroked his sides with me telling him what a good boy he is. I still had a couple of birds in the bag and a bird in the release trap.
I walked back and forth in front of him and dropped another pigeon. He never moved as it flew away. I tried to remember to pet him after every bird to let him know that I wanted him to stand as the birds fly away. I dropped the last pigeon. He didn’t move. I walked back and forth after petting him. I flushed the pigeon that was in the release trap. He never moved. I stroked his sides then went back in front of him kicking the cover. I went to him and led him away.
He had not moved as I had flushed 7 pigeons in front of him. Is he now steady to wing. Probably not but it is a good start. I will work him on a lot more birds and I need to start shooting a blank pistol around him to get that down, also. As he runs I will shoot the blank pistol and say, “whoa” until he starts stopping when I shoot the pistol.
He knows whoa, really well, but I’ve let him chase after the flush for 3 years. If I had of worked him on steady to wing and shot as a year old dog it would have been easier. I, also, do my dog training with as little pressure as I can get by with. Once you take something out of a dog you can’t put it back.
Blaze pointing a pigeon.
Dolly honoring.
Luke pointing Dolly honoring.