Monday morning was cooler, not as cool as the weather guy said, but it was cooler. I worked Sally and Betsy on 2 pigeons each from the bird bag and 2 hidden in release traps. Anytime you can do a little dog training as hot as it’s been it’s a plus. I had a raccoon get in one of my pigeon pens and it killed all but four birds. I think I had ten pigeons in that coop.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Betsy watching a pigeon fly away.
Sally on another pigeon.
I put the e-collars on Sally’s neck and flanks, hooked the check cord to her collar with a half hitch around her flanks and heeled her away with the piggin’ string. I whoaed her and walked about 20 yards. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I talked to her and stroked her sides then heeled her away.
I heeled her a few more yards and whoaed her again. As I walked in front of her I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and held it by the feet as it flapped it’s wings. That really perked her up but she didn’t move. I released the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. The pigeon flew low and to her left and she turned to watch it fly away. I set her back and walked back in front of her. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
I whoaed Sally. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I took another pigeon from the bird bag and held it by the feet. Sally really watched the pigeon as it flapped but didn’t move. I released the bird, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her away.
I released her to hunt. When she pointed the pigeon, in the very back of my neighbor’s side I thought she had pointed then moved up because she was close to the bird when I saw her on point. But the check cord was straight showing that she had run the edge then pointed. I pushed the stake in the ground then tied her check cord to the stake. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She knew that wasn’t her bird. She didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover. I flushed the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She moved up a step. I set her back. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I released her to hunt.
She was way ahead of me when she got to the next pigeon. When I saw her she was about 65 yards ahead of me on point. I watched her until I got close and she never moved. I got in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I tied her check cord to a tree. I walked back in front of her, kicking the cover. I really kicked some of the taller weeds, hard. I flushed the pigeon and it got tangled in the weeds. If I hadn’t had the check cord tied she would have caught this bird but the check cord tightened around her flanks and stopped her. I set her back. I kicked the cover in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I untied the check cord and released her.
On the way back to the kennel Sally was about 25 yards ahead of me. I shot the blank pistol and yelled, “whoa”. She turned to look at me but she stopped. I turned her around, stroked her sides and told her what a good girl she is. When I do dog training I like to train without stress or pain on the dog’s part. If these dogs get to where the sound of the blank pistol is another whoa command that should make them more staunch.
Sally, really concentrating.
I reloaded the release traps, put a couple of pigeons in the bird bag and put all of the stuff on Betsy. I heeled her out with the piggin’ string. I whoaed her, walked out in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. As we moved down the yard I whoaed her again. This time when I walked out in front of her I took a pigeon from the bird bag. I held it by the feet and let it flap. I released the bird, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides then heeled her away.
I whoaed her, walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I took another pigeon from the bird bag, held it’s feet and let it flap. I released the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. The pigeon flew almost right over her head. She turned sideways and watched it fly away but didn’t try to chase. I set her back, stroked her sides and heeled her away.
I heeled her on toward the back, whoaed her then released her to hunt. Betsy stays pretty close to me with the check cord on her flanks. But that is what I want from her. She has been a big runner and I’m trying to rein her in a little. She was about 30 yards in front of me when she went on point. I pushed the stake into the ground an tied the check cord. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover, flushed the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides then pulled the stake from the ground. It was taking me longer than she thought it should so she came to help. I picked her up and carried her back. I untied the check cord, tapped her head to release her.
Betsy looked good this morning.
After she finds the first bird the check cord doesn’t slow her down. She was checking all of the cover as we moved through the field. She was on point when I saw her well ahead of me. I watched her as I walked to her but she didn’t move. I pushed the stake into the ground and tied the check cord. I walked in front of her, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover, flushed the pigeon, shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I pulled the stake and as I untied the check cord she started to me. She only took a couple of steps then remembered that she wasn’t supposed to move. She stopped and I set her back. I untied the check cord then released her.
As we started back to the kennel, with her about 30 yards ahead of me I shot the blank pistol and said, “whoa”. She stopped but then she didn’t want to get away from me. She likes to point the pigeons sitting on their house so when we got close she finally left my side and ran to the pigeon coop. I put her in her kennel.
It was pretty warm by the time I finished with her so I didn’t work Tur Bo. Dog training is a lot of repetition for the dogs. I shot the blank pistol 10 times for Betsy and 12 times for Sally. They are starting to stop at the sound of the shot. They aren’t perfect but they are getting better.
Some trainers turn their e-collars up as high as it will go and if the dog moves at the flush or shot they hold the button down until they stop moving. This works on some dogs but some will quit. Dog training shouldn’t be painful for you or the dog. The way I’m doing it doesn’t put a lot of stress on the dogs. It does take a lot longer but you don’t take anything out of the dog. Just my opinion.
Betsy watching a pigeon in my hand.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Betsy pointing a pigeon.