Thank you for reading my blog posts. I’ve been writing the blog for several years and it has hit several milestones but over the weekend it went over a million hits. For me that is a big deal. I enjoy writing the blog. It gets me up, working with the dogs and moving around but without people to read it I wouldn’t continue to write. So thank you very much for reading the posts.
The counter on my blog showing over 1 million.
I’m sitting on the rock wall petting Boss.
Petting Abby.
The weather the first part of this week is extremely warm. With turkey season being open I don’t like to train the dogs until it closes at 1:00 pm. The next few days will be too warm for the dogs but I worked them last Thursday and Friday, that I haven’t written about.
I turned Luke loose and let him run for a little while both days. He’s getting better about letting me pet him, while I sit on the rock wall, but not a lot. After just a few minutes he’s ready to go back into his kennel. That’s the way retired guys are, I guess.
Mann knew whoa in the field but when I started working him on the whoa post he showed stress. His tail was tucked under and when I petted him he looked away from me. After I turned him loose, after being on the whoa post, he still showed some stress for a little while. After running for a few minutes he was okay. I quit working him for a while but decided he needed to work through the stress.
When I worked Mann on the whoa posts his tail was up, when we went from post to post, and he even smelled my breath. Friday I thought he had enough of the whoa posts. At each post after pulling him until the half hitch around his flanks was taut, I led him 180 degrees until the whoa post rope got taut again. As soon as he acknowledged me I took the whoa post rope off and went to the next whoa post.
I let him run for a few minutes then called him to the retrieving bench. He really likes the bench. He jumps on without any command or help of any kind. I petted him for a while then put 3 dummies on the end of the bench and had him retrieve each one. I do a lot of petting in between retrieves.
I don’t let my dogs jump off the bench or off the tail gate of the truck. I don’t want the dogs to think they can end a session when they want, by jumping down, plus it’s hard on their joints. I set Mann on the ground and then we went to the water faucet where I petted him for a few minutes. I think he would stay all day. I put him back in his kennel.
Boss jumped on the bench . I wasn’t even close.
I brought Boss out next. Now that Mann is through with the whoa posts I pulled them up and stored them in the shed. I had an e-collar around Boss’s flanks and as I led him toward the back I pressed on the e-collar transmitter on 2 low and then said, “whoa”. After the first time he whoaed when I pushed on the transmitter button and before I could say, “whoa”. So he understands that he has to stop when he is stimulated on his flanks. That’s what all of the heeling and whoaing as we walked around the yard and all of the whoa posts were supposed to teach. Looks like it worked.
I turned Boss loose to run and he made a bee-line to the retrieving bench and jumped onto it. I wanted him to run for a while but since he was on the bench we played on it. I petted him a bunch then had him hold a dummy for a few seconds then with me holding the end of the dummy saying, “give”. I held the dummy still and he had to move his mouth off the dummy. We did this 6 times then I set him on the ground.
Abby on whoa.
I walked toward the back with him and as he ran I hit the transmitter button on low 2 and said, “whoa” while holding up my hand like a traffic cop. He stopped. I walked to him and stroked his sides then tapped his head to release him. I only whoaed him two times then we started back to the kennel. As we passed the retrieving bench he jumped onto it again. I petted him again before setting him on the ground and going to the rock wall. I petted him for a couple of minutes then put him in his kennel.
Abby and Boss are both Sally’s puppies out of different sires, different litters. Abby is about 8 months older than Boss. She, too, is through with the whoa posts. As I walked her toward the back I held the button on the e-collar transmitter down on low 2 and said, “whoa”. The second and third time she stopped before I could say, “whoa”. I tapped her on the head and she ran toward the back.
Mann wagging his tail between whoa posts.
After I crossed the creek, I saw her stopped, looking at me. That was where I had hit the e-collar transmitter and whoaed her the day before. She thought she should stop there again. I went to her and stroked her sides before tapping her head to release her. We went on toward the back.
I stopped her two times by hitting the transmitter on low 2 and then saying, “whoa”. Both times she was stopping or had stopped by the time I said, “whoa”. She understands what the flank collar is for. We went to the retrieving bench.
After walking her back and forth petting her I had her hold a retrieving dummy. Both her and Boss are getting better about holding the dummy. When I say, “give” I don’t move the dummy. They have to take their mouth off. I had her hold and give 6 times then set her on the ground, on whoa. Once I got clear of the check cord I stroked her sides then tapped her head to release her.
Sally being petted.
When we got close to the rock wall she was between me and where I sit. She just wanted to be petted whether I was sitting or not. I moved around her where I could sit then petted her for a couple of minutes before putting her in her kennel.
Sally will be 5 years old this June and other than Luke, who is retired, she is the oldest I have. She knows all of this whoa stuff already but since I’m working everyone else I’ll work her. I don’t have to say anything to her. When I hit the transmitter, on 2 low, she stopped. I stroked her sides then tapped her head to release her.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I walked on to the back and as we went along I hit the flank collar with the 2 low and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I went to her, stroked her sides then tapped her head to release. I only whoaed her two times before going to the retrieving bench, where I helped her on the bench.
After petting her on the bench I had her retrieve 3 dummies. Then I set her on the ground and put 3 more dummies in front of her but on the ground. Usually, we just go to the rock wall where I pet her. She didn’t want to retrieve on the ground but she’s been force broke so she retrieved them. I think it was just something new for her. After she retrieved those we went to the rock wall.
I petted her while she groomed my arms. She thinks she’s supposed to lick me as I pet her. I don’t let them lick my face but my arms are okay. After a few minutes I put her in her kennel.
I enjoy working the dogs and they enjoy anything I do with them. After the first couple of days it isn’t supposed to be so warm. Hopefully, I will be able to work them in the afternoon because turkey season stays open for ever, seems like.
.