I haven’t been doing any formal dog training for a while but I have been putting e-collars on Sally and Betsy when I turn them out to clean kennels. I have a large pen that I turn them into. Betsy is the only dog I have that gets out of the big pen. They all could but the others don’t. When Betsy gets out she normally comes back several hours later or when she wants to. With the e-collar on I hit the tone on the collar and if she doesn’t come back immediately I go to some electricity. It’s been a while since she has gotten out but the last time she came back as soon as I hit the tone. That should carry over to the field.
Betsy on whoa.
Sally watching a pigeon flying away.
Sally has several small issues. When I give her a command sometimes she does it right away and other times it’s like she wants a vote on whether she does it or not. To get the e-collar on she must jump onto her house when I say “up”. She always jumps on to get the e-collar on but doesn’t know what “up” means when it’s time to take the e-collar off. She, also, kennels really well when she wants to but sometimes she doesn’t want to. She comes when I say “here” most times but not always. With the e-collar on both of these girls are learning that when I give a command it must be obeyed the first time. Every command I expect them to do is a command that they know very well.
I decided to work them on pigeons this morning. I put some pigeons in a bag and hid two birds in release traps. I put e-collars on Sally’s neck and flanks, hooked the check cord to her collar and heeled her out with a piggin’ string. I whoaed her several times as we went toward the front yard and around toward the back. I pulled a bird from the bag, threw it in front of her and said, “whoa”. She stopped and watched the pigeon fly away.
I had hidden the two pigeons in the release traps close to where I was heeling her but far enough that she couldn’t smell them. When we got within about 20 yards of one of the release traps I flushed the pigeon and said, “whoa”. She stopped and watched the pigeon. That pigeon was to her left and then I flushed another bird that was to her right. I was standing beside her but she didn’t try to move.
After the pigeons flew away I heeled her on toward the rear of the property. I still had two pigeons in the bird bag. I threw one down in front of her and she stopped before I could say, “whoa”. I stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is after walking around in front of her. I heeled her on and whoaed her a couple of times then threw another pigeon in front of her. She stopped. I stroked her sides then heeled her to the retrieving bench.
I walked her back and forth on the retrieving bench and fed her some hot dog chunks. We worked on “hold” and “give” several times with her earning some hot dog chunks. I put her on the ground and let her run for a while. While she was running I called her to me with the tone on the e-collar. I took her back to the kennel where she jumped onto her house when I said, “up”.
Betsy watching a pigeon.
I reloaded the release traps, put the e-collars and check cord on Betsy and heeled her away from the kennel with the piggin’ string. We headed to the front of my yard then crossed over to the north side then started toward the back. I whoaed and walked around her several times then threw a pigeon in front of her and said,”whoa”. She stopped and watched the pigeon fly away. I walked around her then stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is.
I heeled her away. When we got within about 20 yards of the birds in the release traps I flushed the one on her right and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I walked around her then flushed the bird on her left. She didn’t move even though the pigeon flew over us and then circled back over us again. I stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is.
I heeled her away. I still had two pigeons in the bird bag. After practicing the whoa command a few times I threw a pigeon in front of her and said, “whoa”. She stopped and watched it fly away. We walked on and after a couple of whoas I threw another pigeon in front of her and she stopped before I could whoa her. After more petting I put her on the retrieving bench.
We worked on hold and give after I walked her back and forth on the bench. Most of the dogs love the bits of hot dog I give them but not Betsy. After I have them hold the dummy I say, “give” and taker the dummy from them. I have a piece of hot dog in my other hand and give it to them immediately. Sally loves them but Betsy doesn’t care for them.
Sally watching a pigeon.
I set her on the ground and let her run. We went toward the back. As we started back toward the kennel she got about a 100 yards ahead of me and I hit the tone button on the e-collar around her neck and said, “here”. She whirled around and came back in a run. I petted her then tapped her head and let her go again. She was waiting for me to let her in the kennel.
Tonight when I cleaned kennels I put the e-collars on both of them as I usually do. Betsy stayed in the big pen. She even went to her gate to be put back as soon as I finished cleaning her pen and filling her food bowl. I let Sally out to run while I took care of my pigeons and some chickens. When I was ready for her to come back I hit the tone on the e-collar. She was about 75 yards away. She turned and came to me in a dead run. I opened her kennel and she went in. She started to get a drink and I said, “up”. She turned and jumped on her house.
Having the e-collars on both of these dogs so that when I give a command I can enforce it is paying off. Both of them are doing really well but I think it has helped Sally most of all. She was doing the commands if she wanted to but if she didn’t she just looked at me. Now she is doing them the first time with no correction. I like that a lot.
Sally on the retrieving bench.
Betsy watching a pigeon fly away.
Betsy on whoa.