This time of year, with thunder storms rolling through, the dogs go into their house and hide. We put human thought into this, thinking that since gun shots don’t bother them other loud noises shouldn’t either. Dogs don’t think in human terms.
Luke on point and Lucky, on the left, honoring.
When I started in Sally came in front of me, saw Luke and Lucky and honored.
Betsy pointing a pigeon.
I had an English setter male, Pal, that I took to a training seminar. He was about 3 years old and had been hunted since he was a puppy. The guy running the seminar was working with him and shot a blank pistol. Pal visibly reacted to the shot. The guy said, “is he gun shy”. I said, “No. He’s been hunted for 3 years and he’s not gun shy.” He got a shot gun and Pal showed no reaction to the shot gun at all.
When I lived in town, with my kennels closer to my house, a lot of times I would hear the dogs hit the back of their house when neighbors shot fire works. The dogs would hear the thunder long before I do and wouldn’t come out of their house.
I had a female setter named Judy that hated the sound of the lawn mower. If she was loose in the back yard when I mowed she would get behind me and stick her head between my legs. She would make each round with me until I finished.
I had Judy in northern Missouri one fall when a thunder storm came through. I should have waited in the truck or went home but I was young and nothing could bother me. I walked around with my gun barrel pointed up looking like a good lightening rod. Judy walked along with me holding her head against my knee. A rooster pheasant flushed in front of me and I knocked it down. Judy ran out, picked the pheasant up and delivered it to me. She then put her head against my knee and we continued the hunt.
Most dogs don’t like sirens. If I’m at the kennel and a siren comes down the highway the dogs don’t bark. If I’m not close they all go off. I’ve trained my dogs not to bark while I’m at the kennel. Most of the time when I’m working dogs they don’t bark even when I’m at the very back.
When the dogs bark, even late at night, I usually yell, “hush”. If they don’t stop I take a broom, stick or something to hit against their pen. I beat against the pen, scream and yell. The dogs are barking because they want to see you but they don’t want to see you when you are crazy.
One morning about 2:00 am I had a dog barking that woke me up. I told it to hush but it did no good. I was still about half asleep when I started down to the kennels. There was a full moon and I figured the dog was just barking at the moon. I grabbed a dust mop with a big fluffy head on it. Usually, when I get down to the kennel the barking dog will be looking guilty and a couple of others will be standing around saying, “see. I told you he would come down here and he will be crazy.”
This time even the barking dog was inside his house. I started screaming and swung the dust mop against the pen. In my half asleep state I thought the head of the dust mop went right through the chain link. It went to the other end then turned, came back, went up the fence and over. It turned out to be a bob cat. I had the dogs on self feeders and the bob cat was eating out of one of the dogs feeders.
Where I live I have deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels and various other creatures coming close to the kennels. Most of the animals know that the dogs can’t get to them. If several, or even two dogs, are barking at the same time I know something is out there. I don’t say anything to the dogs unless I’m close to the kennel. If just one dog is barking I yell, “hush”. Usually, that stops it without me having to go down, beat on the kennel and go crazy. They don’t want to see me crazy.
Betsy after the pigeon has flown away.
This is me teaching heel and whoa to Sally.
Sally Joe pointing a pigeon.