More English Setter Puppy Training

I gave all of the English setters the weekend off but I took them out today, Monday. On Easter, as I usually do on all holidays, I fed the dogs a little extra. The only rationale I have is, since I over eat on holidays, so should my dogs. I think the dogs appreciate the extra food.

I put nine retrieving dummies out in a row, right in front of the kennels, so the dogs have to watch each other retrieve. I put an e-collar on Sally and heeled her out with the piggin’ string. I stopped about 10 yards from the line of dummies and whoaed her. I waved my hand in the direction of the dummies and said, “fetch”. She ran to the first dummy, smelled it, then went to the second. I didn’t say anything I just held the button on the transmitter down on 2 medium. She came back to the first dummy, grabbed it and returned to me. She stood in front of me until I said, “give”. She dropped it in my hand.

After she retrieved the first one she did great on the rest. When we got to the last three I held them until she finished the line. I threw one of the last three as far as I could and when she went after it I threw the other two to the side. One to the left and one to the right. She came back without the dummy. I walked out with her but I held the transmitter down on 2 high. When she grabbed the dummy, I let off the button, walked back to where I had thrown it from and she brought the dummy. I took it and sent her to my right for the other dummy. She brought it back and dropped it in my hand. I sent her for the other. She grabbed it and returned. I made a game of it and was really animated when I took the dummy.

I threw the Dokken quail as far as I could. When she took off after it I threw a dummy to my right and another to my left. She grabbed the fake quail and came running back. I had her hold until I said, “give”. She dropped it in my hand and I sent her for one of the dummies I had thrown to the side then the other. It was pretty warm so I let her play a few minutes then put her in the kennel.

I heeled Tur Bo out with an e-collar around his neck. I whoaed him about 10 yards from the line of dummies, waved my arm and said, “fetch”. He ran all the way down the line of dummies, turned and started back. He picked one of the dummies, from the middle, up then dropped it. He came back close to me and grabbed the second dummy and brought it to me. He held it until I said, “give”. Although there was a big gap where he had picked the one in the middle up he did the others pretty well.

I threw a dummy as far as I could and when he went after it I threw one to the right and one to the left. He came back without the dummy I threw a long way. I walked out with him without saying anything but I was holding the button down on high 2. He picked up the dummy and we returned to where I had thrown it from. He dropped it in my hand and then retrieved the two I had thrown to the side.

I threw the fake quail as far as I could and he went in a hurry to get it. I threw a left and right dummy while he was going after the first. He brought the dummy back then retrieved the ones from the sides. I let him play for a few minutes then put him up.

I heeled Luke out with the piggin’ string and wearing an e-collar. I walked him to each dummy in the line and just before we got to them I said, “fetch”. Luke really doesn’t like this but he does it. When we got to the end I threw the quail dummy just a few feet and he ran out, picked it up and dropped it at my feet. The third time I threw it he ran on back to his kennel run. I put him up.

I thought the dogs were really enjoying retrieving but today they didn’t seem to. I may bring some frozen quail out and change areas. Maybe that will help. Maybe they are bored. I’ll have to try something different.

I hid 6 pigeons on the training grounds. I put a release trap with a pigeon close to the edge of the cover and another farther back in the brush. I had two pigeons in a bird bag that I carried with me. Because Mann barked while I hid the pigeons I put a GPS collar and a e-collar on Babe and heeled her out with a piggin’ string. She was dragging a long check cord.

I heeled her a few yards and whoaed her. I walked about 20 yards in front of her and turned holding my hand up like a traffic cop. I dropped my hand and said, “here”. She came in a run. I petted her then heeled her a few more yards and whoaed her again. This time I took a pigeon from the bird bag and put it to sleep and placed it right in front of her. I walked around her as she watched the pigeon. Her tail was down when she stopped but it came up as she watched the pigeon. I gently, rolled the pigeon over to wake it. As the pigeon stood and looked around she got more tense but didn’t move as the pigeon flew away.

After she watched the pigeon fly away I heeled her farther. I whoaed her and walked around her kicking the grass. I heeled her farther and whoaed her again. I walked about 20 yards ahead of her. I held my hand up like a traffic cop then dropped it and said, “here”. She came running. I had her jump on the retrieving bench.

I petted her in several different spots on the bench. These English setters aren’t dummies. They know there are pigeons in the release traps and they want to get off the bench and go find them. Both of them have jumped off and the chain lets their hind feet touch the ground but it’s still frightening. They look off but don’t jump.

I opened her mouth and placed a canvas covered dummy behind her canines telling her to, “hold, hold”. After a few seconds I say, “give”. Both of these pups learned give quicker than hold. They want that thing out of their mouth. After she held the dummy in 6 different places on the bench I replaced the check cord and heeled her away.

I whoaed and walked ahead of her about 20 yards, turned and held my hand up like a traffic cop. I dropped my hand and said, “here”. She knew the birds were on the training grounds and tried to go past me instead of to me. About the time I stepped on the check cord she knew she had messed up and turned back to me. I petted her and held the check cord as I worked her toward the pigeons.

If I don’t hold the check cord she will head to the west and doesn’t come back for a while. I worked her to the first set of pigeons and she pointed. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her. I flushed the farthest bird from her. She stood and watched it fly away. I continued to walk around in front of her. I still had a pigeon in the bird bag. I took it from the bag and dropped it. She stood without moving and watched it fly away.

I continued to kick the cover and flushed the other pigeon in the release trap. She didn’t move. I heeled her a few feet then tapped her head to release her. We went toward the next set of pigeons.

There was a pretty strong south west wind and she was a long distance from the next set when she went on point. I stroked her sides and walked in front of her, kicking the cover. As I kicked the cover I flushed the farther pigeon. She didn’t move. Just turned her head to watch it fly away. I waited for her to realize the bird she was pointing was still there before kicking the cover again. I flushed the last pigeon. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides and released her.

When we got close to the last set of pigeons she acted like she wanted to stay with me so I turned loose of the check cord. She worked the cover and stayed in front of me. As soon as she hit the scent cone she pointed. She, in the past has been wanting to move on her points, but today she stayed where she pointed. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. There was a broken limb lying on the ground and I beat the brush with it. I flushed the farther pigeon. She didn’t move. I broke my stick then flushed the other pigeon. She didn’t move.

I heeled her a little way and turned her loose. We started back to the kennel. We were almost back when she went to the south. I called her but then she was to the west. I called her and she was to the north west. Sometimes she will get in front of the 4-wheeler so I rode it to the back. She was over 400 yards to the north west. There are some deep woods there that probably holds deer and turkeys. I called her and held the button on the transmitter down on 2 high.

I watched the GPS and she was still going away. I moved to 3 high hit the tone on the e-collar and called her. She didn’t turn. I gave her a little time to turn toward me but when the GPS went above 700 yards I toned her, called and held the button down on 4 high. She started toward me. At 697 yards the GPS showed her on point. I figured she had got her check cord tangled but I waited a several seconds and she was coming to me again.

She came all the way back and was happy to see me. I was glad she didn’t get her check cord tangled. She followed the 4-wheeler back to the kennel. She had rolled in a mud puddle and was almost black. I petted her as I took the e-collar and GPS collar off. She had so much mud on the collars I had to wash them before putting them on Mann.

I reloaded the release traps and the bird bag and heeled Mann out with the e-collar and GPS collar on. He was also pulling the long check cord. After just a few yards I whoaed him and walked about 20 yards ahead. I held my hand up like a traffic cop. I dropped my hand and said, “here”. He came in a run. I heeled him another few yards and whoaed him again. This time I took a pigeon from the bird bag and put it to sleep right in front of him. I walked around him as he pointed the pigeon. I rolled the pigeon over, gently, and it woke up. It stood for a few seconds then flew away. He didn’t move. I heeled him away.

I whoaed him again and walked around him. I heeled him a little farther and whoaed him. I walked ahead of him about 20 yards, turned with my hand up, dropped my hand and called him to me. He came in a run. I put him on the retrieving bench.

He is worse than Babe about wanting off the bench but he doesn’t jump. He has before and it’s scary. I petted him several different places on the bench then had him hold the canvas covered dummy in several places. I set him on the ground and heeled him away.

I whoaed him at the edge of the training grounds and walked about 20 yards ahead of him. I called him to me and he came in a run. If we can ever get through all of this stuff he can go find some birds. I took the check cord off and released him to hunt.

He was headed to the neighbor’s side at top speed when he hit the scent cone on the first set of pigeons. He whirled and pointed. One of his legs was way back but he didn’t move. I walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the farther pigeon and he drew the back leg into a more comfortable spot but didn’t really move. I continued to kick the cover and dropped the last pigeon from the bird bag. He watched it fly away. I flushed the last pigeon and he watched it fly away. After petting him I heeled him a few yards and released him.

He went to the back on the neighbor’s side and worked the cover back toward the front. The wind was changing to the north west. He missed the birds on the neighbor’s and crossed back to my side. He hit the scent cone, down in the brush, and pointed. I found a stick and beat the cover and flushed the farther pigeon. The pigeon flew into a tree above him. He watched it until the scent of the pigeon he had originally pointed got his attention. When he was pointed again I flushed the bird in the release trap. He watched it fly away. He was hard to get to in the brush so I said, “okay” and he went back to hunting.

We went back to the neighbor’s side and he checked a little farther toward the front and hit the scent cone. He pointed. He was on the north west side of the pigeon and I thought the wind was out of the north west. I kicked the cover and flushed the farther pigeon. He didn’t move. When he went back on point I flushed the last pigeon. The bird came out right over his head and he leaped and turned 180 degrees. He didn’t catch it but almost. I set him back, petted him then released him. We went back to the kennel.

This may be the longest post I’ve ever written but this is what happened on Monday morning. My dogs and I enjoyed it and I hope you do to.