Maybe its just me but it seems to be way hotter, early this year, than the years past. I haven’t been working the dogs. When it’s 75 degrees at 7 am it’s hard to get motivated. But this morning was cool and with the strong north west wind it seemed almost cold when I first started. A really nice change.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby and Josie have been working on a lot this spring and early summer, when it’s cool enough to work them. I have worked them on heel, whoa, up, fetch and here. I have put several pigeons in a spot and flushed several pigeons, making them stand until I flushed the bird they were pointing. Now for some reason they don’t want to stay on point while I walk in front of them.
They both did want to come to me when they were running loose and I said, “whoa” so I worked them on here from being on whoa. I have a long check cord attached to their collar and after I put them on whoa I say, “here” and tug on the check cord. As soon as they take a few steps I say, “whoa” and hold my hand up like a traffic cop. They are starting to understand this but it’s hard for them. These commands are complete opposites.
This morning I put 4 pigeons in release traps and hid them on the training grounds. I had 2 on my side and 2 on the neighbor’s side. I put 2 pigeons in a bird bag and carried them with me.
I put e-collars around Abby’s neck and flanks and heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string, dragging a long check cord. Just a short distance from the kennel I whoaed her and walked out front of her holding the long check cord. I said, “here” and tugged on the check cord. It’s a good thing I had hold of the check cord. She stopped the first time I whoaed her but the second time she tried to by pass me. She knew there were pigeons hidden on the training grounds.
I heeled her and whoaed her several times and called her to me. When we got close to the first pigeon hidden on the training grounds I heeled her into the scent cone. As soon as she smelled the bird she pointed. I walked around her. The pigeon was hidden on the north fence line and the wind was bringing the scent to her real well. I walked around her again and when I was behind her I took a pigeon from the bird bag and after taking the piggin’ string in my hand I tossed the bird in front of her. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the piggin’ string. I set her back.
I waited on her to get rigid on the pigeon in the release trap. When her head and tail came up I walked around her again. I stroked her sides and told her she was a good girl. I flushed the pigeon. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the piggin’ string and set her back. I stroked her sides then heeled her away. After a short distance I decided she would hold her birds so I let her hunt, just dragging the check cord.
Abby
Abby was really running and I was afraid she would get to the next bird before I got close enough to see her but she didn’t. The second bird was in a tall strip of grass near the back of my side. She went down the side across the end and hit the scent cone. She swapped ends and went on point. She was about 75 yards ahead of me and before I got close she took a couple of steps. I flushed the pigeon. I whoaed her as she started to chase. She didn’t want to stop until I held the button on the transmitter down on medium 2. I set her back and stroked her up. I heeled her away.
I heeled her across and toward the back on my neighbor’s side. When we got close to the pigeon at the back she went on point. I stroked her up and walked around her. I took the last pigeon from the bird bag and dropped it in front of her. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the pigging’ string. I set her back and when she got the smell of the hidden pigeon I stroked her sides. I walked around her again and then taking the piggin’ string in my hand I flushed the pigeon. She wanted to chase but I stopped her. I heeled her away.
Josie.
We had one more bird near the front on this side. I heeled her near it and she went on point. I stroked her sides and walked around her. She was getting the scent really well and I let her stand for quite a while. Finally, I flushed the pigeon and held her with the piggin’ string. She would have chased but as soon as the piggin’ string get’s tight she stops. I heeled her away then let her run back to the kennel.
I brought Josie out with the e-collars around her neck and flanks dragging a long check cord. I worked her on whoa and here before we got to the training grounds but I learned from Abby that they aren’t ready to be turned loose yet.
I heeled Josie near the bird hidden on the north fence line. As soon as she smelled it she went on point. I took some pictures and walked around her. I stroked her sides and walked around her again taking a pigeon from the bird bag and dropping it in front of her. She wanted to chased but I stopped her with the piggin’ string. I walked around her again and released the pigeon in the trap. To keep the young dogs from sight pointing I put grass and limbs on top of the release trap. This trap had a small limb over it and the pigeon didn’t fly when the trap sprang open.
I couldn’t just walk over and get the pigeon flying because Josie would beat me to the trap. I tied the check cord to a small tree that was close behind her. Just as I turned to walk away from the tree the pigeon flew off. Josie tried to chase and the small tree bounced off me a couple times before she decided she couldn’t chase and stood still. I whoaed her and untied her from the tree. I stroked her up and heeled her away.
Boss.
When we got to the pigeon hidden in the back she pointed. I took pictures and walked around her. I dropped the last pigeon from the bird bag in front of her. She would have chased but I held her with the piggin’ string. I set her back and stroked her sides. I flushed the pigeon in the release trap and held her with the piggin’ string. I whoaed her and walked in front of her kicking the cover. I went to her and heeled her away.
I heeled her to the next 2 birds and she pointed them just fine. On each of them she would have chased if I hadn’t stopped her with the piggin’ string. They aren’t fighting the piggin’ string much at all. It won’t be long until they quit wanting to chase, I hope. I let her run back to the kennel.
Boss is 15 weeks old and I’ve worked him a few times with my Dogtra release traps. They make almost no noise but I only have two of them. I had worked Abby and Josie with the DT release traps that make quite a bit of noise. I wanted to put Boss on a few more birds so I just left the DT traps out and reloaded them.
There is a pigeon hidden in that pile of grass.
I don’t have any restraint on Boss. I just open his kennel and we go to the training grounds. Boss has learned that there are sometimes birds hidden out here so he starts hunting. It’s funny to watch him sneak up on a place that I’ve had a bird for him before. I try to change each time I work him.
He made a real pretty point at a place where I had hidden a bird in the past but I encouraged him to move on. As I walked on around the clump that he was pointing he started around the edge. I was videoing him with my phone. He hit the scent cone and slid to a point. He was a long way from the bird so when he started toward the pigeon I just kept videoing. When he got within about 15 feet of the release trap he went back on point. He held the point for 30 seconds or so then moved a foot. I flushed the pigeon and he chased. I put that video on my face book page as well as Hunting With English Setters.
I started videoing him when he got close to the next pigeon. This pigeon was hidden in some tall grass in a grove of walnut trees. As he wound his way through the trees he went behind one but didn’t come out the other side. I moved around and he was on point. I stood behind him for about 30 seconds then moved up even with him. I was off to his left about 20 feet. He didn’t move so I moved a short distance in front of him and waited for him to move. When he moved a foot I flushed the pigeon.
Boss.
This is the first time he’s had more than 2 birds. I expected him to not hunt as we went over to the neighbor’s side but he didn’t slow down. We went toward the back and he got a little smell a long way from the bird. I saw his head go up and he made a straight line to the bird. He went on point 40 feet from the pigeon. I took pictures and moved up about even with him. When he moved a foot I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance.
He was going with the strong wind and was close when he hit the scent cone on the 4th bird. I think he was just going to readjust a little but when he moved I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance. I took him back to the kennel.
Josie.
Up until today when he went on point I didn’t move. I didn’t say anything or try to touch him. These puppies, especially at his age, have a lot to think about and they don’t need someone yelling “whoa” or trying to get in front of them to kick the cover. I usually flush the bird at their first movement after they go on point. They aren’t fast enough to chase very far so the only enjoyment they get out of the bird is to point it. If they figure out that their movement is what causes the bird to flush they will hold for a longer and longer period of time.
All I need is more of these cool mornings to work all of these young dogs.