It’s rained almost every day for the last week. Finally, today it is warm and no rain, so I got the dogs out for a little training. I have moved the puppies to their new raised pen. I was hoping they would use the outside run but they haven’t been. This morning I placed their food pan at the far end of the pen and carried a couple of puppies to the food. Once the others saw them eating, some started that way. I carried several down but they all had to walk back to their house after they were through eating.
Puppies using the run.
Abby on whoa with me walking around her.
Josie on whoa with me walking around her.
Later, I’m feeding the puppies 4 times a day, June and I got the puppies out and let them play on the driveway and then the lawn. This was the first time they had been out of confinement and allowed to just run. When we first put them on the driveway they were in the shade. The puppies would go to the edge of the shade but hesitate to go into the sunlight. Then after they were all playing in either shade or sunlight we moved to the grass. Again, it was a learning experience for the puppies to go into the grass.
June and I sat on the ground and let the puppies crawl all over us. It’s hard for them to be frightened by something that can be crawled on, chewed on or just fall asleep on. When a couple of puppies tried to go to sleep we put them back in their kennel.
Earlier in the day I had put the e-collars on Abby’s neck and flanks and heeled her toward the front of the yard, stopping her every few yards with a “whoa” and walking in front and all around her. Abby wants to be dominate and always tries to lead me. Instead of keeping her head even with my leg she wants to be out front. If I let the piggin’ string tighten she will start pulling. When she gets a half step in front of me I, pop the piggin’ string and do a 180 degree turn. After a few steps or sometimes 40 yards I do another 180. This reminds her who is really in charge of these walks.
I have been putting the e-collars on them but haven’t used them at all. So far, I just want them to think that fun starts after the e-collars are buckled up. Well this morning was a little different. When we came to the air line crate that I have near the retrieving bench I took the piggin’ string off and attached a long check cord.
I held the check cord and heeled her toward the crate. When we got close I said, “kennel”. She went in the kennel. I worked her a couple of times then I checked to see what level she felt on the e-collar around her neck. She had a small reaction to 2 low.
I held the button on the e-collar down on 2 low and moved her toward the kennel saying, “kennel”. She went right in. As soon as she went in the kennel I let off the button. To turn the e-collar off she had to get in the kennel. On about the fifth time when I hit the button on the e-collar she started toward the kennel. I didn’t say anything. She understands how to turn the e-collar off. That was a good place to stop. I put her on the retrieving bench.
After walking her around the bench petting her I threw my glove down the bench and she ran after it. These pups really enjoy this, I think. She runs down the bench, grabs the glove, races back and as soon as I touch the glove she releases it. I throw the glove 5 or 6 times and then we go to the whoa barrel.
Abby on the whoa barrel.
When I put them on the whoa barrel I expect more from them. I make them stand with their tail and head up. Because these dogs are whoaing, the barrel is just another place that they have to whoa. I style them up and walk around them, then set them on the ground. I then style them up right beside the barrel before I heel them away. I put her in the kennel.
I put the e-collars on Josie and heeled her out. Josie is much better at heeling than Abby. She almost never tries to lead. The weather was warming and when we got close to the front of the house I put Josie on whoa, took my coat off and walked maybe 40 yards to the front of the house and laid the coat on a patio chair. I watched Josie and she didn’t move until I got almost back to her. She was happy for me to be back with her. She came to me wagging her tail. It was cute but I picked her up and set her back.
I heeled and whoaed her until we came to the airline crate. I took the piggin’ string off, hooked the check cord to her collar and heeled her toward the crate. When she got to it she refused to go in. A few weeks ago she was going every time. Something I was doing was different. I can’t start using the e-collar on her until she’s going in the kennel most of the time. I forced her into the kennel 4 or 5 times.
Josie on the whoa barrel.
I knew this wasn’t working. I needed to do something different. I moved a little farther from the crate and taking the check cord I started running to the crate. When we got close I said, “kennel” and she went right in. If you would have asked last week I would have said I never run, ever. We ran at that kennel 5 times and just before we got to it I said, “kennel”. She went in each time. One more time, I learned that if the dog knows the command and isn’t doing it, it’s the handlers fault. I didn’t use the e-collar. After she is used to going in the kennel, I will start using the e-collar.
I put her on the retrieving bench. After I walked down both sides of the bench petting her I threw the glove for her. She ran down the bench, grabbed the glove, raced back and dropped it as soon as I touched it. I think they have figured out that as soon as they give it to me I’ll throw it again. I heeled her to the whoa barrel.
The chains and harness were almost 16 pounds.
I styled her up on the barrel then when I took her off the barrel I styled her up beside the barrel. People who use the barrel a lot say you must do on the ground what you do on the barrel. I took her back to the kennel.
I have some roading harnesses and I hooked some log chains to one. I put the e-collar around Mann’s neck and heeled him out. I put the roading harness on him and heeled him toward the front. The older dogs need some exercise and it’s too wet to use the 4-wheeler to road them. Pulling the chains is as close as we can get. I heeled him to the front, across the front then to the back. I took the harness off and had him jump onto the retrieving bench.
I just used the bench for a loving bench. I walked both sides of the bench petting him every few feet. I set him on the ground, connected the roading harness and heeled him back to the kennel.
Josie on the retrieving bench waiting on me.
The other dogs felt left out so I put 7 retrieving dummies in a circle and heeled Sally out with the e-collar around her neck. Sally wasn’t acting right a few days ago and when I took her to the vet he told me to take the pups off her. He gave her some shots and I have her on some vitamins. She’s doing much better. She too wanted to be worked. I whoaed her and tossed a quail dummy into the circle and said, “fetch”. She ran out, grabbed the quail, raced back and held the dummy until I said, “give”. She retrieved them all. I let her have a short run then put her back in the kennel.
While I had the retrieving dummies out I brought Mann out. I tossed the quail into the circle and he grabbed a dummy and brought it back. He retrieved each one. Once he dropped a dummy when he came back without waiting for me to say, “give”. I held the button on the transmitter down on 2 medium until he picked the dummy up and held it. It was about the third dummy that he dropped. He held the rest waiting for me to say< "give". I put him back in the kennel.
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Mann with his chains.[/caption]
I even put the e-collar on Luke and heeled him out. I tossed a dummy for him and he raced out and picked it up then dropped it. I walked to him and told him to fetch. He picked the dummy up and dropped it again. I tapped his head and let him run for a few minutes then put him back in the kennel. Luke is retired and he doesn’t have to retrieve if he doesn’t want to. I put him back in the kennel.
With this Covid-19 my life hasn’t changed much. The only thing is I worry about family and friends but I never left the house much except to shoot skeet a few times a week. With this virus they have closed the skeet range. I’m having a few withdrawals from not shooting but hopefully this will be over soon.
I hope the Lord blesses each person that reads this as much or more than He has blessed me. Be safe and take care of each other. This too will pass.