I got Bodie and Gus back from the guy that had taken them to Nebraska/South Dakota. So it’s time to start getting all of the dogs ready for the upcoming season. Usually, I don’t work the older dogs on pigeons much, if any. I need a large area to road all of the dogs but I don’t have it. Each morning I work Sally and Mann on 3 retrieves, then let them run around the yard for a while. Abby was doing good on retrieving last fall when I quit working her on the bench and this spring she did good for a while then quit.
Gus pointing a chukar.
Gus with a chukar.
Bodie pointing a chukar.
I throw a Dokken quail retrieving dummy for Sally and Mann so I thought Abby would like it too. I threw it and she ran out, sniffed it and came back to me. She had been doing great with a tennis ball, so I threw it. She retrieved it one time then refused to retrieve again.
So Miss Abby went back to the retrieving bench. She had been started with the toe hitch but had moved to the e-collar. I didn’t go back to the toe hitch but used the e-collar. I put 5 dummies on the bench and sent her for the retrieve except she didn’t go. I walked down the bench and held one end of the dummy off the bench. She, slowly, walked down the bench and slowly picked up the dummy. Then as I walked back to the start she slowly came with me.
She picked up the wooden dummies okay but didn’t like the round plastic dummies. She would leave them until the last. She still refused sometimes and I would hold the button down on the e-collar transmitter starting at level 2. If I held it for the 8 seconds and the transmitter shut off I raised the level one notch. Twice I had it to level 5 out of 10 levels before she picked up the dummy. Each time when she brought the dummy back I gave her a chunk of hot dog and lowered the transmitter back to level 2. Even if we had just went through several levels on the transmitter.
I had a Dokken dove retrieving dummy and I added it to the mix of dummies on the bench. That made the plastic dummies better for her but she hated the dove retrieving dummy. But now there was 6 dummies and we did each one 3 times. That made 18 retrieves each day. At the start I had to use the e-collar each time but finally I would only have to use it maybe 3 times per 6 dummies. Then she got better. She was still slow but she was going down the bench if I walked beside her.
Boss on a pigeon.
I don’t know why but I started tapping the bench as she went to retrieve then tapping the bench as she came back. For whatever reason that made her faster. The last couple of mornings she moved pretty fast down the bench, picked up a dummy and came back with me tapping the bench both ways. Did not have to use the e-collar at all, the last two mornings. And she picked up the dummy that was next in line. Before she would sometimes reach over a plastic dummy to get to one of the wooden dummies. No more or not the last two mornings. I may get her to retrieving again.
Vince Dye and I picked up some chukars from Harding Game Farm in Ridgeway Missouri and took them to a friend of his CRP farm. I wanted to see what I needed to work on with Boss, Bodie and Gus. As far as I know Gus has never been shot over. We put 2 chukars out about a hundred yards apart. There was almost no wind and Gus went by the first bird so we went on down the field. A little breeze came over the hill near the second one and he smelled it from a long distance. He moved toward the chukar and pointed about 10 yards from it.
Vince walking in on Bodie.
I went to him and stroked him up as Vince came around and walked right into his front. Rather than going beside the pup I prefer to get in front with the bird between the pup and me. I kept Gus from moving as Vince kicked the chukar out. Gus chased but we didn’t shoot. We went back toward the truck and Gus pointed the next chukar. Again I stroked him up as Vince went in front and kicked the chukar up. Did not shoot.
We put Gus back in the truck and moved to a new area and hid 3 more chukars. I had brought some blaze orange surveyors tape to mark the birds with. It’s a good thing too. In those big CRP fields it is easy to forget where the birds have been hidden. Bodie was too close to his first bird when he smelled it. I set him back a few steps and had Vince kick the cover for several seconds before he kicked the chukar up. I held Bodie until the bird was well off the ground. When Vince shot and the chukar dropped Bodie was there to grab it. He almost brought it to me but ran by. After just a few seconds he dropped the bird and went back to hunting. The next two for Bodie, he pointed just fine. He isn’t retrieving to hand but he did get close on a couple.
We put three birds out for Boss and drove until we found a shady spot to put the truck so the dogs in the box wouldn’t get too hot. We turned Boss loose and thought we worked him to the first bird we had hidden for him. That’s where the blaze orange tape came in handy. We started Boss in the middle of the string we had out. We realized our mistake after he pointed the first time. Boss doesn’t retrieve either but he hunts dead and then holds them until I get there. That works too.
Maggie the English cocker retrieving a chukar.
After Boss found his three we put him up and drove to a new area and put two more out for Gus. This time we were going to shoot. Gus pointed the first one and I held his collar and stroked his sides. Vince walked in, kicked the bird up and I turned Gus loose. Gus was chasing but when Vince shot Gus ran the opposite way of the bird. I yelled, “Get in here”, loudly. Gus came back and I went with him to where the chukar had dropped. He smelled the dead bird but didn’t find it. I picked it up and tossed it a few feet ahead of him. He grabbed it and started toward me. When he got close he went around me. I let him carry the bird around for about 10 minutes. He finally laid it down. He was tired of it.
He pointed his next bird and I held his collar while I stroked his sides. Vince took quite a bit of time kicking the tall CRP before he kicked the chukar out. Gus started chasing immediately. We didn’t shoot.
Vince had brought his English cocker spaniel, Maggie, with him and he put her on whoa when Boss pointed his last bird. When it dropped Maggie retrieved it for us. After Gus pointed his last bird Vince hid some of the dead birds in the tall grass for Maggie. Vince had shot really well. He had 7 chances and he made one shot kills each time.
Maggie with another retrieve
I started yard work with Gus and a refresher course with Bodie. With Gus I start from the kennel and walk all the way around my yard. My yard is almost a quarter of a mile deep and 165 feet wide. I have a Wonder Lead on him and he has to walk beside me and when I stop he must stop too. I heel him along and every 50 feet or so I stop. I didn’t say whoa or heel for the first two days. Today I started using the words. I, also, put him on the retrieving bench when we get close. I pet him a lot and give him a few treats. I want him to like the bench.
When we get back to the kennel I let him run for a while as I follow on the 4-wheeler. After a few laps around the yard I put him back in the kennel and do the same thing with Bodie. Bodie will heel and is pretty well whoa broke but it’s good for him to go through this again.
Today I even put 2 pigeons out for Bodie, Boss and Gus. Gus ran first and I heeled him close to the area with the birds. I didn’t ride the 4-wheeler with him. Gus went down the wrong side to smell the first bird but was going really fast when he hit the scent cone on the second. He slammed on the brakes and slid to a point. Before I could get a picture he moved a foot and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
We went back toward the other bird and I thought he was going to pass it but when he got on the east side he smelled it. I don’t know how because the wind was out of the south east. Again after just a few seconds he moved a foot. I flushed the pigeon. I want him to think any movement on his part will flush the bird. I put him away and reloaded the traps.
I heeled Bodie out of the kennel and put him on whoa. I got on the 4-wheeler, started it and put it in gear before saying, “okay” to Bodie. He was off like a shot. Having birds out makes those dogs ready to run. I had trouble finding Bodie when I got close. I checked the GPS and it showed him real close to me. Finally, I saw him buried in the clump of brush I had hidden the bird in. I picked him up and set him back. I stroked his sides then flushed the pigeon. He chased.
After he came back from chasing the pigeon almost back to the coop he went down the edge and wheeled into a point on the next bird. I did get a picture on this point. I stroked his sides then flushed the pigeon. This bird just landed in a close tree. Bodie was under the tree watching the pigeon as I went after the 4-wheeler. Just before I got to the 4-wheeler Bodie came by me chasing the pigeon that had flown out of the tree and was headed back to the coop.
Boss on a pigeon.
I put Bodie up and reloaded the traps. I haven’t worked Boss in a very long time on pigeons. I turned him loose by whoaing him, getting on the 4-wheeler, starting it, putting it in gear and saying, “okay”. Boss went down the wrong side too and slammed into a point on the second bird. I took some pictures of him then stroked his sides. His bird didn’t fly away just into a close tree. I called him off and we went toward the other pigeon.
Boss was stretched out on his point on the next bird when I got close. I stroked his sides then flushed his bird. This one came out low, just over his head, and flew back toward the kennel with Boss right behind. I put him up. It was starting to get warm but it had been a good day. Any day working with dogs is a good day.