With the bird hunting seasons opening real soon I needed to shoot over the young dogs. Annie and Stormy are doing well on their training but I am always really careful about shooting around young dogs. Most dogs are fine but occasionally one will show some sensitivity to gunshots. It’s really easy to go too fast and create a problem that takes a lot of time to fix. It’s much easier to do it right and not have a problem.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
A lot of years ago I worked 3 dogs, getting them used to a blank pistol. I worked all 3 the very same way and one turned out gun shy. I really think the one dog was wired a little wrong, but I don’t know for sure. Since then I have gone a lot more slowly and I’ve never had a problem. I read a lot of dog training books and the last one I read was, TRAINING WITH MO, by Martha H. Greenlee.
My training grounds are inside the city limits with a lot of trees. The Mo Lindley way of introducing the gun uses several acres of open land. So I started trying to find a spot. I have one place close that is a hay field that is perfect for it but I don’t want to wear out my welcome. I need a couple of back up spots.
Just down the road from me is a large county park. It’s not mowed often or taken care of in any way. About once a year they mow some of the areas. I drove around it looking for a spot. I saw a park ranger pull into a shooting range and stopped to ask him. When I asked if they had an area that I could work my dog on he said that dogs had to be on a leash and I couldn’t shoot a blank pistol at all. But he told me of another area that had a dog training area where I could shoot a blank pistol.
I drove out to look at it. When I got close without seeing any signs saying dog training area I saw a couple of people who worked for the new park I was driving by. I asked them about the dog training area. They told me, in vague terms, where it was at. When I mentioned the blank pistol they told me I couldn’t shoot a blank pistol in any of the county parks. Well, now I’m back to square one.
The Mo Lindley way of introducing the blank pistol is using carded pigeons. Tie an 8×8 piece of heavy card board to one leg of the pigeon. This makes the bird off balanced and it can only fly 35 or 40 yards. Let the pup chase and shoot when it’s about 30 yards away, chasing hard. The first few times don’t shoot but let the pup catch the pigeon. His idea is that the pup points the pigeon and then when it’s flushed and goes down it doesn’t stop the young dog from pointing, as jumping in and catching one that is pointed will.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
I did 4 sessions with the pups on carded pigeons with no shooting. Stormy was fine and really aggressive with the pigeons. Annie was more laid back. Annie would chase but when the bird landed she would stop and point. I kept trying to get her to grab the pigeon. She, after the third time, grabbed the pigeon. She didn’t pick it up and run around with it as Stormy does. She held it to the ground for a few seconds then left it.
But that was better than not grabbing it all. So I decided to try the blank pistol. I took them to a farm close to the house and hid 2 pigeon in release traps with card board tied to one leg. I turned Annie loose first. She crisscrossed the field and pointed when she hit the scent cone. I flushed the pigeon and it flew to the east fairly low. Annie was right behind it. When she got about 35 yards away and was right behind the pigeon I shot the blank pistol. The pigeon hit the ground and she stopped and pointed then jumped in. She didn’t seem to hear the pistol.
Mo Lindley says to not shoot except on the first bird but watch to see if the pup chases the next pigeon hard or peels off at about the distance that you shot the blank pistol on the first bird. Annie pointed the second bird and when I got close I flushed the bird. She chased hard. When the bird hit the ground she ran circles then grabbed it. When I got close she had feathers in her mouth but didn’t try to carry the pigeon. I led her away.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
I reloaded the release traps and turned Stormy out. She has never been reluctant to grab a pigeon. She raced through the field and pointed the pigeon. I flushed the pigeon and she was right behind it. When it hit the ground she pounced on it and I shot the blank pistol. Stormy never even heard the gunshot. She had the pigeon and wasn’t letting go. I picked up her check cord and started leading her away. Most of the time dogs won’t chew while they are walking or running. As I lead her she wanted to stop and put her feet on the bird so she could chew.
I stopped and held her head up and petted her telling her what a good girl she is. As I petted her I flipped her ear over and blew a strong puff of air into her ear. She turned loose of the pigeon and I petted her some more then turned her loose to find the next pigeon.
She pointed the second and I walked past her and flushed the second. It too, flew low and she was right behind it. When it hit the ground she ran in and the bird flew again but only a few yards and went down again. It didn’t get a chance to fly. Stormy had it. I was close so I knelt down and called Stormy to me. She came and I petted her for 20 seconds or so. This time she dropped the pigeon and I took it from her. I had not shot on the second bird.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
That was the first time I shot the blank pistol for them. Saturday, I took them to the conservation place that is about 50 miles from my house. I found a harvested soybean field of about 40 acres or so. I hid the two release traps, with a carded pigeon in each, as far as possible from any trees. Having a carded pigeon fly into a tall tree is a pain.
I turned Annie out first. I held her check cord and more or less led her to the pigeon. She was confused on whether she should point or remain in heel. That was my fault. I should have just turned her loose. Both puppies are pointing their birds real well. But she did point. I waited a few seconds and flushed the pigeon. With the cards they don’t fly very high and it makes the puppies more eager to chase. She was right behind it. I shot the blank pistol and she didn’t even seem to hear it. When the pigeon landed she held it for a few seconds then went back to hunting.
She pointed the second bird without me holding her check cord and did a much better job. I walked in front of her and flushed the pigeon. This one flew toward a hedge row but went down before it got there. When Annie got close it flew to the hedge row and landed in a tree but only about 4 feet off the ground. Annie pointed it for a few seconds then went back to hunting.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
I got the pigeon out of the tree and looked for Annie. She knows the routine. I work her on two pigeons and put her in the truck. She wasn’t having any of that. She was 1/4 mile down the hedge row and was still going away from me. I reloaded the traps and she was coming back. I stepped on her check cord when she got close and put her in the truck.
Stormy was ready. I had learned a little on Annie and just let Stormy run. She wanted to run the hedge row but came in front of me as I crossed the harvested soybean field. She pointed the first pigeon from a good distance. I watched her for a few seconds then walked in front and flushed the pigeon. The bird went with the wind fairly low. Stormy was right behind. When it landed she grabbed it. She was mouthing it when I got there. I took her check cord and led her a few yards then knelt down and called her to me. I petted her for a few seconds then blew in her ear. She released the pigeon.
She stayed in front of me as we went toward the next pigeon. After she established point I watched for a few seconds then walked in front. I flushed the pigeon and this one only flew a few feet and landed. Stormy grabbed it maybe before it’s feet hit the ground. I was close so I knelt and called her to me. She proudly brought the pigeon. But she wasn’t ready to let me have it so I just petted her and told her what a good girl she is. After about 30 seconds I blew in her ear. She dropped the pigeon.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
After church Sunday I took the puppies to a friends place. He wanted to work his dog on a couple of pigeons and I wanted to shoot the blank pistol again over the pups. My friend was busy so I went to the hay field and started working the pups. He would join me later. I hid the both pigeons in some tall weeds in the hay field.
Again I turned Annie out first. This time I just let her run. There was a pretty good breeze but it kept shifting around. She pointed at a pretty good distance. I walked ahead of her kicking the tall grass. I flushed the pigeon and she took off after it. About the time it hit the ground and she was about to grab it, I fired the blank pistol. She didn’t pay any attention. But she only rolled the bird around a little and went back to hunting.
I picked up the first bird and when I looked she was on point on the second bird. As I started to her she took a step and I flushed the pigeon. I was a long way from this bird. I flushed it and as it flew the card came off and the pigeon flew away with an orange cord hanging down. Annie is smart. She didn’t come close to me. Instead she was circling the large hay field.
I waited a while but she wasn’t coming near me so I turned Stormy loose. He made a big circle and pointed the second bird instead of the closer bird. Before I flushed the pigeon I checked to see where Annie was. Not in sight. So when I got in front of Stormy I flushed the pigeon. As the pigeon flew, with Stormy right behind I fired the blank pistol. When it hit the ground she had it. Annie came to see what the shooting was about, I guess. Anyway she showed up. I picked up Stormy’s check cord and led her a few yards. I blew in her ear after petting her for a time.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
I wanted to put the pigeon in a bag and as I took the string from it’s foot Annie came close to me. I stepped on her check cord and undid the string from the pigeons foot. I took Annie to the truck. When I turned to go back to the hay field Stormy was pointing the other pigeon. I think she had been on point for a little while so as I walked to her I flushed the pigeon. She chased and the pigeon had flown toward me. I didn’t have to go far to get to Stormy. After petting her for a few seconds I blew in her ear. I took her back to the truck.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
With all of the carded birds the pups have caught, the ones with no shots and the ones where I fired the blank pistol, they have not hurt one pigeon. Every pigeon, with the exception of the pigeon that flew off with the orange cord trailing is still in my pigeon coop in fine shape. Some of my pigeons aren’t homers and I don’t think I will see the bird with the orange cord again.