I have been working Annie most days, when it’s not raining, on pigeons hidden, in release traps, in the cover on both sides of the training grounds. Annie shows a little fear of the release traps. Some of the time she starts backing up as soon as she smells the bird. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to bother her. The more birds I flush the better she acts about the trap.
Annie pouncing on a pigeon.
Annie finding dog food in the grass.
Annie pointing a pigeon asleep in the tall grass.
I have started carrying some pigeons in the bird bag with me. When Annie points I toss a pigeon in front of her and then flush the bird from the release trap. She is hard focused on the pigeon from my hand and the release trap doesn’t bother her. But the last time I hid 3 birds in the release traps I left the bird bag, with 3 pigeons in it, on the side by side.
We were already to the training grounds when I remembered I didn’t have the bird bag, so we went on to the first bird. Just as soon as Annie showed that she smelled the pigeon I flushed it then encouraged her to chase it. She didn’t back up or try to get away from the release trap, at all. But she didn’t chase either. Just watched it fly away.
We continued down the training grounds then onto the neighbor’s side. The wind was wrong for us on this pigeon. She could go on three sides of the hidden bird but the wind didn’t let her smell the bird the first pass. Then the wind shifted just a little and she pointed. As soon as she pointed, I flushed the pigeon. It fluttered a little then flew real low in front of her. She thought she could catch this bird and I thought she would too. But the pigeon stayed just out of reach.
We had one more pigeon in a release trap hidden on our grounds. We started toward it. When she hit the scent on this bird she started trying to get behind me and I started backing up to keep her from it. I backed up for about ten yards then some brush stopped me. I started back toward the pigeon and Annie went in front and pointed. I flushed the bird and it just flew a few feet and landed on a low limb. She followed and jumped several times trying to get the bird. But it was a little too high.
We went back to the side by side and got the bird bag with 3 pigeons inside. Back to the training grounds but Annie is smart enough to know that I have birds and I will put one to sleep and hide it in the grass. She stayed right by my side for quite a while. Finally she got a little way ahead and I hid the pigeon. When she came back she smelled the bird and went straight to it. When she got close it flushed and flew away. She chased a short distance.
Bodie with a pigeon asleep in front of him.
We went on toward the back on the neighbor’s side. She got far enough away from me that I hid another bird in the tall grass. She pointed and stood for maybe 20 seconds before pouncing on the pigeon. She had a good grip on the pigeon but without breaking the skin. She partly kept it from getting away by lying on the bird with her chest. Then she moved a little and the bird got away. She chased this one quite aways.
I hid the next pigeon in the edge of some brush. Annie smelled it from quite a distance but just as she got close the pigeon awoke and flushed. It flew to a low limb and Annie was right behind it all the way. When the bird landed it fluttered a little and she tried to jump high enough to get the bird. I walked back toward the kennel and she followed after a few seconds.
On Saturday, June 1, I went to a puppy seminar in Toronto Kansas put on by Bud Moore and Justin Crook. I took Annie with me. This was about 2 hours and 45 minute’s drive, for me, each way. Annie has only been for short drives since I have brought her home. She needs to get used to riding in the dog box.
Sally
I got to the seminar a few minutes before it started and met a few of the people that were attending as well as Mr. Bud Moore. I had brought a tie out stake with me and tied Annie close to where 4 pointer pups were tied. Two of the pointers were a little older than her and two about the same age.
Bud talked about the Early Neurological Stimulation program for puppies from 3 days to 16 days which I have used on my last several litters. According to the literature the benefits of stimulation is (1)Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate). (2) Stronger heart beats. (3) Stronger adrenal glands (4) More tolerance to stress, and (5) Greater resistance to disease. If you are interested in learning more about this it can be found on the internet under the Super Dog program. But if you are going to raise pups you need to know this.
Another shot of Boss honoring the backing dog.
Something new, for me at least, Bud talked about using different smells at the same ages as the Super Dog Program. The first sense puppies use are their noses. They can’t see until their eyes open at 10 days or so and they can’t hear until about 3 weeks. They find their mother and their litter mates by smell.
From 3 to 16 days put different things in the whelping box with the puppies. He saved a dry cow patty to put in the whelping box, 2 or 3 times he put a quail right in the whelping box with the puppies, a chunk of saddle blanket and anything he could think of to stimulate their nose. I’ve never done this with the puppies, but my next litter will have a lot of different things in the whelping box with the puppies.
Abby pointing Bodie honoring.
After discussing several other things, they, Bud and Justin, put a couple of pointer pups on a barrel and flushed pigeons in front of them. They had one pigeon tied to a pigeon pole and another on a short PVC handheld pole. They worked the older two pointer pups first then they put Annie on the barrel. Her attention span, although she really liked the pigeons, wasn’t as long as the older pups. In a couple more weeks, of her seeing pigeons several times a week, she will be as birdy as they are.
After working her on the barrel they had another bird on a pigeon pole out in some higher cover. I took Annie around where she was able to smell the pigeon although there was almost no wind. She pointed and I stroked her up. As I stroked her she wanted to move in and I restrained her with the check cord. Justin, when she moved flushed the pigeon. I lead her 180 degrees away from the bird then back to the barrel.
Bodie pointing a covey.
As we passed the barrel, she made a nice point on one of the pigeons that were resting on the ground. I didn’t know but Justin took our picture and sent it to me. I will try to get it into the post.
After lunch we watched as they put some more dogs on the barrel and worked with them. I have used a barrel some in the past, but this was the first time I had seen how someone else used the barrel. It’s been several years since I have used the barrel but I’m going to get mine going again.
When we got home, about 4:30, I put Annie in her kennel. About 5:30 I went in her kennel and she wouldn’t come to me. Usually, she comes to me and I pet her for a minute or so then put a short check cord on her and turn her loose. I left her in the kennel, turned the other dogs into the big pen and cleaned kennels and fed them. I went into Annie’s kennel and she came to me but wasn’t happy about it. I turned her loose, cleaned her pen and replenished her food pan.
Abby on point.
She usually eats some adult dog food that I toss in the grass in front of my chair. On this day she ate one piece then stayed away from me. She would play with a stick but keep her back to me. After a few minutes I started to the back of my yard. The very back is where I hide the pigeons for her. She stayed off to the side until we got all the way to the back then she finally came to me. I think she was mad because I had made her ride in the dog box for 2 hours and forty-five minutes each way.
There were people from several states, Texas, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, and maybe from other states, for sure and I think they all were ready to get going as soon as they got home. Bud and Justin did a really good job with the seminar, and I feel like I learned a lot. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. Thanks again Bud and Justin.