Having a litter of 8 puppies shortly after selling 2 of the first litter is exhausting. I kept Gracie from the first litter and worked her on birds several times a week. And I still had the litter of 8 to take care of. They were all in the same kennel. As they grew older they played more and rolled each other around in their feces. Since I was only putting Abby in with them a couple of times a day she couldn’t keep them clean. They smelled and looked dirty.
Puppies with the formula mixed with softened puppy chow.
Puppies in the grass.
Bodie, a full brother, just 2 years olde than these puppies.
I have 3 dogs, Boss, Bodie and Gus, in South Dakota and Nebraska, being worked on wild birds, so I have some empty kennels. To keep the puppies cleaner I kept the 3 males and the largest female in their kennel and moved the other 4 females to another kennel. That made a huge difference. In just a few days they smelled better and their white was a lot whiter. I still clean their kennel twice a day but with them all in the same run it wasn’t often enough. I feel better about them and they have to feel better, also.
I have been working Gracie on pigeons several times a week and walking her through the training grounds, most of the time, twice a day. Walking her through the training grounds with no birds out keeps her from pointing every place I have ever hidden a bird for her. Also, it’s good exercise for her and me both.
Gracie did really well on the birds. She could smell them at a good distance and would usually stop at the first hint of scent. She was rock solid on her points until I flushed the pigeon. Almost from the first point she wouldn’t move until the bird was in the air. A couple of times the pigeon didn’t fly away. Just landed near the release trap.
The first time she pointed the bird until it moved away from her then she moved and pointed again. I could tell she wanted to catch the pigeon but she didn’t want it in her mouth. The pigeon ran around in the clump of brush with her right behind. The
first few times she stopped it with her foot. Then she laid down on top of it. The clump was too thick for me to enter so I just waited.
Pretty soon she let it up and finally decided to pick it up. She grabbed it by the wing and started out of the clump but she wasn’t sure where I was. I called her and she started to me but dropped the pigeon. She grabbed it by the head and came on to me. I petted her for a long time then took the pigeon from her. The pigeon wasn’t hurt.
Gracie on another point in the clump of brush.
The second pigeon she caught was a little quicker. When I flushed it it hit some brush and came back to the ground. She ran in and stopped the bird by putting her foot on it but then reached down and picked it up. She had it by the body and when I called she came toward me. She tried to run by me but I grabbed her and petted her. I let her hold it for a long time and when I finally reached for it she was ready to give it up.
Because of Abby’s litter I had a sign in my front yard advertising the puppies. A guy that had done some water damage work on one of the duplexes came by to get paid and saw the puppies for sale. After I paid him he wanted to see the puppies. I turned them out and they were running all around and while he was looking he saw Gracie. He asked if I would sell her. I can’t keep them all so I priced her to him. He said he would think about it.
A few days later he came back and we took Gracie for a walk and after calling her to him in the field and he saw how easy she was to handle, he took her.
Mann pointing Abby honoring. The parents of the puppies.
So I still had 3 of the little puppies unspoken for. I wasn’t too worried because after selling Gracie I had a little kennel space. I had the puppies listed on a couple of bird dog sites on Facebook. A guy messaged me with some questions. He didn’t live far from me and I told him as close as he was he could come look. I’m always happy to show my dogs and kennel off. He couldn’t come down for a while and thought that was probably the end of it. He said he might come down Sunday.
I texted him after I got home from church on Sunday expecting to not even hear back from him. In just a few minutes he texted that he was on his way. That was the first surprise. I’ve had a lot that never show up. He showed up and had his wife with him.
I had the 3 males and the first female that was picked in one kennel and the other 4 in another. One of these was already sold but it was the only white and black there. We took them to a shade where there were some chairs and let them play. I got a few pigeons and teased the puppies with them and let them fly off. The puppies were used to having the run of the yard and showed a lot of confidence in going where they wanted.
This is Mann pointing a covey with Abby in the middle and Boss close to the camera, honoring.
I usually tell people to take an hour or so to make up their mind on a puppy. I didn’t have to tell this guy. He knew what to look for. He liked one but his wife liked another. They talked back and forth on the merits of both dogs. After a while it was down to just 2 out of the 3. He wanted the one with the pink collar but his wife really liked the smallest puppy. They talked some more then said we will just take both of them. The one with the pink collar and the smallest pup.
I was surprised but that left me with one puppy and since I had sold Gracie I would just keep her. For a while anyway. When the 3 boys come back from Nebraska/South Dakota I will have 7 dogs. I only have 6 kennel runs and I can only haul 6 dogs in my truck without doubling some up.
Oh well, when the boys come back, near the middle of September, they will have hunted wild birds for 2 1/2 months and should be in good shape. Someone may be looking for a trained dog.
Another single with Boss in the back ground.
Now I have to think of a good name for my little left over puppy and start working her on pigeons. That will force me to get a lot of steps in each day and get me ready for the new hunting season. The Lord has blessed me with a great life.