Pigeon Work With The Pups, 4/13/21

We have had some really nice weather for working the pups, for a change. The mornings have been cool this week without any rain and I’ve been out Monday, Tuesday and will be out later today. I have worked all of the dogs on the whoa post with the exception of Luke. Mann needs a little more on the whoa post but the others are through. Mann does the whoa post correctly but he still shows a little stress. I need to work him until he’s bored with it as the others are.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Mann pointing a pigeon.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

I had quit working Mann on the whoa post then decided he needed to be worked on it and started back with him. He’s gone through several phases of showing he doesn’t like it but now he’s tolerating it. His tail is still tucked under when I hook him up and he won’t look at me but he doesn’t try to plant his feet and make me drag him to the whoa post.

Abby doesn’t mind the whoa post and she does exactly what she’s supposed to do but she still bites the Bolen knot on the check cord each time but she doesn’t move her feet. She just bites the knot twice then licks her lips. She knows when she licks her lips I will set her back then kick in front of her for a minute or so then take her to the next whoa post. After the third one she gets to run. They know the routine.

All of the dogs jump on the retrieving bench after the whoa post work and I pet them. Besides the petting Abby and Boss are also worked a short time on the retrieving bench. I started having them hold my fingers in their mouth then Abby picked up a retrieving dummy as if to say, “hey, we’re ready to move on”. Now I have them hold a dummy for a few seconds then say, “give”. While they are holding the dummy I pet them telling them what good dogs they are.

When we get back close to the kennel I sit on the rock wall around my water faucet and just pet each dog. I want each one of them to think they are my favorite dog. And I think it’s working. Most of the time they beat me back to the kennel area and get between me and the rock wall. They are ready to be petted. I, probably, enjoy the petting more than they do.

After I hide pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds I heel the dogs out near the 4-wheeler and put them on whoa. I’m not fast enough to keep up with the dogs when they go to the bird field, when they know there are birds hidden, so I ride the 4-wheeler and still can’t keep up. I do get to see them go on point most of the time, though.

But putting them on whoa and making sure they stay until I say, “okay” reinforces the whoa command. Between the whoa post and me whoaing them close to the 4-wheeler they learn that when I say, “whoa” they must stand until I either tap them on the head or say, “okay”. Standing, knowing there are pigeons on the bird field winds there rubber bands pretty tight. They are fast to the bird field.

There’s a pigeon in a release trap in there.

I was telling a friend how well the dogs were doing on pigeons and he said, “what will they do if another bird gets up close that isn’t the one they are pointing”. I wasn’t sure although I’ve worked them some in the past on this exercise.

My total pigeons are down. Abby caught a couple but the hawks have really done a number on my birds. I bought 24 birds and a friend gave me 5 and I had 6 to start with, last year. Not counting a couple of babies in my coop I have 10 pigeons. I think some of the birds didn’t like the working conditions and just didn’t return.

I know that Mann will hold if it isn’t his bird I flush. Even as a puppy if he was on point and another dog was pointing another bird I could go to the other dog, shoot it’s bird and as long as Mann’s bird didn’t flush he wouldn’t move. So I just worked Abby and Boss on this exercise, yesterday.

Abby on point.

Three of my pigeons are nesting so that only leaves 7 that I can use. I have some long strips of grass at the back on my side of the training grounds. I hid a pigeon in this strip then put another about 15 yards from the first. I had one pigeon by itself at the front of the training grounds.

Abby is real steady until the bird flushes then she’s after it. I have to make sure I have good flying birds for her. She caught one that hit a limb then didn’t fly away fast enough last week. She gave it to me without hurting the bird but I don’t want her catching them.

When I lead her out of the kennel and put her on whoa next to the 4-wheeler she watches, waiting for the okay to go. I usually let the 4-wheeler run a few seconds before I let her go so she doesn’t use the sound of the 4-wheeler starting for a release. The only release is a tap on the head or an “okay” from me.

Mann when a pigeon lit in the tree above him.

She was going all out to the back and was on the wrong side for the first bird. I haven’t used the grass strip for quite a while and she stayed close to the tree line as she went around the end. She must have got a little whiff of the pigeon as she came around the end because she came off the edge and moved toward the grass strip. She hit the scent cone and locked up.

The light wind must have been swirling. She very slowly turned her head to where the bird was hidden in the grass strip. I took some pictures then went to her and stroked her sides. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon that was about 15 yards from her. She turned her head to watch it but turned right back to the bird she was pointing. She never moved her feet.

I went to her and stroked her sides. I went back in front kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon she was pointing. Lucky for the pigeon, it flew well although it came right back over her head. She jumped as high as possible but the pigeon kept going. She chased it back toward the pigeon coop.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

I rode toward the front as she came back to check the rest of the bird field. She hit the scent cone on the next bird and pointed. I took pictures then went to her and stroked her sides. I walked in front of her kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon. She chased it back toward the pigeon coop. I took her back to the kennel.

After I reloaded the release traps I brought Boss out. He is cool, standing waiting for me to release him. He doesn’t show how amped up he is but when I say, “okay” he’s as fast as Abby to the bird field. They can cross my creek faster than I can. He got some scent as he came around the end but lost it. He circled the field and went back toward the front.

When he came back down the side he hit the scent cone but he was quite a distance from the pigeon. I should have tapped his head and let him move up but I didn’t. I stroked his sides after taking pictures. I went in front kicking the cover then came back and stroked his sides. When I went back in front I flushed the pigeon about 15 yards from the one he was pointing. He left his bird and chased the one in the air.

Mann pointing a pigeon.

Maybe, if I had of let him move up he would have not chased that bird. He was far enough from the bird to not really know the exact location. When he came back he pointed and this time was closer. I stroked his sides then walked in front and flushed the pigeon. He chased. We went toward the front.

As he came around the end of a clump of brush he hit the scent cone and pointed. Again, he was a long way from the bird. As I started to get off the 4-wheeler he was wagging. I flushed the pigeon. After thinking about it, I should have let him move up. I will start doing that. He’s pointing at the very first little bit of scent and doesn’t really know where the bird is.

Oh well, this is just April. We have a long time before our next season. With enough birds I should have both of these young dogs where I need them. Most of the time they learn what they need to do despite what we do to them.

This entry was posted in Dog training. Bookmark the permalink.