Puppy training with Sally.
Sally on another pigeon.
Sally again.
I did some more puppy training with Sally. She has been doing really well on pointing the pigeons I have hidden for her. I put 6 pigeons in the bird box on the back of the 4-wheeler and hid two of them in the tall grass on my training grounds. I hid one on the neighbor’s side and one on my side. This makes her hunt all of the cover on both sides. She sticks her nose in almost every place I have ever hid a bird for her. Smart pups remember where I’ve put birds before.
I put a check cord on her and turned her loose to hunt. I only use the check cord to tie her up with. When we came into the first part of the training grounds she started slinking around. I walked on through that area at my normal pace. She came on through and went to hunting. About half way through my neighbor’s side she went on point. She was 15 yards from the pigeon. I had already decided to flush the pigeon if she got very close before pointing but she pointed as soon as she hit the scent. After taking some pictures I walked in front and kicked the cover. At the first kick she started moving and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.
We hunted all of the neighbor’s side then crossed over to my side. We went to the back and came back along a tree line then hit the north fence. I had hidden the pigeon just across the north fence in a deer trail. She was across a small opening, checking another clump of cover, when she got the scent and pointed. She was really stretching. I walked a little ahead of her taking pictures. As I walked in front of her she took a step and I flushed the pigeon. The pigeon came up and hit a limb dropping almost to the ground. She thought she could catch that bird and when she hit that barb wire fence she made it sing. The pigeon flew off with her right behind it. When she came back I checked her for cuts but she didn’t have a mark on her.
We were close to my permanent chain gang so I hooked her to it. I moved the release traps and reloaded them. Again, I put one bird on each side. When I turned her loose she headed to the neighbor’s side and I followed. It dawned on me that if I was going to hook her to the chain gang I didn’t need the check cord on her. I called her to me and took it off. After finding the first two pigeons she was hunting really hard for more. Almost to the back she hit the scent cone and pointed. I took pictures and walked in front of her after about a minute. After my second kick she started moving and I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.
We hunted all of that side then went to the back on my side. We started back up the north tree line when she hit the scent cone and pointed. We had a pretty good breeze out of the north. The pigeon was back in the cover and she was out in the open away from it. The way she was stretched out made her look longer than she really is. I took more pictures then as I started in front she took a couple of steps. I flushed the bird. She chased a few steps, then went back to hunting. I put her on the chain gang.
I hid 2 more pigeons. When I take her off the chain gang I stand on the main chain and wait for her to quit jumping around before I turn her loose. It doesn’t take long for them to learn they have to remain quiet or they don’t get released. I turned her loose and she headed to the neighbor’s side. She’s found more birds on his side than on mine. The wind was swirling around on the very back on that side. She was on the north side of a big clump of brush when she pointed. The wind had been out of the north so she couldn’t have been getting much scent. I took some pictures and she moved before I could get in front. I flushed the pigeon. She didn’t see the bird for the brush in front of her but she heard it. She moved in to smell the trap then went back to hunting.
We hunted all of that side then crossed over to my side. Because of the swirling wind she was almost on top of the next pigeon when she pointed. I took a couple of pictures then flushed the pigeon as I kicked the cover the first time. She chased a little way then went back to hunting. I got on the 4-wheeler, picked the release traps up and ran her a couple of laps around the property.
Puppy training, for me, is the most fun. Sometimes you can see the light come on for a young dog. Most of the time Sally points as soon as she hits the scent cone. Sooner or later she will try to get closer before pointing. That is when I need to be ready to flush the pigeon. Usually, that makes them more cautious.
Sally
Sally stretching into a point.
Sally