Sally pointing a pigeon
Sally pointing a pigeon.
Another pigeon.
Monday morning I put 6 pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler. I hid 2 of the pigeons, in release traps, in the tall weeds. I turned Sally, for some puppy training, loose with a check cord on. I only use the check cord to tie her to a tree while I move and reload the release traps.
Sally hunted toward the pigeon in the first release trap. She smelled the pigeon but didn’t slow down. When she got within 7 or 8 feet of the trap I released the pigeon. She chased for a few feet then watched it fly away. We hunted on toward the next release trap. Again, she turned toward the pigeon when she got the scent but didn’t stop. I flushed the pigeon.
I tied her to a tree. I moved and reloaded the traps. We hunted past where the first pigeons had been. Now she wants to point. I kept walking saying, “he’s gone, he’s gone.” She hit the scent cone on the next pigeon and pointed. Most people when their puppy points want to say, “whoa” or brush their tail up or walk in front of them. The puppy doesn’t know English and for sure doesn’t know “whoa”. The parents put the tail where it’s going to be and the puppy is really concentrating on the bird. If I say something, brush her tail up or walk in front of her it will break this concentration. I stood still and watched Sally. After a minute or so she moved a foot and I flushed the bird. She chased a few feet and stopped.
We went on through the field. She hit the next scent cone and pointed. I watched her until she took a step and flushed the pigeon. She chased for a few feet. We went back to the tie out tree. I let her hunt where ever she wanted to go on the way back. She wants to stay in front of me.
I moved the traps and put two more pigeons out. It’s good puppy training to tie young dogs out. They learn to give to the rope or tie out and they also learn patience. I turned her loose to hunt. She found the first one and pointed. I watched her. About 30 seconds into her point she took a step and I flushed the bird. She chased a few feet. The last pigeon was in a clump of brush that was growing around a large tree. I couldn’t tell exactly when Sally smelled the pigeon but she went into the brush and started toward the release trap. I flushed the bird. She just stopped and watched it fly away. I took her back to the kennel. (Actually, I took her to the front yard and let her play while I drank a cup of coffee. Then I took her to the kennel.)
This morning I put 6 more pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler and hid two of them in the tall grass. I put the check cord on Sally and turned her loose. There was very little wind but she was at least 15 feet from the first pigeon when she went on point. I checked my watch and took some pictures. She was on point without moving for over 3 minutes. She took a step and I flushed the pigeon. The release trap threw the pigeon into the air but he didn’t even flap his wings. He just lit beside the trap. Sally was after him. She grabbed the pigeon but he got loose and flew away.
I had one pigeon on my side of the training grounds and one on my neighbor’s side. We hunted to the back on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. Sally was checking every place that I had hidden a pigeon for her in her short life. She hit the scent cone and pointed. I didn’t move or say anything. I did take some pictures. On this pigeon she was on point for over 4 minutes. She didn’t move. I got tired of waiting and flushed the pigeon. She chased a few feet. I tied her to a tree. I moved and reloaded the traps.
I had moved the first pigeon closer to where she was tied than where the other pigeon had been. I do this to surprise the pups. She smelled the bird, turned her head and started toward it. I flushed the pigeon. She chased a little way. We went across to the neighbor’s side after checking my side out. Again, she smelled the pigeon but didn’t slow up. I flushed the pigeon. She chased. I took her back to the tree.
I moved both traps to my neighbor’s side of the training grounds. She was running along an edge right in front of me when she went through the scent cone. She whirled around with her back feet sliding, took one step and went on point. I stopped and took pictures. After about a minute she took a step and I flushed the bird. She chased a few steps. The other pigeon was in some weeds right along the back fence. When we got close Sally went into the weeds. I thought she was closer than she was and I flushed the pigeon. She watched it fly away. I took her back to the kennel.
It was really pretty warm by the time I got out today. Some of my release traps weren’t working and I had to fix them. Then one of them takes a special battery that I had to go get. I had already put some pigeons out before I figured out that my traps weren’t working so I had to work Sally. It was 85 degrees when I came back from getting the battery. She did a really good job for it being so hot.
I want her to figure out that her movement is what is causing the birds to fly. If she points wild birds and then takes a step the wild birds will flush. That’s what is happening on these pigeons. She’s pointing sometimes and moving in some of the time. I hope she is trying to figure out how close she can get. She’s doing pretty good for a 15 week old pup.
Sally ran through the scent cone then whirled around.
Another point.
I tried to get a picture of her head. It’s out of focus.