A lot of the puppy training is just watching them learn about their world. I have a small creek that crosses my land and the first few times I took the litter to the back, the creek for them was a big deal. For me it’s only a step to cross but for the puppies just seeing the water and the ditch was concerning for them. After a few times of crossing it was no big deal. Getting puppies used to most things is just that easy.
Boss, at 12 weeks, pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I have been putting 2 pigeons out, each time I work Abby and Josie, for Boss. I use the Dogtra release traps because they make a lot less noise than the DT traps. I don’t think the noise would bother him now but it may have when I first started. I have left strips of grass un-mowed, where I hide the pigeons. It’s fun to watch Boss check every place I’ve ever hidden birds for him before. These aren’t dumb animals. He checks them all.
Sometimes when he goes on point he stands for long time. The first couple of points I finally flushed the pigeon. One of the first points I recorded he was on point for over two minutes and I went ahead and flushed the bird. He hadn’t moved. Other times he moves after just a few seconds. I don’t say anything to him or try to walk in front. I just stand and watch.
The last time I worked him on birds I hid them on the neighbor’s side of the training grounds. As we walked down my side before crossing to the neighbor’s side Boss checked each place I had ever hidden a bird for him. I had never even walked him on the neighbor’s side. When I went through the break in the cover he stayed in front of me and went right along. He was on the wrong side of the first pigeon but he got a little scent and pointed. About 5 seconds later he wanted to move to get better scent. I flushed the pigeon.
He’s not old enough or fast enough to chase very far. I had hidden another pigeon in a strip of grass close to the first one. He was on the down wind side and pointed for a longer time on the next bird. I took a picture then when he moved I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance. We went back to the kennel.
When we got close to the kennel he didn’t want to quit. He wouldn’t come near me. I got on the 4-wheeler and started toward the back of the training grounds. He got in front and started to run. I followed on the 4-wheeler. After a few seconds he got behind the 4-wheeler and I sped up. I rode to the back, started back toward the kennels then crossed to the neighbor’s side and rode to the back. When we got back to the kennel Boss’s tongue was hanging out and he was ready for me to catch him. I put him in the kennel.
I had worked Abby and Josie, two days in a row on 4 birds in one spot with me flushing them one at a time and them having to stand. Tuesday they both had performed really well. Neither had done more than just flinch when the birds were flushed. I thought they were ready to run on their own and that they would point and hold without me doing anything.
Abby
Wednesday, I put the 4 pigeons in release traps out on the neighbor’s side. I have been heeling the pups into the area of the pigeons and when the young dog smells the bird they go on point. I then flush the other three birds and save the pigeon they are pointing and make it the last to flush. I worked Abby first.
When she hit the scent cone she pointed. I dropped my end of the piggin’ string and walked around her taking pictures. Two of the birds that she wasn’t pointing were in front of her but several yards past the pigeon she was pointing. I flushed the first one and she took a step. I set her back and waited for her to smell the bird she was pointing. She got rigid.
I stroked her sides and walked around her. I flushed the second bird and she didn’t move. I continued to walk around her and flushed a pigeon that was well off to her left. She spun around and wanted to go after it. I set her back. She got rigid when she regained the scent of the pigeon she had originally pointed.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I let her stand for quite a while and made sure that I walked between her and the pigeon she was pointing. When I flushed the pigeon she tried to chase. I was holding the piggin’ string and stopped her. I set her back and stroked her sides. I took the piggin’ string off and tapped her head. She ran back to the kennel.
Josie too had been real good on her birds Tuesday. I reloaded the release traps and brought Josie out. I thought maybe Abby hadn’t been getting strong scent where she had stopped so I took Josie in a slightly different place. She didn’t get the smell on that bird at all. But it wasn’t far to the next bird. As we walked by Josie went on point. She was getting a strong scent, I think.
I walked around her taking pictures. I walked between her and the bird she was pointing. I flushed a pigeon she wasn’t pointing and she took a couple of steps. I set her back. When she got rigid again I walked around her.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
Each time I go between them and the bird they are pointing just to get them used to me being between them and their bird. I then go back and hold onto the piggin’ string but I don’t have it tight. I flushed a pigeon that was well off to her right and she wheeled around. I set her back.
After I set her back I stroked her sides. When she got rigid I walked around her. I flushed a pigeon that was in front of her but past the one she was pointing. She took a step. I set her back. When she got rigid I flushed the bird she was pointing. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides, took the piggin’ string off and let her run back to the kennel.
Josie beat me back to the kennel area. There were some pigeons sitting on the roof of their house. When Josie got close one of them, a young pigeon, flew just a short distance and landed in the yard. Josie was right there when it landed and she caught the bird.
Josie watching a pigeon fly away.
The pigeon got away several times but didn’t get air born before Josie would catch it again. I was at least 50 yards away when she first caught the pigeon and I didn’t get in a hurry to get there. I called her to see if she would bring me the bird but no luck. When I got to her I petted her. She held the pigeon to the ground but let it go several times. After a couple of minutes I picked the pigeon up. It was wet but not hurt. I put it back in the pigeon coop and put Josie in her kennel. That evening the pigeon was dry and doing fine.
It’s only May so I have a long time before bird season to get these two young dogs steadied up. And then there’s Boss to work on too. Even with out the Corona virus pandemic, my life would not be a lot different.