This has been a terrible year for training my English setters. The first part of the year, after quail season ended, was too wet and rainy. Now most mornings it’s too hot. Monday morning, the temperature was about 68 degrees when I got up but was warmer by the time I got out to train.
Babe on point.
Mann on point. Someone on FB said this weather made their hair like an Afro. Works on Mann’s tail, too.
I let Sally in with the puppies. They lined up.
Babe did real well with the pigeons, in release traps, in front of the whoa barrel but Mann hated the whole exercise. Probably, we have got the good out of that exercise. On this day, I took the six release traps and put them out on the training grounds, in pairs. When they point I flush the farthest bird from them and then wait until they realize the bird they are pointing is still there. I, also, don’t want them to know how many birds will fly before the one they’re pointing is flushed.
On the way to the retrieving bench I worked Babe on heel, whoa and here. She would have jumped onto the whoa barrel if I had of heeled her close enough. When we got to the retrieving bench she jumped onto it.
I petted her in several places on both sides of the bench. She holds the dummies better than Mann but is harder to get her mouth open. Once I pried her mouth open I place the dummy behind her canine teeth and she holds. I pull her collar and she walks down the bench. I had her hold, walk and give 3 times on the front of the bench and 3 times on the back. She never tried to spit the dummy out until I said, “give”. I set her on the ground.
I heeled her close to the training grounds, took the piggin’ string off and held on to the check cord when I tapped her head to release her. If I don’t hold the check cord she will go a long way to the west and I have to wait on her to come back.
When I set the pigeons out I have to try to figure where the dog will hit the scent cone and point. It usually is close to where I have it figured. Not this morning. She was a long way from the pigeon when she went on point and a real long way from the second pigeon in this set.
As soon as she points I can drop the check cord. She won’t move, or at least won’t move very far, until I tap her on the head. I went in front of her, kicking the cover. She has been wagging her tail a lot and I have been tapping her lightly with the e-collar around her flank. She’s getting better about the wagging.
When she wagged I held the transmitter button down on low 2 until she stopped wagging. I let off the button as soon as she quit wagging. While she wasn’t wagging I flushed the farthest pigeon. It was on the other side of a clump of brush too far for her to see but she heard it fly away. She wagged a little and I held the button down until she stopped. I flushed the pigeon in front of her when she stopped wagging. I went to her and styled her up and then tapped her head. I continued to hold the check cord.
She hit the next scent cone in between the two pigeons in the set. Sometimes it works the way I want. She was wagging a little but stopped when I hit the e-collar around her flank. I flushed the pigeon that was behind and to her right. She hardly turned her head. She knew the bird she was pointing hadn’t moved. She stayed pretty solid and I kicked the cover for a few seconds then flushed the pigeon she was pointing. She didn’t move. I styled her up, told her what a good girl she is and tapped her head to release her.
Luke pointing a pigeon.
After checking my side out we crossed to the neighbor’s side. Just before we got close to where I had hidden the last set of birds I dropped the check cord. I thought she would hit the scent cone before she realized she could go to the west. I was right. She hit the scent cone and went on point. Both pigeons were in front of her.
She was happy and started wagging. I held the transmitter button down on low 2. The amount of scent she is getting may have some bearing on this habit. She didn’t want to quit. I went to medium 2. She stopped wagging and I flushed the farther pigeon. She raised her head to watch it fly but didn’t try to move.
I continued to kick the cover and she started wagging. I went back to low 2 and she finally stopped. As soon as she stopped I flushed the pigeon. The pigeon came right over the top of her and she turned and watched it fly away. I styled her up then took her back to the kennel.
When I brought Mann out of the kennel I worked him on heel, whoa and here on the way to the retrieving bench. He doesn’t like the whoa barrel and when we got close he moved away from it. He jumped onto the retrieving bench. I petted him in 3 different places on the front of the bench and 3 different places on the back of the bench.
He knows I’m going to place the dummy behind his canine teeth and he acts like he’s panting until I place the dummy. Then he closes his mouth and holds the dummy. Babe has been walking on the bench with the dummy in her mouth for a while but Mann is just starting.
I placed the dummy in his mouth and as we went down the bench my arm hit the dummy and he spit it out. I pinched his lip against his teeth and replaced the dummy. He held it this time as we went down the bench. I stopped him and said, “give”. He dropped it in my hand. He held the dummy and walked 3 times on the front side of the bench and 3 times on the back. I set him on the ground.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
The last time I worked him on pigeons a young bird flew right to him and he ran away from me. Today, I left a check cord on so I could, maybe, grab it and make a retrieving drill out of it, if he caught a bird.
I still had two sets of birds on me and one on the neighbor. Mann’s first cast couldn’t have been any better to miss both sets on me if he had of tried. He went all the way to the back on my side and when he came back up the other side he hit the scent cone on the first set. He was in a better spot than Babe had been. He was in between the two birds. I had a stake with me and pushed it into the ground and tied the check cord to it.
I took some pictures then walked in front of him kicking the cover. I flushed the farther bird. It was behind him and he turned to watch it. When he turned it tightened the check cord. I never thought anything about it at the time. I continued to kick the cover and flushed the pigeon he was pointing. As the bird flew he leaned against the check cord tied to the stake. I stroked him up and turned him loose.
He was headed to the neighbor’s side at top speed when he hit the scent cone on the second set. As I started to him he took a step. I yelled, “Hey” at him. “Hey” is a bad word to my dogs. When they are doing anything I don’t like I say “Hey”, loudly. If they are barking and I want them to stop I say, “Hush” or “Hey”. It works. I picked him up and set him back. I kicked the cover and flushed a pigeon off to his left. He watched it fly away by turning his head. I flushed the pigeon he was pointing. He tightened the check cord. I sent him on.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
We went on to the neighbor’s side and hunted all the way to the back. We started back to the front and he hit the scent cone. This time he didn’t take a step. I walked in front after taking pictures. Both pigeons were in front of him. I flushed the farther bird. He watched it fly away without moving. I stroked his sides then went back in front kicking the cover. I flushed the pigeon he was pointing. He watched it fly away but he took the slack out of the check cord. I took him back to the kennel.
I got to thinking about the check cord. I have been tying it with very little slack in it. Mann has already figured out that he can lean against it. I did the same thing with Tur Bo and he always takes a step when I flush his birds. I believe that if I tie the check cord off I need to leave enough slack that the dog needs to take a couple of steps before it tightens. With just a little slack they want to lean against it. Just my opinion but I think I’m right. I don’t want to get Mann where he always takes a step.
Babe watching a pigeon fly away.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Mann on point.