We had three really cool mornings, close to 55 degrees, in a row. We don’t often get that many cool mornings in August, but we will take them. Actually, the days were cool, for August, all day. I worked the young dogs, Abby, Josie and Boss in the morning and Sally, Mann and Luke in the evening. Boss is understanding what “whoa” means.
Boss is learning whoa.
Boss on the place board.
Abby on the place board.
The second day of these cool mornings I went into Boss’s kennel to work him before the others. He ran into his dog house. I walked deeper into his kennel and called him. He stuck his head out but wouldn’t come out. I waited a minute or so without calling him again. He just stood with his head out of his house.
I went to Josie’s kennel and put the e-collars on her and worked her. I heeled her across the yard and worked her on 3 place boards. Next week I’m going to put some pigeons on my pigeon poles for Abby and Josie. I haven’t used the pigeon poles in a few years but I have some young pigeons that I bought from a lady that may not home back. I want Josie and Abby to be really steady on the place boards so I can tie pigeons to the poles and flush them and hope they will be steady to the flush.
After working Josie on each of the 3 place boards several times I turned her loose and ran her off the 4-wheeler. I just let them happy time but Josie doesn’t like the 4-wheeler. She got a little better as we ran. She started off following the 4-wheeler but her breeding was telling her she should be in front. She passed the 4-wheeler and ran the edges. A couple of times she got behind the but she came back to the front. I put her in the kennel.
I went back into Boss’s kennel and he ran into his house. I called him and walked deeper into his kennel. He stuck his head out of his house and watched me. I went to Abby’s kennel and put the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I heeled her out dragging a long check cord. I put her on whoa and walked way out in front of her. I said, “here” and hit the tone on the e-collar. She came to me in a hurry. I heeled her onto the place board.
I walked way out front then to the rear. When I work them on the place board I never call them to me. The only way they get off the place board is me tapping them on the head and saying, “heel”. I worked her several times on each place board. I heeled her back near the 4-wheeler and released her to run. She likes to run in front of the 4-wheeler.
A few days ago, when I was working Abby, I put her on whoa and walked out in front of her and called her to me. She bypassed me and went on to the back. In a few seconds she came back close enough I could catch her. I put her in her kennel. She was only out of her kennel about 5 minutes with no happy timing. She hasn’t tried that again.
Josie on the place board.
After I put Abby into her kennel I went into Boss’s kennel and he tried to get on his house. He’s big enough to jump onto the house but doesn’t think he can. But the main thing was, he was out of his house, wanting to get the e-collars on.
Since Boss is just learning to heel and whoa I walked him all the way to the highway in front of my house, across the front then on to the back. I heeled him and whoaed him every few yards as we walked. He’s now letting me walk out in front of him and some of the time to walk all the way around him, when he’s on whoa. When we got to the place boards he let me walk around him. I think they understand the place boards are to stand still on. We worked several times on all 3 place boards.
When we got back to the kennel I turned him loose to run. Boss is hard to tire. I rode the 4-wheeler while he ran from the front of my house to the back several times. Finally, after he was tired I was able to get him back in his kennel.
Boss on the retrieving bench.
Sally and Mann both have been force broke to retrieve but they neither really like to retrieve. I started cutting a hotdog into 18 or 20 pieces and when they retrieve a bumper correctly, I give them a sliver. I think it’s helping.
Sally is in heat so I brought Mann out first. Several times on the first bumper he acts like he can’t find it. But this time he ran out, grabbed the bumper and brought it right back. He held the bumper until I said, “give”. He retrieved 6 or 7 times with only one bobble. He dropped the bumper before I said, “give” one time but I may have cued him to drop by moving my hand toward the bumper. Anyway I let him get by with it.
I let him run from the kennel to the back and around the house and to the back several times then put him in the kennel.
Luke is ten years old and retired. I don’t make him retrieve although he will. But he doesn’t like it and a retired guy shouldn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to. He loves to run so I put the e-collar around his neck and turned him loose. I only put the e-collar on him so I could pet him while he stood on his house.
Josie.
I put him on whoa, got on the 4-wheeler, started it and put it in gear. I said, “okay” to him and he was off like a shot. He can still run, really fast. I followed on the 4-wheeler but when we came back close to the kennel he went into the big pen. That was enough. I put him up and got Sally out.
Sally, too, has been force broke. But I think the hotdog slivers made more difference in her than it did for Mann. She was slow when she retrieved but now she’s running. Once when I threw the bumper she didn’t see it but when I waved my hand in that direction she went until she found it.
That’s not unusual for a real retriever but for an English setter it’s unusual. Or at least for my English setters it is. An old English setter by the name of Lady would hunt until she found something to retrieve but she’s the only one I’ve ever had. I could send her into a ditch or whatever but she was the only one I’ve ever had that would. Maybe if I get these two to really loving to retrieve they will go like that.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
After Sally did 6 or 7 retrieves correctly I let her run. I followed on the 4-wheeler. I had six pieces of hotdog left so I went to each dog and gave them a sliver. The young dogs had never had hotdogs before but they could grow to like it.