TurBo pointing a pigeon
Luke pointing a pigeon.
Rocky checking out a grass strip.
I have been working Rocky on his retrieving. He’s almost 4 months old and is doing real well. I throw a bumper as far as I can then as he races out to get it I throw a bumper to the right and one to the left. When he brings the farther one in I click then give him a little piece of hot dog then wave in the direction of one of the bumpers I threw to the side. Most of the time he will run to the one on the side then race back to me. I click and give him a piece of hot dog then wave to the other one.
Only one time did he have trouble. I threw the first bumper as far as I could then threw the bumpers to the right and left. Rocky saw the one to the left and went to it instead of coming to me. He dropped the one he had and picked up the other one. Then he dropped that one and picked up the other. He did that 3 or 4 times then laid down with them. I kept calling him and he finally picked one up and brought it to me. I clicked and treated. I waved in the direction of the bumper on the left and he raced out and brought it back. I clicked and treated. I sent him after the one on the other side. He raced out, scooped it up and brought it back to me.
A few days ago I put a pile of bumpers out and threw a bumper into the pile. He raced to the pile but he picked up several and dropped them before finally settling on one. Each time I sent him he tried several before settling on one to bring to me. When he finally got to the last one he grabbed it and raced to me. Having more than one to pick up confuses him but he will work through it.
I put 3 pigeons, in release traps, in the tall strips of grass that I had left on both sides of the training grounds. I put one pigeon on my side and two on the neighbors side. I watched him real close. When I could see that he was smelling the pigeon and going toward it, I flushed the bird. He found all 3 pigeons.
I haven’t worked the big dogs in several days because of the hot weather. I did run them one morning when it was a little cooler near Atchison, Kansas. One of the walk-in places I have hunted for years has a big draw running through it. There were a couple of smaller draws that came out of the big draw. Each of these smaller draws had a covey of quail in them last year. I drove by and both of them had been bull dozed down and the dozer was still sitting there. No telling how much cover will be pushed out but for sure the cover that held 2 coveys of quail is gone.
I replaced the 3 pigeons in the release traps and brought Blaze out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I released her and followed on the 4-wheeler. She found the first pigeon and pointed. She was running all out and whirled into a point. I walked in front of her after taking pictures. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I released her.
She was just getting her speed up when she hit the scent cone on the second bird. She slid to a point. I took pictures then flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She didn’t move. I released her and we hunted on to the back then over to my side of the training grounds. She was on the wrong side going to the back but pointed when we started back up the other side. I took more pictures then walked in front of her and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move even when I shot the blank pistol. I let her run before going back to the kennel.
I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and released him to hunt. The last time I ran him a pigeon didn’t fly real well and he caught it. I thought he might try to catch another one. I followed him on the 4-wheeler. He hit the scent cone on the first pigeon and pointed. He had stopped in the edge of the scent cone so he was about 10 yards from the pigeon. I took pictures then walked in front of him. I had a pigeon behind my back. I dropped the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I continued to kick the cover and flushed the pigeon. He ran toward the pigeon and leaped into the air to catch it. I was anticipating this. I held the button on the e-collar on his flank down until he stopped. I picked him up and carried him back to where he had originally pointed. I got another pigeon from the 4-wheeler. I continued to kick the cover then dropped the pigeon in front of Tur Bo and shot the blank pistol. I was holding the transmitter but he didn’t move. I released him.
I rode to the back and Tur Bo ran in front of me but he didn’t come close to the pigeon I had hidden. When I got to the back I didn’t see him. I rode over to my side and he was standing over the release trap. He moved as I got close. He was trying to get the pigeon out of the trap. I picked him up by the collar and his flank e-collar and carried him back to where he should have pointed. Before I set him down I shook him 3 or 4 times then placed him on the ground and said whoa. I walked in front of him with a pigeon hidden behind my back. I held the transmitter to the e-collar in my hand when I dropped the pigeon and shot the blank pistol but he didn’t move. I continued to kick then flushed the pigeon in the release trap. He didn’t move. I released him.
I was close when he hit the scent cone on the next pigeon and he pointed. He was about 10 yards from the bird. I took pictures then walked in front of him. I flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He didn’t move. I let him run for a while before going to the kennel.
I’m going to have to work on Tur Bo for a while after he caught the pigeon. It’s much better to not let them catch a bird but sometimes the birds don’t fly well. When I picked him up and shook him I only said whoa one time. You want the dog to know that he did wrong but you don’t want to intimidate him. Bird dogs must be bold. Screaming at them will make them cower. That’s not what you want.
II’m going to work the older dogs some more before the season opens. I must convince Tur Bo that I don’t want him catching the birds, just pointing them.
Thanks for reading the blog and thanks for clicking on the ads that are run with these posts. I had to reuse some pictures today. I’ve got someone coming to work on my computer tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t have to reuse pictures after tomorrow.
Blaze pointing a pigeon.
A close up of Tur Bo when he’s pointing.
Blaze pointing a pigeon.