Luke on the whoa board.
Blaze after a pigeon had flown.
Tur Bo I wanted to show the way the whoa board was built
I’m still trying to get my dogs steady to wing and shot and work them on retrieving as well. I put the Sport Dog e-collars on Luke’s neck and flanks then heeled him to the retrieving bench with the piggin’ string. After he jumped onto the bench I walked him back and forth petting him. I worked him on fetch and hold then had him retrieve 3 bumpers from the other end of the bench. I set him on the ground and told him “whoa”.
I threw a bumper and he ran out, scooped it up, brought it back and held it until I said, “give”. I threw the bumper 5 times and he retrieved to hand each time. I whoaed him, put the piggin’ string on him, held a bumper in front of him and said “fetch”. He took the bumper and I heeled him to the whoa board. I whoaed him and said, “give” and he dropped the bumper in my hand. I placed him on the whoa board and told him to whoa.
I had some pigeons in a box on the 4-wheeler. I took one out and put it to sleep in front of Luke. To put a pigeon to sleep, tuck his head under a wing, straighten his legs out and lay him down on the wing that his head is under. Luke acted like he could smell the pigeon that was in front of him. I sat and watched him for a while then took one of my gloves and threw it close to the pigeon. I threw the other glove then a retrieving bumper that I had in my pocket. Luke didn’t move. I picked up the gloves and bumper and threw them again. I touched the pigeon with my foot and it woke up. It took a few steps before it flew away. He still didn’t move. I got another pigeon and put it to sleep in front of him. After a minute or so I threw the gloves and bumper close to the pigeon, picked them up and threw them again. He didn’t move. I touched the pigeon with my foot and it flew away. He didn’t move.
I set him on the ground and said, “whoa”. I put the piggin’ string on him, held a bumper in front of him and said, “fetch”. He took the bumper and I heeled him about 20 yards, whoaed him and said, “give”. He dropped the bumper in my hand. I took the piggin’ string off and tapped him on the head to release him. One of the pigeons had only flown to a tree close to the whoa board and he made a pass trying to find it before going to the quail flight pen. He pointed the quail. I moved the birds back and forth in front of him then got a pigeon out of the box on the 4-wheeler. I went to the other side of the flight pen and as I moved the quail in front of him I dropped a pigeon and it flew away. He didn’t move.
I continued to walk the quail in front of him and I dropped another pigeon. The pigeon flew away and he never moved. I walked the quail back a few more times then picked him up and carried him away. I heeled him back toward the kennel. When I got about 40 yards from the quail pen I let him run back to the kennel.
Blaze was next. I heeled her to the retrieving bench with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I walked her back and forth petting her several times. I had her retrieve 3 bumpers on the bench then set her on the ground. I tossed the bumper for her 5 or 6 times. She acts like she really enjoys retrieving the bumper, now. I put the piggin’ string on her, held a bumper in front of her and said, “fetch”. She took the bumper and we started toward the whoa board. Without missing a step she dropped the bumper. I popped the piggin’ string and told her to fetch. She picked the bumper up and we started in the opposite direction. After 30 yards I heeled her back toward the whoa board. She held the bumper until we got to the whoa board and I whoaed her. I said, “give” and she dropped it in my hand. I placed her on the whoa board.
I got a pigeon from the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it in front of her. After a few minutes I threw my gloves and the bumper, in front of her, near the pigeon. It didn’t bother her so I did it again. I touched the pigeon with my toe and it woke up and flew away. She didn’t move. I put another pigeon to sleep in front of her and threw the gloves and bumper. I woke the pigeon up and when it flew away it made a circle and flew back real close to her and she fell off the whoa board. She started scrambling to get back on. She finally got back on but she was cross ways on the 2×6 instead of length ways. I straightened her up and put another sleeping pigeon in front of her. I threw the gloves and bumper then woke the pigeon up. When it flew away she didn’t move. I set her on the ground had her hold a bumper and heeled her toward the quail pen. I whoaed her, took the bumper and released her.
She went to the quail pen and went on point. The quail don’t want to fly in the pen so I just run them back and forth in front of the dog. Since I had used 3 pigeons on the whoa board with Blaze I only had one left to drop as the quail ran in front of her. She didn’t move when the pigeon flew away. I ran the birds around for a while then picked her up and carried her away from the pen. I took her back to the kennel.
I took Tur Bo down next. He has been having trouble holding the bumper so as I heeled him to the retrieving bench I had him carry the bumper. On the way he dropped it. I pinched his lip against his teeth and re-inserted the bumper. He carried it until we got to the bench. After he jumped onto the bench and I had petted him in several spots, on the bench, I put 3 bumpers on the other end and sent him to retrieve. He is big enough to shake the bench as he goes to make the retrieve. He made all 3 retrieves and held them until I said, “give”. I set him on the ground.
I held a bumper in front of him and he took it. I laid it on the ground and he picked it up. I put it about 3 feet in front of him and he retrieved it. I tossed it about 7 or 8 feet and he had no idea what to do. He acted like he was going to retrieve then headed to the quail pen. He really wanted to be in charge. I stopped him with a whoa and the button on the flank collar. I heeled him back to the retrieving bench and I tossed the bumper about 5 feet and he retrieved. I tossed it about 10 feet and he retrieved. I threw the bumper 6 or 7 times and he retrieved it every time. I put the piggin’ string on him, had him hold the bumper and we started to the whoa board. He dropped the bumper. I held the button on the neck collar down and held the bumper in front of him until he took it. We turned and heeled away from the whoa board for about 30 yards then turned and started back. He dropped the bumper. I held the button down on the neck e-collar until he took the bumper. We went away from the whoa board for a few yards then went to the whoa board. This time he held it until we got to the board. I held my hand under his mouth and he dropped it in my hand.
Tur Bo knows all of the things we had done this morning but he wanted to get them over with so he could point the quail. If I had of let him get by with any of this he would have been harder to deal going forward.
I set him on the whoa board and put a pigeon to sleep in front of him. Because of him being in a hurry to get to the quail pen I slowed down. I sat on a trailer I had parked near the board for a while then threw the gloves and bumper near the bird. I sat for a while then threw the gloves and bumper again. I touched the pigeon with my foot and it woke. Instead of flying it walked in front of him until I threw a glove close. Then it flew. Tur Bo came off the bench. He struggled for a few seconds then figured out he was big enough to touch the ground. He waited for me to place him back on the bench.
I let him stand for a while then put another pigeon to sleep in front of him. I sat on the trailer and threw my gloves and the bumper near the pigeon. He didn’t move. I woke the pigeon up and it flew away. He didn’t move. I set him on the ground, had him hold the bumper and heeled him away. He held the bumper until I said, “give”. I released him to run.
He went to the quail pen and went on point. I ran the quail back and forth in front of him and dropped a pigeon. He didn’t move. I continued to move the quail around in front of him and dropped another pigeon. He watched it fly away without moving his feet. I let him point as I walked the birds in front of him then heeled him away. I took him back to the kennel.
Tur Bo is the youngest of the three dogs I’m working but he has done everything, and done it well, that we did this morning. It was just one of those days when he thought just maybe I would let him be in charge. I didn’t get frustrated or mad. We just did it until he got it right. The next training session he may do everything right and it will be one of the others that try me. The lip pinch and the e-collar punishments weren’t hard or severe but there has to be a consequence for behavior we don’t want. Reward good behavior and punish bad behavior.
Luke at the quail pen
Blaze at the quail pens
Tur Bo at the quail pens.