Blaze beside the whoa board.
Luke with a pigeon beside the whoa board.
Tur Bo and a pigeon beside the whoa board.
I trained dogs this morning on the retrieving bench, whoa board and beside the whoa board. Whatever is done on the whoa board should be done right beside it. I put 6 pigeons in the bird box on the 4-wheeler and parked it close to the whoa board. Then I put the Sport Dog e-collars on Blaze’s neck and flanks and heeled her out of the kennel. I whoaed her, just out of the kennel, and held a retrieving dummy in front of her and said, “fetch”. She took it and I heeled her to the retrieving bench. Just before we got to the bench I stopped her and took the bumper from her.
She jumped onto the bench and I walked her back and forth petting her. I put 4 bumpers on the other end and sent her to retrieve. She retrieved each one and held it until I said, “give”. I replaced the bumpers on the other end and had her retrieve them again. She did a good job.
I set her on the ground and tossed all 4 bumpers right beside the bench and had her retrieve them. She retrieved all 4 with no problems except she seems unsure of where to stand when she gets back to me. I threw a bumper 5 times and she retrieved it each time. She seems to enjoy retrieving when a bumper is thrown. I put the piggin’ string on her and had her hold the bumper. I heeled her to the whoa board. Near the whoa board I stopped her and took the bumper from her.
I set her on the whoa board and got a pigeon from the 4-wheeler. I put the pigeon to sleep in front of her. I tossed my gloves near the pigeon and it woke up and flew away. She didn’t move. I set her on the ground and told her to whoa. I got another pigeon from the 4-wheeler. I put it to sleep and placed it on the ground right in front of her. I tossed my gloves then picked them up, shook them and threw them again. I, gently, rolled the pigeon over with my toe, waking it up. She took a couple of steps when it flew away. I set her back and sternly said, “whoa”.
I got another pigeon from the 4-wheeler. I put it to sleep and placed it even closer to her. I threw my gloves and the pigeon woke up. I had my back to the bird but it must have taken a couple of steps before it flew because she lunged at it, trying to catch it. I held the button on the flank collar down, picked her up and set her back letting off the button when her feet touched the ground.
I used a total of 6 pigeons on her. The last 5 were with were with her standing on the ground. Finally, the last two she didn’t move. Although they have had a lot of pigeons flushed from release traps just putting them to sleep in front of them is new. I expect her to be steady the next time we do this.
I put the piggin’ string on her, had her hold the bumper and heeled for about 30 yards. I stopped her, took the bumper, heeled her for about 10 yards and released her. She ran to the quail pen and went on point. I chased the quail back and forth. I even got one to fly and she didn’t move. After a few minutes I took her back to the kennel.
I put the e-collars on Luke and heeled him to the retrieving bench holding a bumper in his mouth. I stopped him and took the bumper before he jumped onto the bench. I walked him back and forth petting him every few feet. I put 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench and sent him to retrieve. He did 3 of them just fine but he would drop one before I told to give. So we did it over and over and over. When he dropped the bumper I would pinch his lip against his teeth then replace the bumper. He would hold it until I said, “give”. Then I would put all 4 on the other end and he would get it right on 3 of them. Finally, he did all 4 correctly. I set him on the ground.
I tossed all 4 bumpers next to the bench and sent him to retrieve. He did all 4 correctly. I tossed a bumper farther and sent him to retrieve. On this I like to get 5 retrieves in a row correctly. If he drops it or doesn’t bring it back we start over on the count. I don’t remember how many times I started the count over but at least one time he was almost back with the fifth one and dropped it. Finally, he did it right 5 times in a row. I put the piggin’ string on him, had him hold a bumper and heeled him to the whoa board.
I took the bumper and placed him on the whoa board. I put a pigeon to sleep and put it in front of the whoa board. I threw my gloves close to it then picked them up and threw them again. I gently woke the pigeon up with my toe. When it flew away he didn’t move. I set him on the ground beside the whoa board and said, “whoa”. I got a pigeon from the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it right in front of him on the ground. I walked around the pigeon and threw my gloves. I flushed the bird and he didn’t move. I got another pigeon and we did it all again. Again, he didn’t move when it flew away. I put the piggin’ string on him and heeled him away with a bumper in his mouth.
After about 30 yards I stopped him and took the bumper. I heeled him about 10 yards then released him. He went to the quail pen and went on point. I chased the quail around but to get one to fly I had to get inside the pen. It didn’t bother him. He didn’t move. I chased the birds for him a couple of minutes then took him back to the kennel.
I heeled Tur Bo to the retrieving bench with e-collars on his neck and flanks. He held the bumper until we were about 10 yards from the bench. As soon as he spit the bumper out I held the button on his neck e-collar down until he picked the bumper up. We didn’t go to the bench we went to the back yard. He held the bumper while we walked past the bench and on down in the back yard, came back past the bench and then stopped next to it. I let him stand a few seconds before saying, “give”. He was ready to drop it in my hand. He jumped onto the bench. I walked him back and forth petting him.
I put the 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench and sent him to retrieve. He retrieved them correctly but his problem on the bench is his enthusiasm. He runs down the bench to 4 evenly spaced retrieving dummies and doesn’t take the first one. He may walk over two and take the third one. Some of the times he hits one of the ones he’s stepping over and it rolls off the table. Sometime he shakes the table with his enthusiasm and they roll off. I had him make 8 retrieves and he held them until I asked for them. I set him on the ground.
I put the 4 bumper beside the bench and he retrieved them all holding until I said, “give”. When I hold the bumpers he’s retrieved in my left hand he tries to take one of them when I send him after one on the ground. I threw a bumper and sent him to retrieve. I started my count over about 3 times before he finally got 5 in a row. He likes to retrieve but he wants to throw the bumper to me every once in a while. I put the piggin’ string on him and heeled him to the whoa board with a bumper in his mouth.
He held the bumper until we got to the whoa board. I stopped him and took the bumper. I set him on the whoa board. I got a pigeon out of the box on the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it in front of him. I threw the gloves and then woke the pigeon up. He didn’t move when it flew away. I set him on the ground and said, “whoa”. When I take the piggin’ string off of the dogs I drop it right beside the whoa board. When I set the dogs on the ground from the whoa board I place their feet near the piggin’ string and I know where to set them back, if the dogs move. I got another pigeon off the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it right in front of him. I walked around him and threw the gloves. I woke the pigeon up and he didn’t move when the bird flew away.
I got another pigeon from the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it closer to Tur Bo. I don’t know what was different about this pigeon but after I went through all my stuff and woke this pigeon up he pounced on it before it could fly away. He gave it to me without hurting it when I said, “give”. I set him back behind the piggin’ string. I got another pigeon from the 4-wheeler, put it to sleep and placed it in front of him. I went through my stuff, woke the pigeon up, and he stood and watched it fly away. I had one more pigeon on the 4-wheeler besides the one he had already caught so I put it to sleep and placed it in front of him. I walked around him, threw my gloves then woke the pigeon up. He just stood and watched it fly away.
I put the piggin’ string on him, had him hold a bumper and heeled him away. He made it about 25 yards and spit the bumper out. I held the button on his neck e-collar down until he picked the bumper up. We walked a long way. We went past the retrieving bench then made a circle and came back. I stopped him and took the bumper. I heeled him another 20 yards then released him. He ran to the quail pen and went on point.
I ran the quail around but again I had to get inside to get any to fly. He didn’t move. I chased them around for a while then took him back to the kennel.
There was something different about that pigeon that Tur Bo grabbed and I’m not sure what it was. He has been really steady, in fact he still has style but these exercises are getting kind of boring for all of us. I want to work them on retrieving but I’m throwing the birds in to make it more fun for the dogs. I will have to think of another way to train.
Tur Bo on the whoa board.
Luke on the ground pointing a pigeon.
Blaze at the quail pen.