Tur Bo with a Dokken quail..
Dolly with the pheasant.
Blaze with the chuckar.
The last time it was cool enough to work dogs, even getting out real early, was Monday morning. I took Tur Bo and 8 pigeons to the county park near my house. Tur Bo stands his birds real well if he can’t see them. If he can see them he will hold until I get in front of him then he wants to flush. I have been taking him by his self to the park and working him on birds that he can see.
I put the e-collars on him on the tail gate of the truck and heeled him to the field with the piggin’ string. He tries to lead me to the field, most times, so I do a 180 degree turn. Tur Bo is so fast that I never feel him on the piggin’ string. He pivots right with me. I heeled him to the edge of the field and put him on whoa.
After I walked around him I released him to hunt. About a hundred yards into the field I whoaed him. I put a pigeon to sleep and placed it about 10 feet in front of him, where he could see it. I walked in front of him kicking the tall weeds. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and dropped it behind me. He watched it fly away. I continued to kick the cover then woke the pigeon. He didn’t move when it flew away. I stroked his sides telling him what a good boy he is. I put another pigeon to sleep and placed it in front of him. I walked in front of him kicking the cover and woke the pigeon. He watched it fly away without moving. I continued to kick the cover and dropped another pigeon from the bird bag. He still didn’t move. I stroked his sides then led him away. I released him to hunt.
He is getting used to this exercise and doesn’t get very far away from me. I waited until we hunted to the back of the field and started back toward the truck to hide a sleeping pigeon in the tall grass. I called him in and told him to look close. He pointed and was close enough to see the bird. I walked in front of him kicking the cover and dropped a pigeon from the bird bag. He watched it fly away without moving. I took another bird from the bag and dropped it. It didn’t fly. It was a young bird and it just hit the ground and stood there. I picked it up and put it in the bag. I thought maybe he was learning that he couldn’t move once he went on point. I had one more bird in the bag. I dropped it and it flew away. He watched it without moving. I stroked his sides then went back in front of him kicking the tall grass. I woke the pigeon and when it flew away Tur Bo went with it. I held the button on the e-collar on his flank down until he stopped. He had chased about 30 yards. I started to him and he started moving again. I held the button down again and he stopped. I carried him back to where he had originally pointed and whoaed him. I kicked the cover and walked around him several times. I, finally, released him.
That was my last pigeon so on the way back to the truck we worked on whoa. He was about 30 yards in front of me the first time I said whoa. He stopped until I got to him but when I went past him he started moving. I didn’t say anything I just held the button on his flank collar down until he stopped. In my yard he knows whoa real well but in the park it’s different. I whoaed him 3 or 4 more times and he stayed until I released him.
I’ve been working Dolly, Luke, Blaze and Tur Bo on retrieving, early, on some of these hot mornings. I have been doing the walking fetch with them all then throwing the Dokken quail. Sometimes, when I heel them to the first bumper lying on the ground they are slow to pick it up. After the first one they do fine.
Blaze had her litter. She only had two pups. A white and black female and a white and orange male. They are all doing well and the pups are growing fast. With only two they get all the food they want.
Blaze pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Luke