A cooler morning for training setter puppies. It wasn’t real cool but in the low 70’s which is cooler than last week. Babe at this point in her life is not real aggressive on pigeons. Mann hunts, points then jumps in. Babe likes the pigeons when they fly from the ground or from my hand. I decided today to run them together to see if that would fire her up.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Mann with another pigeon.
Mann again.
I didn’t think that the release traps were bothering Babe but I set two traps near their kennel and released two pigeons before turning the puppies out to train. She showed no reaction to the traps but watched the pigeons as they flew away just as Mann did. I turned them out and hooked them to the chain gang.
I hid two pigeons, in the release traps, in the two strips of grass I left on the training grounds. I put one pigeon closer to where the puppies were chained, in the edge of the brush.
I turned the puppies loose and we started down the training grounds. Normally, they head right for the strips of grass but this morning they were both crisscrossing the field. Babe smelled the bird hidden in the brush first but turned the wrong way. Mann hit the scent cone closer to the bird and pointed. I took some pictures and watched Mann. He took a step and I hit the button to flush the pigeon but nothing happened. After the first step he had went back on point but when I went to see what was wrong with the trap he went to help. I got my knee between him and the trap. I released the bird by hand. He chased a few steps. I never figured out what was wrong with the trap. It worked every time after this.
We went on to the back. When the puppies got close to the grass strips they sped up. They both started up the strip with Mann leading. He smelled the pigeon and pointed. Babe was out farther and didn’t act like she smelled the pigeon. She wandered off. I took some pictures of Mann. He took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance and went back to hunting.
Babe was running the edge of the field when Mann started up the next grass strip. He hit the scent cone and didn’t even slow down. He started for the pigeon and I flushed it. He chased farther than usual but came back to smell the trap. I let them happy time on the way back to the chain gang.
I have left three strips of grass on my neighbor’s side of the training grounds and I hid a pigeon in each strip. I turned the puppies loose and we went all the way to the back on my side first. The puppies really checked the grass strips on my side but other than hot spots there was nothing there.
We crossed to the neighbor’s side. I tried to go toward the back first but the puppies seem to know where the birds are. Babe went in first on the strip but didn’t point. When she got too close I flushed the pigeon. She chased the bird then went back to hunting.
We came around a clump of brush and Mann went on point. I took some pictures then just stood and watched him. At this age I don’t talk to them or brush their tail up or try to walk in front of them. I stand still and watch them. I flush the pigeon if they have a foot up and put it down or if they take a step. I want them to know that their movement is what flushed that bird. After about 30 seconds he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He went back to hunting.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
It wasn’t far to the next strip and both dogs were on the wrong side of the pigeon. When they got too close I flushed the bird. That is exactly what would happen with wild birds. They both chased. I put them back on the chain gang.
I got more pigeons and moved the release traps. This time I put them in the edges of the brush. I will still use the grass strips but not every time. The puppies will have to hunt now.
To keep the puppies from just following the 4-wheeler tracks I usually ride both sides of the training grounds then start the puppies down the wrong side. We went to the back on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. We went to the back. I had a pigeon hid near the back in some brush surrounding a large tree. Mann hit the scent cone and pointed. Babe stopped and was watching him. She wasn’t rigid like she was backing but she was paying attention. I watched Mann until he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. They both chased then went back to hunting.
We got close to the next pigeon and didn’t seem like either dog could smell the bird. Sometimes that happens on these training grounds. There wasn’t much wind and where I had hidden this pigeon trees blocked the air flow. When the puppies got close I flushed the pigeon. They chased then went back to hunting.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
We went on up the training grounds. We had one more pigeon hidden in the brush. Babe came close enough to the bird to have pointed it, in my opinion, but she didn’t act like she smelled it. She went on by and when she got on the north east side she went on point. I thought the wind was out of the north. She was on point for just for a couple of seconds then took a step. I didn’t even get to take a picture before I flushed the pigeon.
I decided that was enough for the puppies. I still had some pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler. When we got close to the kennel I took the pigeons from the box one at a time and let them go right in front of the puppies. They both chased.
As I worked these dogs this morning I was trying to figure out what I should do to get Babe more enthused about birds. The first thing I thought of was that these puppies are only 13 weeks old, today. But the litter their mother was out of only had two pups. Their mother and a male dog. The owner of the male brought him back over to work it on pigeons and it didn’t show anything. It wouldn’t point them and it didn’t seem to even care about them. He worked it here two or three times with the same results. Quail season came around and the dog was great. He said it may be the best dog he’s ever owned. After quail season was over he brought him back. He loved the pigeons. He pointed them with lots of style.
Most of this week is supposed to be cool so I will continue to work them. I enjoy seeing them work almost as much as they like to hunt.
Puppies around the pigeon cage.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Using their nose to find dog food in the grass.