I’ve been working my puppies on pigeons for a little while now. Mann does real well. He points with a high head and usually a twelve o’clock, straight tail. He has been holding for a couple of minutes and this morning he let me walk in front. I kicked the cover several times and he didn’t move. Babe acts like she doesn’t know what to do. Most of the time when she has pointed she can see either the trap or the bird. I worked her a couple of days on pigeons in cages rather than the release traps to see if the noise of the release traps bothered her. Didn’t seem to matter.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Mann in front Babe behind.
Wire cages with strings that I used for Babe.
When Babe smelled the birds in the cages she would stop then come to me. The second day that I worked her on the cages I started putting her in the scent cone, as well as I could tell, and styling her up. If she just didn’t know what to do maybe this would teach her. She was hunting hard but when she smelled the birds she was lost. She wasn’t blinking the birds because she was hunting hard. Finally, with the cages she pointed a couple of birds. She didn’t hold very long but at least she pointed.
I couldn’t see that the cages made any difference, so this morning I decided to use the release traps on both puppies. I hid three pigeons on the training grounds and turned Babe loose. She hunts hard and fast so I rode the 4-wheeler. I had decided that when she got close to a bird and I could tell that she smelled it I was going to flush the pigeon. If she is afraid to move for fear of flushing the pigeon maybe she would point.
I know where she’s going to find the birds so all I need to do is watch close when she’s close to a bird. She passed the first bird on the wrong side so we went to the back of the grounds, across the back then back the other side. When we got close to the bird I rode to the other side like I was crossing to the neighbor’s side. She hit the scent cone, raised her head and went toward the bird. I flushed the pigeon. The bird stayed low as it flew back toward the pigeon coop and she chased for about 50 yards. We crossed to the neighbor’s side.
I had a pigeon hidden in a strip of tall grass. She circled on the wrong side without getting any scent then came around to the right side. She raised her head and I flushed the pigeon. This pigeon flew into a tall tree just above her head. She kept an eye on the bird and was reluctant to leave. I rode the 4-wheeler away calling her. She came.
There was very little wind and the next bird was hard to smell. I got off the 4-wheeler and walked in the area I wanted her to hunt, calling her name. She came into a lane between two clumps of brush and wheeled around. I flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
I went to the chain gang and called her name. She came to me to be tied to the chain gang. I really like putting puppies on the chain gang. I think they learn a lot.
I reloaded the release traps and turned Mann loose. He’s hard to keep up with, even on the 4-wheeler. My 4-wheeler was pointed down my side and when I released Mann he went down the neighbor’s side. I went pretty fast down my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side just in time to see him cross over to my side about half way down the training grounds. I followed him over to my side. About the time he was going to point I flushed the pigeon. I think, flushing a bird every once in a while makes the puppies more cautious. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
Babe on point.
I only had one pigeon on my side so we crossed to the neighbor’s side. We went to the back and that pigeon was still hard to smell. I got off the 4-wheeler and worked him into the area of the pigeon. He wasn’t moving very fast when he hit the scent cone but he froze. He was on point for a couple of minutes and I decided to walk in front of him. This was the first time I have ever tried. I scrubbed my feet on the ground and he never moved. I kicked some brush and he still didn’t move. I grabbed a limb on a small bush and whipped it back and forth. He still didn’t move and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
I rode the 4-wheeler back toward the front. He was on the right side to point this pigeon from about 15 yards. I sat on the 4-wheeler watching for a while then got off to kick the cover. He had a rear foot in the air and as I walked up he put the foot down. I flushed the pigeon. He chased for a short distance then went back to hunting.
A couple of weeks ago he wouldn’t come to me at the chain gang. He didn’t want to quit hunting. That day I caught him at the pigeon coop and put him back in his kennel. That straightened him up for a while. The next two times, maybe three, he came right to me at the chain gang. This morning he decided he didn’t have to come to the chain gang or get near me. I rode the 4-wheeler to the pigeon coop. When I opened the door he reared up to look in. I grabbed his collar and took him to his kennel.
Mann pointing.
I had already decided that I would work Babe on 9 pigeons this morning. I was going to work Mann on 6 but he was through for the day. I moved the release traps and reloaded them. Babe went right straight to where the bird had been before. She tried to point but I kept encouraging her to move on. She checked both grass strips out and was crossing to the neighbor’s side when she smelled the hidden pigeon. I flushed the bird. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
We crossed to the neighbor’s side. I had moved the bird at the back to a small clump where she could circle the whole thing to get the wind right. She hit the scent cone and went on point but almost immediately took a step. I flushed the bird and she chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
We got back to the front and she was wanting to point where the pigeon had been the last time. I made her move on. She hit the scent cone and pointed. She held this point for a good thirty seconds then took a step. I flushed the pigeon. She chased then went back to hunting.
We went to the front on the neighbor’s side. She was moving pretty fast when she hit the scent cone. She turned to go toward the pigeon and I flushed the bird. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
Babe hidden in the brush on point.
I called her to the chain gang. She came right to me. I moved the release traps and reloaded them. I turned Babe loose again.
I had hidden a pigeon on my side in a strip of grass. Each time she had come down through here before she had checked these out and there was no bird there. She was not expecting a bird and as she went down the side, and smelled the bird, she turned her whole body toward the pigeon but didn’t try to point. I flushed the bird. She chased a little way then went back to hunting.
We crossed to the neighbor’s side. She went toward the front. She was about 15 yards from the pigeon when she slammed into a point. As soon as she smelled the bird she locked up. I sat on the 4-wheeler watching her. She stayed on point for about 30 seconds then took a step toward the pigeon. I flushed the bird. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
I decided that would be a good place to quit. She had gone from not much to pointing birds. This last bird, she had done everything right and had held the point for quite a while, for a young dog. So we headed back to the kennel.
Mann was wanting out but he stayed in his kennel as I let Babe run loose and play. After she played for a while I decided to pick up the release traps. I thought I had hit the right button to release the last bird that I didn’t work Babe on. When we got close I could see the pigeon was still in the release trap. Babe was off to my left so I waited on her to get near. When she hit the scent cone she locked up. I stood still watching her. She took a step after several seconds and I flushed the pigeon. She chased then we went back to the kennel.
Maybe, what I’m doing will move her in the right direction. She has never acted as if she is afraid of the traps or of the birds. She just acts like she’s not sure what she should do. I’ve always said you can fix anything with enough birds. We will see. I have the birds and we have a lot of time, I hope.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.