I had a couple come by to see the puppies early this morning, so I trained the young dogs after noon. It was getting warm by the time I turned Abby and Josie out to be trained. I didn’t turn the puppies loose when the couple came by so after they left I took them for a walk. If I turn the puppies out and stay close to the pen the pups all head for the highway out front. They are fine if I take them toward the back.
Josie honoring the backing dog.
Abby honoring the backing dog.
Puppies finding dog food in the grass.
Yesterday, I walked to the back of my place with the puppies. I had 3 pigeons in the bird bag and as we came by the strips of grass, I’ve allowed to grow, I put a pigeon to sleep and hid it in the grass. Most of the time the puppies just stumbled on to the pigeons but once one of them smelled the bird and went right to it. The wind was really strong yesterday so they had to be just right to smell it. I’ll try again tomorrow.
This morning I let the puppies play near the shed. I dropped some adult dog food in the grass behind the shed. I sat in the shade while the puppies found the food and played under the shed. I have a partial box of siding under the shed that was still in the box. The puppies have been taking the box off for me. Before I mow I will have to pick up a lot of card board.
By the time the puppies were tired it was time for lunch so I trained the older pups, Abby and Josie, after noon. One of the rainy days earlier in the week I had made 3 place boards. It seems like they move less on the place boards than they do on the barrel.
I put the backing dog out with 2 pigeons, in release traps, in front of it, in a new place. A new place for the pups, anyway. I put 6 pigeons in a bird bag that I carried with me. After putting the e-collars on Josie’s neck and flanks I heeled her out of the kennel dragging a long check cord. I really haven’t used the check cord on either of these pups. I just want them to get used to dragging it before I use it.
Since it was already warm I didn’t go very far on the heeling. We went from the kennel to the north across my yard then started toward the back. I had one of the new place boards across the yard from the kennel. I whoaed her a couple of times with the e-collar but I could tell something wasn’t right. My transmitter wasn’t on train. I set it before we got to the first place board.
I walked her on the place board and whoaed her. I pulled on the piggin’ string saying, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I heeled her a short distance then turned around and heeled her back on the place board. I whoaed her on the place board from both directions several times. Each time I pulled on the piggin’ string saying, “whoa”.
After several times of whoaing her I took a pigeon from the bird bag and dropped it right on her nose. She tried to catch it but missed. That’s not what I intended to do but that is what I did. The gloves I had on were real heavy and I blamed it on them. I set her back on the board then worked her on and off the board several times then pulled another pigeon from the bird bag. This time I held on to it and let it flap a little before letting it fly away. She didn’t move off the board. I heeled her away.
Abby on the place boards.
We went on toward the back with Josie slowing down and checking for the backing dog as we came past the brush pile. When she didn’t see it she started looking at the next place. It wasn’t there either. She was back to heeling when she saw the backing dog behind a clump of brush and honored. I walked around her taking pictures, making sure I walked between her and the backing dog. I flushed one of the pigeons and she took a step. I picked her up and set her back.
I walked around her again. I kicked the grass and flushed the second pigeon and laid the backing dog down. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides and heeled her away.
We went to the retrieving bench. She is getting some better about running up and down the bench. She fell several weeks ago and is still a little scared. She also fell off the whoa barrel but isn’t scared of it. But she sees birds on the whoa barrel. Maybe I need to fly some pigeons for her on the retrieving bench. After she retrieved my glove a few times I set her on the ground.
Josie honoring.
I have some long PVC poles sticking up on the training grounds that I tie pigeons to and let them fly around in front of the dogs. I wait until the dogs are pretty steady before using them. An unsteady dog could catch a bird, easily. I put two place boards near the pigeon poles.
I heeled Josie to the nearest one and whoaed her. I tugged on the piggin’ string saying, “whoa”. I tapped her head and heeled her to the next place board where we did the same thing. We did this several times before I turned a pigeon loose in front of her after letting it flap a little. She took a step and I set her back. I wound up turning 4 pigeons loose when she was on the place board, on whoa. She got better but still wants to move a little. I took her back to the kennel.
I put 6 pigeons in the bird bag and put a couple in the traps in front of the backing dog. I heeled Abby out with the e-collars around her flanks and neck pulling the long check cord. Abby acted as if she was the leader and knew where she was going. She had her eye on the first place board and was out front. I did a couple of about faces popping the piggin’ string and she decided maybe I could lead.
I walked her on and off the board then turned a pigeon loose. She wanted to chase but I held her with the piggin’ string. After several more on and offs on the place board I turned another pigeon loose and she didn’t move. I heeled her toward the back.
A head shot of Abby.
She, too, slowed and looked where the backing dog had been before. When she finally saw the backing dog she stopped. I walked around her taking pictures and she took off toward the backing dog, fast. I was afraid the check cord would get wrapped around the backing dog but she ran on by. She circled the clump of brush and came close to me. I had turned the e-collar to 3 and held the button down on medium level and said, “whoa”. She went several yards as I held the button down. Finally, the stimulation got through to her. She stopped.
I went to her and heeled her back to where she saw the backing dog and she honored again. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her. I came back and held the piggin’ string then flushed a pigeon. She tried to chase but I held her. I set her back and styled her. I stroked her sides then flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. She took a step but didn’t really try to chase.
I heeled her to the retrieving bench but she knew the bag I was carrying had pigeons in it and she wasn’t into retrieving. She brought the glove back twice then kept looking at the other place boards like she knew what was to happen. I heeled her to the place boards.
Another picture of Josie honoring.
After I walked her on both of them a few times I whoaed her and tossed a pigeon in front of her. She watched it fly away. I turned 4 pigeons loose for her. Sometimes she watched the pigeon and other times she wanted to take a step. She never tried to chase. I heeled her back to the kennel.
Both of these young dogs seem to do better on the place boards than the whoa barrel. I will keep working them on the place boards then when they get pretty steady there I will work them beside the place boards for a while. Once they are steady beside the place boards I will use the place boards and the pigeon poles. Just making small steps each time.