Blaze honoring the backing dog
The third time Blaze backed the backing dog today.
Gailen Cooper brought a young dog over today and we worked it on some pigeons and we also worked it on the backing dog. I decided that Blaze and Tur Bo needed it, also. Gailen left about noon so after lunch, when all of the pigeons came back, I got the backing dog and a release trap out. I have a big brush pile on my place and I put the backing dog behind the brush pile so that when the young dog came around the edge of the brush pile they would see the backing dog. I put a release trap, with a pigeon inside, in front of the backing dog.
I had worked Blaze on the backing dog last week so this is not a knew exercise for her. I put a check cord on her and heeled her to the brush pile where I released her. She rounded the side of the brush pile and saw the backing dog. She honored with style. I took a couple of pictures then flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. Blaze took one step and stopped. I stroked her sides then tapped her head for the release. I let her run for a little while then tied her off and put another pigeon in the release trap.
I untied her and released her. When she came around the brush pile she tried to not look at the backing dog and go on down the field. I said whoa and she slid to a stop but she still wasn’t looking at the backing dog. She stopped, on my whoa, so fast that I knew that she knew she was supposed to stop. I picked her up and turned her toward the backing dog. Her tail came up and she got real rigid. I flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. She didn’t move. I tapped her head and let her run for a while then tied the check cord to a tree. I reloaded the release trap and stood the backing dog back up.
I untied her and released her. She came around the brush pile and honored with a lot of style. I took more pictures then flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. Blaze didn’t move. I stroked her sides then tapped her for the release. I let her run before returning her to the kennel.
Tur Bo the first time with the backing dog.
Tur Bo the third time he honored the backing dog.
Tur Bo got hung in a barb wire fence on the 10th of November and was sewed up. He tore a large three cornered piece of hide loose on the front of his left leg, right in the elbow. He has worn a cone since then. I was supposed to have the stitches out on the 20th. On the 19th he destroyed the cone so I took him in a day early. Dr. Becker wasn’t there so Dr. Wengert looked at him. He put on another cone and said the stitches needed to stay in another 2 weeks. Dr. Becker had told me no hunting so I haven’t let him run free but I decided to work him, on the backing dog, on the check cord.
I raised the backing dog and put a pigeon in the release trap. I brought Tur Bo out of the kennel dragging a check cord but I was heeling him with the piggin’ string. When we got close to the brush pile I took the piggin’ string off and held on to the check cord. He drug me around the brush pile and when he looked at the backing dog I whoaed him. He stopped but he had no style. I brushed his tail up and he stiffened a little. I flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. He tried to take a step then stopped. I stroked his sides then led him away. With a cone on his head I can’t tap his head for a release. I tied him to a tree.
I put another pigeon in the release trap and stood the backing dog. I held the check cord as Tur Bo drug me around the brush pile. When he saw the backing dog I whoaed him. This time he had style when he stopped. I flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. He took a step and watched the pigeon as it flew away. I stroked his sides and led him back to the tree. After I tied him I replaced the pigeon in the release trap and stood the backing dog.
I untied Tur Bo and he drug me back around the brush pile. If strength was all it took for him to be well he would be in really good shape. This time I didn’t say anything and he stopped on his own. His tail was down when he first stopped but it came up. I had taken a picture of him the first time after I had brushed his tail up but this time I waited until his tail came up then I took pictures. I flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. He took a step and watched the pigeon as it flew away. After I stroked his sides I let him drag me back to the kennel.
Gailen and I got 6 points out of the dog he brought over then we worked him on the backing dog. Then I worked 2 of my dogs on the backing dog. If I can’t go hunting working young dogs is a close second.