I’ve been working with all of my dogs some, even Lucky. I really don’t think he will be able to hunt this next season since he will turn 13 years old in May. But this morning I turned him loose while I put up the retrieving dummies and the e-collars. He was running the training grounds so I got on the 4-wheeler and went to check on him. When he heard the 4-wheeler he got in front and hunted all the way to the back. When we got back to the kennel he was still running good. I fed him some hot dog chunks. He may still hunt this fall. I hope so.
Betsy really likes my pigeon coops.
Sally learning to hold a retrieving dummy.
Tur Bo on whoa waiting for me to call him to me.
I put a Sport Dog e-collar around Sally’s neck, a Garmin e-collar around her flanks, hooked a check cord to her collar and heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. The Sport Dog e-collar wasn’t even turned on. It was just to get her used to wearing one. I heeled her to the east, past my house and most of the way to the highway in front. I made her heel and every once in a while I would say, “whoa”. When I said whoa I dropped the end of the piggin’ string that I was holding and continued walking. I would walk fifteen yards to the front then around to the sides and sometimes in behind her. I picked up twigs and limbs and threw them to tempt her to move. She’s used to this now and is really steady.
After we crossed the front yard to the north and started back to the west I would put her on whoa and then kneel down about 15 yards in front of her. I held a hot dog chunk in my right hand and would call her to me. A few days ago, when I first started this exercise with her she wanted to come get the hot dog before I would call her. When she moved without me calling her I would, hold the e-collar transmitter button down until she quit moving, pick her up, carry her back and say, “whoa” when I dropped her. I would walk around her then heel her away. She didn’t get the hot dog chunk. After just a couple of times moving without me calling her she quit moving. But she has been worked a lot on heel and whoa.
When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump onto it. I try to remember to always say, “up” whenever the dog jumps onto anything. I walked her up and down the bench feeding her hot dog chunks and petting her. I opened her mouth, placed a retrieving dummy behind her canines and said, “hold”. Now she’s holding pretty well but before when she spit the dummy out I would pinch her lip against her tooth with just enough pressure for it to be uncomfortable. Not enough for her to yelp.
Last Friday when I worked her on retrieving I started trying to get her to hold the dummy and walk down the bench. For some reason this is a big step. She held the dummy but her feet wouldn’t move. I had her connected to a chain that was hooked to a pulley attached to a cable that ran the length of the bench. I pulled on the chain and her feet would slide. I continued to coax her down the bench. Finally she took a few steps. This morning was about the same but I had noticed on Betsy that she was more inclined to walk from the far end of the bench back to the start of the bench. I tried it with Sally today and she was better. It usually takes me a few days to get them to walk and hold the dummy. That’s okay, I’m in no hurry.
I put her on the ground and heeled her away. I whoaed her, walked ahead of her, knelt down, called her to me and fed her a piece of hot dog. I released her to run. We went to the back then back to the kennel.
I put the e-collars on Betsy, attached the check cord and heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. We started toward the front yard. I saw my neighbors, Dave and Debby Hatton, working in their yard. I hadn’t talked to them in a while so I heeled Betsy almost to where they were standing. I told her to whoa and dropped the piggin’ string. We talked for about 10 minutes. Dave and Debby had two dogs inside their yard that barked at her but she never moved. I led her to the fence and she licked one of the dogs as it growled at her. I heeled her away.
Betsy practicing a whoa command.
When we started back to the west I told her to “whoa” and walked about 15 yards in front of her, knelt down and after about 20 seconds called her to me. She’s more reluctant to come than the other dogs. Sometimes I have to say, “here” a couple of times before she comes but when she comes she’s in a dead run. I usually do this 4 or 5 times each session.
She jumped onto the retrieving bench. I like to walk them back and forth petting them and giving them chunks of hot dogs before we try any part of retrieving. I got the retrieving dummy and had her hold it for a few seconds then asked her to give. She dropped it in my hand. I gave her a chunk of hot dog. I walked to the other end of the bench and called her. She didn’t want to come. The end she was on was closer to the training grounds and she would rather point a bird. I lead her to the other end and petted her. I opened her mouth, put the dummy behind her canines, told her to “hold” and walked to the other end, calling her. She held the dummy and walked to the other end of the bench. I took hold of the end of the dummy and said, “give”. She held on for a few seconds but I held the hot dog chunk in front of her nose. She moved her head off the dummy and took the hot dog. I had her walk the bench with the dummy 3 times then set her on the ground.
I heeled her to the training grounds and whoaed her. I walked about 15 yards in front of her, knelt down holding a chunk of hot dog and called her to me. I gave her the chunk of hot dog and heeled her away. I whoaed her, took the piggin’ string off, tapped her on the head to release her to hunt. We went to the back of the training grounds then back to the kennel.
Sally on point.
I did the same with Tur Bo. He’s been worked a lot on whoa but once during the season he self released when he should have stayed on “whoa”. So he gets to work on whoa. Maybe until the new season starts this fall. The first time I worked him on whoa then knelt down in front and called him to me he wanted to come when he got ready. I held the button on the flank e-collar down until he stopped moving then picked him up and set him back. I walked all around him then heeled him away. He didn’t get the chunk of hot dog. He moved a couple of times the first day but hasn’t moved since then. He’s been worked a lot on whoa and heel.
He jumped onto the retrieving bench and after walking him back and forth petting him and feeding him hot dog chunks I put 3 dummies on the other end of the table. I told him, “fetch” and he went down the table, picked the dummy up and returned. I made him hold it until I said, “give” then I gave him a chunk of hot dog. After he retrieved all 3 I set him on the ground.
I heeled him toward the training ground, whoaed him and walked about 15 yards ahead. I knelt down, holding a chunk of hot dog and called him to me. I fed him the hot dog and released him to run. We went to the back then to the kennel.
Before I put him up I threw a retrieving dummy for him to retrieve 3 times. ON the ground he wants to spit it out just as soon as he gets to me whether he is in front or behind me. I’m working on this. I put him in the kennel.
Betsy pointing a pigeon.
I didn’t put anything on Dolly. I just opened the kennel and turned her loose. I threw a dummy close to where a chukar dummy was and she retrieved the dummy. I gave her a chunk of hot dog and waved my arm and said, “fetch”. She went right back and got the chukar dummy. I gave her another chunk of hot dog. It was about 75 degrees so I threw the dummies about 5 times and she retrieved each time for a hot dog. I put her up.
I put the e-collars on Luke. I heeled him to the retrieving bench. Before we got to the bench I whoaed him then went in front. After I walked about 15 yards in front I knelt down, waited about 20 seconds then called him to me. It only took one time last week for him to try to come to me before I called him. He’s been steady since.
I took him back to the kennel but before putting him up I threw a dummy for him. He retrieved it but wanted to spit it out as soon as he got close to me. I had thrown the bumper and he dropped it near the chukar. When I told him to fetch he grabbed the chukar. He held it until I said give so I gave him some hot dog. I threw the chukar 3 or 4 more times and he retrieved it just fine. I put him up.
The dogs enjoy being out of the kennel and getting the attention. I enjoy working with the dogs and walking around the yard is good exercise. It doesn’t keep me and Lucky from getting old but it does keep us moving.
Sally waiting for me to call her to me.
Betsy close to the pigeon house.
Tur Bo after I flushed a pigeon.