The weather is finally trying to cooperate with me and my dog training. It’s still wet and muddy but I can walk and do things without the 4-wheeler. The young dogs don’t care whether it’s muddy or wet. They just want attention. If this stay at home thing lasts long enough I will have some really well trained young dogs.
Josie on the whoa barrel.
Abby on the whoa barrel.
My puppies, playing.
Sometimes, when I have taken a few days off, without working pups, I forget something that I need to work these young dogs. Tuesday, I didn’t have my gloves with me so when I got the e-collars from the shed I grabbed a Dokken dove for the pups to retrieve. They have done real well with the glove and I figured they would do just as well with the dove.
I put the e-collars on Josie’s neck and flanks and heeled her from the kennel. We went all the way around the yard. I noticed that when I whoaed Josie and walked out front of her then walked to her rear as I came back by on her right side she thought she could go with me. The first time or two I just said, “whoa” and she stopped. But she took a step every time. If I walked back on her left side she wouldn’t move.
I knew I had to stop this. After two times and she would still move I started whoaing her and picking her up and setting her back. I only had to set her back three times and she quit moving.
The last time I had worked Josie on going into the air line crate it hadn’t gone well. About 5 or 6 times I had to push her into the crate. This was after her going in real well the times I had worked her before. Finally, I had ran at the crate with her on heel and she went right in.
When we got to the air line crate I moved toward the crate rapidly and when I said, “kennel” I thought she was going in. Right at the last second she stopped. I pushed her in then led her out. After the first time she went in each time. I started holding the button on the transmitter down on medium 2 on her neck e-collar and saying, “kennel”. I pushed the button before I said, “kennel”. After just a few kennels she started toward the crate when I pushed the button and before I could say, “kennel”. I knew she had it figured out.
I put her on the retrieving bench. After petting her in several spots on the bench I tossed the Dokken dove down the bench. She dashed down the bench and opened her mouth as though she was going to retrieve it but never picked it up. I tossed it just a couple of feet but she still didn’t pick it up. I quit. I set her on the ground and took her to the whoa barrel.
I set her on the barrel and styled her up. I tried to get her to stay styled but it didn’t work very well but she hasn’t been on the barrel very many times. I walked around her and took some pictures then took her back to the kennel.
Abby with a pigeon in front of her.
I walked Abby around the yard with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. Abby wants to lead me rather than heel so we make a lot of u turns. Around my yard is about a half mile walk. I walk a few yards and whoa them. I drop the piggin’ string and walk around them. For the most part Josie is steadier than Abby is other than me walking from the rear to her front on the right side. Abby will try to eat grass or just take a step to the side occasionally.
When we got close to the air line crate I held the button down on the transmitter on medium 2 and said, “kennel”. Abby ran right in. I worked her the last time with the e-collar because she has always kenneled. She acts like she really enjoys kenneling. After about 5 times of kenneling we went to the retrieving bench.
After petting her in several places on the bench I threw the Dokken dove. She raced down the bench, opened her mouth but didn’t pick it up. I tried several different ways but she would have nothing to do with the dove. I set her on the ground and heeled her to the whoa barrel.
Josie has a pigeon in front of her.
Abby jumped onto the barrel with a little help from me. I styled her up. Keeping them styled up without birds is hard. After a short time I heeled her back to the kennel.
This morning, before I heeled Abby out, I put 2 pigeons in release traps near the whoa barrel and placed another 3 pigeons in a bird bag. I turned the e-collar on that was on her flanks. We started around the yard. I stopped and checked the level on the e-collar that she felt. I thought I saw a little movement on a medium 2.
We started around the yard and every few yards I held the button down on the transmitter and then said, “whoa”. Usually, after just a few of these, the dogs I’ve worked with before started stopping before I could say, “whoa”. But not with Abby. I went to level, low 3. Still didn’t seem to have an effect.
Josie again.
We kept going. After using whoa several times without her seeming to get it I changed to level 3 medium. The first few times there was no indication that she was feeling the stimulation. Then for some reason it started to work. She moved side ways so I lowered the transmitter back to 2 medium. Now she was feeling that. I went to low 2 and it worked just fine. In just a few times she was stopping before I could say, “whoa”.
When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump onto it. Today I had my glove with me. I tossed it down the bench and she raced down, scooped it up and returned. As soon as I touched the glove she turned it loose. I had her retrieve the glove 5 times. I set her on the ground.
I heeled her to the whoa barrel and she jumped onto the barrel. I hooked the chain to her collar and styled her up. While she was standing I went into the shade of the shed and brought the two pigeons in the release traps and the 3 pigeons in the bird bag close to her. I styled her up and she was more rigid. I took a pigeon from the bird bag and turned it loose. She really got intense.
I walked around her taking pictures. When I released one of the pigeons from the release traps her head snapped around as the pigeon flew away but she didn’t try to move her feet. I continued to walk around her and tossed one of the birds from the bag in front of her. There was no problem keeping her styled now. I turned the second bird loose that was in the release trap then after a few seconds I tossed another in front of her. She looked good without trying to move. I took her back to the kennel.
Abby with a pigeon.
I reloaded my release traps and bird bag and brought Josie out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. As we started around the yard I whoaed her several times without the e-collar. I checked her and thought low 2 would work. I held the button on the transmitter down then said, “whoa”. After just a few times she was stopping before I could say, “whoa”.
She was responding so well I went to 1 medium and she would whoa as soon as I touched the button. I don’t know why the e-collar didn’t work that well with Abby but it was like it didn’t work at all for a while. Since it worked so well with Josie I didn’t even walk her as far as I did Abby.
When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump onto it. I petted her then threw the glove for her. She ran to it, scooped it up and came back. As soon as I touched it she turned loose. I tossed the glove farther down the bench and she stopped before she got to it. She acted like she was afraid to walk down the bench. I tossed it just a few feet and she went to it but didn’t pick it up. I tried a few more times and put her on the ground.
More puppies.
Most of the time when dogs refuse something they have been doing it’s because of something I have done wrong. I’ll continue to work with her on retrieving.
I put her on the whoa barrel and got the birds out of the shade and put them in front of her on the barrel. After styling her up I tossed a pigeon from the bird bag in front of her. She tried to follow the pigeon and off the barrel she came. I helped her back on. I turned a bird loose from a release trap. The barrel started shaking but she didn’t come off.
I styled her up and walked around her taking pictures and tossed another pigeon from the bird bag. This time she didn’t move. I continued around her. I put a pigeon to sleep in front of the barrel. When I woke it up it didn’t fly. It started walking away. I went around it and herded it back in front of her. She was really stretched out and was real rigid.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
The pigeon tried walking away again and when I tried to herd it back n front of her it flew a few feet. I thought I would catch it. When I tried the pigeon finally flew across the yard. I released the final pigeon from the release traps and tossed the one left in the bird bag in front of her. She didn’t come off the barrel again until I set her on the ground. I took her back to the kennel.
Between having a litter of puppies and working these two pups, I stay busy. With the Covid-19 we aren’t supposed to go anywhere but I usually stay home with the exception of shooting skeet, occasionally. The skeet range is closed. Other than no shooting my life hasn’t changed that much.
But in these trying times everyone be safe. Do whatever you have to do to keep you and your family safe and well.
Abby pointing a pigeon.