I had a lot of work to do today so I didn’t get a chance to train dogs until 4:30 pm. I put an e-collar around Tur Bo’s neck and flanks. We walked around the yard and he was doing really well until I dropped the piggin’ string, thinking he would heel like he does when I hold it. A s soon as he figured out I wasn’t holding the piggin’ string he took off. I yelled whoa one time then held the button, on the collar on his flanks, down. He continued to run until I hit level 5 on the collar. The prongs on the e-collar were on his side instead of on his belly and when I hit level 5 he went side ways a couple of steps then stopped. As soon as he stopped I let off the button. I held the piggin’ string the rest of our walk.
I walked him on to the whoa board and he stopped but when I started to walk him off he wanted to get on the barrel. I walked him on and off the whoa board 5 or 6 times then went to the retrieving bench. He started off not wanting to jump on the bench but now he runs and jumps on with no problem. After walking him up and down the bench I worked him on hold and give. I rolled the tennis ball down the bench and he brought it back and put it in the box I keep my retrieving dummies in. I put him on the ground and threw the tennis ball for him. He retrieved it fine 3 times then quit. It was pretty warm when we were playing with the tennis ball so I let him quit.
On the way back to the kennel he was running free and 3 times I hit the e-collar on level 2 and said whoa. He didn’t slam on the brakes but he whoaed and stayed there until I walked to him and tapped him on the head. He’s starting to figure whoa out. I left the e-collars on him and put him back in the kennel.
I tied 2 pigeons to the strings on my pigeon poles then placed them in release traps. I heeled Tur Bo back out of the kennel but he wanted to drag me to the whoa barrel. I had the piggin’ string around his neck so when he pulled we went in the opposite direction. He finally settled down enough that I finally put him on the barrel. He styled up on the barrel and I walked out in front, then walked back and forth. Finally I flushed a pigeon. He stayed on the barrel and I walked down to the second bird. He was still watching the first bird when I flushed the second. He was fine until the second bird was about to land and I shot the blank pistol. He almost came off the barrel.
Tur Bo
I walked around flushing the pigeons then later I shot the blank pistol again. He’s doing real well on the pigeons flying but the gun is new. That puts a little more excitement into the game but the last 2 times I’ve worked him on the barrel he’s stayed on. I took him back to the kennel.
Tur Bo
I put Blaze on the barrel and she didn’t come off but she whines and dances on the barrel. I’m going to keep working her on it until she calms down. On the first bird, she was steady when the bird flushed but when I shot she started dancing. I may take the barrel out and put a narrow board in it’s place to see if that will keep her from moving around so much. I shot 6 times while she was on the barrel and each time her feet were moving. I put her back in the kennel.
I put Whitey on the barrel next and she was steady for the flush and shot. She is calmer than her sister. I flushed the pigeons and shot 6 times and I don’t think she moved an inch. On pigeons she is not as stylish as Blaze but on wild quail she is always stylish. I think she knows this is a game and she will play it but she doesn’t have to get excited about it. I put her back in the kennel.
I worked Dolly, Luke and Lucky on the barrel and they did just fine. These 3 plus Whitey are ready to go to the whoa board. Blaze and Tur Bo need quite a bit of work on the whoa barrel before going to the board. I may start tomorrow with some of them on the board, rather than the barrel, to see how they do. I can always go back if they are not ready.