For one of the few times this year I was able to train two days in a row. I thought I was going to get three in a row but it started raining this morning. Oh well, I had ordered shots for the puppies and had to go pick them up this morning.
Josie honoring the backng dog.
Abby honoring the backing dog.
Josie honoring but turning to watch a pigeon fly away.
I let the puppies out to play before working the older pups. I let them out of their kennel at least twice a day if I can find time between rains. I think I have only had one day that they weren’t turned out twice, but today may be another.
Yesterday, I put some of the adult dog food in the grass close to the chair I sit in when I’m close to the pigeon coop and dog pens, after cleaning the big dog’s kennels. I turned the puppies out and brought them back to the kennel. They immediately start hunting the dog food in the grass. I’ve put their dog food in the grass near their kennel and they look for it but not as much or as hard as they do for the adult food.
After they had about cleaned up the dog food I got a pigeon from the coop. I sat in the chair and leaving one wing of the pigeon to flap I called the puppies to me. When they were all trying to get the pigeon I let it fly away. The puppies chased the bird without even getting close. I used 3 pigeons with them. This teaches them to like birds as well to come when I call.
The puppies were all ignoring me and playing under a cedar tree so I called them and went to my front porch. I could be drinking coffee while they played in another area. They like to jump on and off the front porch as well as climb in the flower pots. When they started getting tired and several started napping I took them back to their kennel.
I put the backing dog in a different place than last time and placed two pigeons in release traps in front of it. I had three pigeons in the box on the 4-wheeler and two more in a bird bag slung over my shoulders.
It was Abby’s turn to be worked first so I put the e-collars on her neck and flanks. When we came out of the kennel I snapped a check cord to her collar. So far I haven’t used the check cord. I just want to get them used to pulling it until I’m ready. I did the same thing with the e-collars. They wore them for about 3 months without them even being turned on.
I still took Abby to the front of my yard across the front and back toward the training area heeling and whoaing her. I have a place board in the back yard. We have only used it a couple of times and the dogs still are reluctant to walk onto it. Abby’s first time when I said, “whoa” she only had 3 feet on the board but she stopped. I set her on the board and pulled on the piggin’ string as I said, “whoa”. She pulled back. I tried to take a picture pulling on the piggin’ string. I was able to but it’s a strange looking picture.
Josie with me tugging on the piggin’ string.
After I got Abby used to walking on the place board and stopping I took a pigeon from the bird bag and turned it loose in front of her. She didn’t try to chase. I led her off the place board then back on a couple of times then turned another pigeon loose in front of her. She didn’t try to chase. I heeled her on toward the back.
We passed the retrieving bench, crossed the creek and came around the brush pile. Abby was looking for the backing dog that I had, just past the brush pile before, but I had hidden it farther down the field. She slowed then went back to heeling. About 30 yards farther, the backing dog was past another clump of brush. As soon as she saw it she stopped. I walked around her taking pictures.
I made sure I walked in front of her, between her and backing dog, and she didn’t move. I went back beside her and held the piggin’ string but it wasn’t taut. I flushed a pigeon and said, “whoa”. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides. I walked around her, again. Then I stood beside her with the piggin’ string 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. After I petted her I threw my glove and she retrieved it 5 times. She doesn’t always hold it until I get a hold of it but she brings it back. Right now, I’m happy with that. I took her to the whoa barrel.
Abby when I pull on the piggin’string.
After snapping the chain to her collar I put two release traps, with pigeons, in them in front of her. I put a pigeon to sleep and placed it in the grass. I stroked her sides then walked between her and the pigeons on the ground. I took pictures then flushed one of the pigeons from the release trap. She jumped a little but didn’t really try to move.
I continued to walk between her and the pigeons on the ground, kicking the grass. I flushed the second pigeon from the release trap. She didn’t move. I was surprised that the pigeon I had put to sleep was still lying in the grass. I walked between her and the pigeon. Finally, after several seconds of me kicking the grass and walking in front of her, I rolled the pigeon over with my foot. It awoke and flew away. She didn’t move. I took her back to the kennel.
After reloading the bird bag and the release traps in front of the backing dog I parked the 4-wheeler with 3 pigeons in the bird box, near the whoa barrel. I heeled Josie out with the piggin’ string. Josie heels better than Abby but for the first hundred yards or so she wants to keep her head against my leg. It makes it hard to walk but she wants to be right.
We went to the front then across to the north then back toward the training grounds heeling and whoaing. When we got to the place board she, too, didn’t want to walk on. After a few trips onto the board she was fine with it. After taking a picture of me pulling on the piggin’ string I turned a pigeon loose from the bird bag. She wanted to follow but I stopped her with the piggin’ string.
Abby on the whoa barrel.
I led her off the place board and then back on a few times. Each time I pull on the piggin’ string and say, “whoa”. The next pigeon I pulled from the bird bag I let flap a little before turning it loose. She didn’t move. I heeled her toward the back.
She, too, looked for the backing dog when we passed the brush pile. I had worked them two times before with it in the same spot. She got a little behind because I didn’t slow down. Once she knew the backing dog wasn’t there she caught up. Just a little way ahead she saw the backing dog and stopped. I walked around her and between her and the backing dog several times. I flushed a pigeon and she turned her head to watch it fly away but didn’t move.
I stroked her sides and walked around her. After a few seconds I flushed the pigeon and laid the backing dog down. She didn’t try to move. I heeled her to the retrieving bench.
Josie fell off the bench and is kind of scared of it. I decided to see if she would retrieve the glove right beside the bench on the ground. I tossed the glove and she didn’t even take a step. I tried to tease her into going for the glove but she wasn’t interested. I put her on the bench.
I petted her in several spots on the bench I just didn’t make her go to the end. The bench is 16 feet long and I petted her at the start at the half way point and just a foot or two past the middle. She was fine and stood up for this. At the very end she usually lies down. We skipped that part.
Josie with slack in the chain.
I tossed the glove about half way and she ran down, scooped it up and came back. I tossed it a little past the middle and she grabbed it and came back. I tossed it a little farther and she wouldn’t pick it up. I tossed it back to the start and she grabbed it bringing it to me. I set her on the ground.
We went to the whoa barrel. Both of these dogs jump onto the whoa barrel. I put her where she had a loose chain and about a foot of barrel between her and the end. I put two pigeons in release traps in front of her and put one bird to sleep in the grass. I walked between her and the birds on the ground as I took pictures. I had my back to the pigeon I had put to sleep when it awoke and flew away. Josie almost came off the barrel.
I set her back where there was slack in the chain and she was about a foot from the end of the barrel. I walked between her and the release traps. She moved up on the barrel where her toes were hanging off the end and the chain was tight. I moved her back. I walked around her taking pictures. I flushed a pigeon from the release trap. She almost came off the barrel. I set her back.
Josie with her toes at the edge and the chain tight.
As I walked between her and the pigeon she moved up. I set her back. She moved up. We went over this time and again. Finally, I started holding the button on the transmitter to the e-collar down on 2 medium. Usually, in the yard she will work on 1 medium and sometimes on 1 low. I set her back and she moved up. I don’t know how many times we did this but a lot. Finally she stayed. I flushed the last pigeon and she moved up. I set her back then took her to the kennel.
Both of these dogs seem to work better from the ground or from the place board. They are standing on the ground on the backing dog and they aren’t trying to chase. Same way on the place board. I think I will make some more place boards and maybe work them on birds from the pigeon poles. I can get more flushes off each bird doing that. Either way it won’t hurt to have more ways of a pigeon flying away while they stay in one spot.