Between the rain and family commitments I haven’t trained in a few days. The dogs and I both were happy to get back to training. I put an e-collar on Tur Bo’s neck and flanks, then with the piggin’ string around his neck we started around the yard. Yard training is boring for the dog and the trainer but it has to be done. I didn’t go all the way around the yard this morning. Tur Bo whoaes really well and he’s even whoaing most of the time when he’s running loose. I worked him on the whoa board on the way to the retrieving bench.
Tur Bo really likes the retrieving bench. He jumps on with just the “up” command and runs up and down to be petted. This morning I didn’t use the tennis ball on the bench at all. I took one of the retrieving dummies and opened his mouth and placed it behind his canine teeth. I’m not holding my hand under his chin now, he has to hold the dummy until I say give. He tried to spit it out and I pinched his lip against his teeth until I got the dummy back in his mouth. Experience will teach you how hard to pinch but you don’t want to make them twist around or yelp. Just make it uncomfortable for them. This was the first time to do the pinch and after 7 or 8 times he was holding pretty well.
I put him on the ground, threw the tennis ball and he retrieved it, once. The second time he brought it part way, dropped it and wouldn’t pick it up again. I put the tennis ball back in the box and threw a retrieving dummy. He retrieved it 6 times with no problem. I think he is getting bored with the same thing over and over. I left the e-collars on him and put him back in the kennel.
I tied 2 pigeons to the strings on the pigeon poles and placed them in release traps. I heeled Tur Bo out of the kennel but he was trying to lead so we went toward the house instead of toward where he knew I had birds. After he settled down a little we turned around and he heeled better. I whoaed him on the board then let him jump on the barrel. As he jumped on the barrel, I remembered that I didn’t have my camera with me and I wanted pictures. I hooked the chain to Tur Bo’s collar and told him “whoa”. I hopped on the 4-wheeler and went to the house to get the camera. When I got back he was still on the barrel, on point.
Tur Bo after I went to the house for the camera.
I walked out in front of him and flushed the bird. I said “whoa” as the pigeon flushed then fired the blank pistol and said “whoa” again. He was excited but he stayed on the barrel. I walked down to the second pigeon, kicking the grass, flushed it and said “whoa” then fired the blank pistol and said “whoa” again. I walked around and each time I flushed a bird I said “whoa”, fired the blank pistol and said “whoa” again. I fired the blank pistol 6 times and he never came off the barrel.
Tur Bo
Whitey was up next. All of the dogs have been staying on the barrel so I decided to try them on the whoa board instead of putting them on the barrel. I walked her on the board and said “whoa”. I had a check cord tied to a stake then ran it between her hind legs, put a half hitch around her flanks then hooked it to her collar. I told her whoa again, then walked in front of her. I flushed a pigeon then said “whoa” and fired the blank pistol and said “whoa” again. She never moved. I fired the blank pistol 6 times, flushed the birds 8 or 9 times and she never moved. The check cord was still loose when I got through.
Whitey Notice how loose the check cord is.
I brought Blaze out next. She has been really dancing on the barrel but I put her on the whoa board and hooked her up the same way I did Whitey. All of my dogs except Tur Bo have been worked on the whoa board and know that they shouldn’t step off. After hooking her up I told her to “whoa” and walked in front of her. When I flushed the pigeon I said “whoa” and when I fired the pistol I said “whoa”. She never moved. I fired the blank pistol 6 times, flushed the birds 8 or 9 times and she never moved off the board. She is a little more hyper than Whitey. She didn’t come off the board but she whined.
I took this of Blaze after flushing the birds. She’s on the edge but the check cord is still loose.
I worked the other 3 dogs on the same exercise and they didn’t come off the whoa board either. With enough repetitions they should be steady to the flush and shot. After several times on the whoa board I will put them beside the board on the ground. After several times beside the whoa board I will work them in the field.
Dolly
Luke
Lucky
I have never trained dogs to be steady to wing and shot this way but it should work. I train all of my dogs to whoa by putting the e-collar around their flanks and then as I heel them, I hit the collar on their flanks then say whoa. It doesn’t take them long to anticipate that whoa is going to follow the shock from the e-collar. They should anticipate that whoa is going to follow the flush of the bird and the sound of the shot. I don’t expect them to be perfect. I will still have to pick them up and set them back where they should have stopped at, but this should make it easier. They should understand that they are being set back for not whoaing.