It finally stopped raining, nearly, and I was able to train dogs today. I put an e-collar around Tur Bo’s neck and another around his flanks then heeled him around the yard. I took him through the bird field and he tried to lead most of the way but the piggin’ string kept him at heel, with a little work on my part. When we got to the back I turned him loose to run, then when he came close I held my hand up like a traffic cop, hit the button on the e-collar on his flanks and said whoa, loudly. The first time he was running all out toward me and he wanted to come all the way to me before he stopped. I held the button down on the e-collar on his flanks and he stopped. After the first time he stopped as soon as I said whoa.
I had him jump on the retrieving bench and walked him up and down, petting him. I had him hold a retrieving buck, then give by actually moving his mouth off the buck. I had him hold and give 6 or 7 times then put him on the ground. I threw a retrieving dummy and he ran out picked it up and brought it straight back to me. I threw it again and he ran out picked it up but dropped it before he got back to me. He wouldn’t pick it up again so I let him run. On the way back to the kennel I whoaed him several times then put him in his run.
I started working all of the dogs on the barrel, then flushing pigeons and firing the blank pistol. They all graduated to the whoa board, except Tur Bo. After flushing the pigeons and firing the blank pistol with them on the whoa board I was going to go through the same exercise with them on the ground beside the whoa board. But this morning I decided to take them to the county park, just a little way from my house and plant some pigeons to see what would happen.
I only have 7 pigeons so I took Blaze, Whitey and Tur Bo first. I put out 2 pigeons in release traps, put the e-collars on Whitey and heeled her down the road for about 150 yards. The wind was 25 or 30 miles per hour out of the north so I heeled her to the south then released her. Whitey normally is not real hyper on pigeons but it had been a long time since she had been able to point a bird and she was really running. She went on point about 30 yards down wind of the birds. I waited a little while to make sure she was really smelling the pigeons but she never moved so I walked in front of her. I walked back and forth kicking the cover, flushed a bird and fired the blank pistol. Whitey never moved. I kept kicking the cover, then flushed the second bird and fired the blank pistol. She never moved. I went to her and petted her then walked back out to kick the cover. I went to her, tapped her on the head to release her.
Whitey
I brought Blaze out next. She had not been real solid on the whoa board but I wanted to see what she would do. I heeled her down the road to the south. She is always really going when I turn her loose and today was no different. She too, went on point about 30 yards from the pigeons. She was really rigid, when I went in front of her, with a high head and tail. I kicked in front of her then released a pigeon and she never moved until I fired the blank pistol. I said whoa, loudly and she stopped. I picked her up and carried her back to where she had pointed originally. I kicked in front of her then released the second bird and when I fired the blank pistol she started moving. I yelled whoa and she stopped. I picked her up and put her back. I walked back in front and kicked around then fired the blank. She took one step and stopped. I picked her up and set her back. I went back in front, kicked the cover and fired the blank pistol. This time she never moved. I petted her then walked in front, kicked some more then went back and petted her, tapped her on the head to release her.
Blaze
I had to reload the blank pistol as well as replace the pigeons in the release traps before taking Tur Bo off his stake out. He’s close to 50 pounds now and if I hadn’t taught him to heel he would really be hard to handle. I heeled him to the south down the road. I turned him loose and he was really going when he caught the scent of the birds. When he smelled the birds his head raised and he straightened his body to the scent. He went on point with his head high and a 12 o’clock tail. I hadn’t brought my camera, so I took a picture with my phone, then flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. I didn’t expect him to be steady. He chased the bird, then came back and pointed the second bird. I flushed the bird and fired the blank pistol. He chased.
Tur Bo
I had to take these dogs home and wait for my pigeons to come home before working the other three dogs.
The pigeons were flying around my yard when I got back but they didn’t go right back into their house. I gave them a couple of hours to rest up then loaded 6 pigeons, Dolly, Luke and Lucky into the truck for the trip to the county park. After hiding 2 pigeons in the grass I heeled Lucky down the road to the south then turned him loose. He will be 10 years old this month and I still like to see him run. He pointed about 50 or 60 yards from the birds then moved up about 10 yards and wouldn’t move. I walked in front, kicking the cover then flushed the bird and fired the blank pistol. He took 1 step and stopped. I picked him up and put him back. I walked back out front kicking the cover, flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I walked to him and petted him, tapped on the head to release him.
Lucky
I heeled Luke down the road then released him. He’s almost 4 years old and he can really run. He was really moving when he hit the scent but he was so far from the birds I was afraid he wouldn’t see them flush so I had him move up. The second time he pointed he was still 60 yards from the birds. I walked in front, flushed a pigeon and shot the blank pistol. He never moved. I continued to kick the cover, then flushed the second bird and fired the blank pistol. He never moved. I kicked the cover, then walked to him and tapped his head to release him.
Luke
I took Dolly down the road to the south and released her to hunt. She was closer, to the pigeons, when she hit the scent of the birds. I walked in front, kicked the cover and fired the blank pistol. She never moved. I continued to kick the cover, then flushed the bird and fired the blank pistol. She started to chase. I said whoa, loudly and she stopped. I carried her back where she had pointed before. I kicked around but I didn’t have any more blanks in my pistol. I made her stand for quite a while as I kicked the cover then tapped her on the head to release her.
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My dogs are a lot closer to steady to wing and shot than they have ever been. I thought the exercises I have been doing with them would help now I’m convinced. I will keep working them as I have been doing and they will get where I want them to be.