Tur Bo
Blaze
Dolly
These cool mornings are great for working the dogs. Tur Bo is still nursing a sore leg but it’s getting better. I’m still heeling him to the retrieving bench and back to the kennel. He runs in the kennel and jumps on and off his house so I don’t know how much good I’m doing, not letting him run.
I heeled Tur Bo to the retrieving bench with the e-collar on his neck. I’m only working him on hold and give. He wears the e-collar but I’m not using it on him until later in the force retrieve training. He jumped on the bench and we went up and down with me petting him every few feet. I snapped his collar to the pulley hooked to the cable, on the bench, so he wouldn’t jump off. I could probably skip hooking him to the cable because he never tries to get off but later I’m going to need greater control of him.
Tur Bo has some trouble with understanding hold. My “whoa” sometimes comes out “ho” and he stops. Now I’m telling him “hold” and trying to get him to walk up and down the bench holding the bumper. I place the bumper behind his canine teeth and grasp the collar with my hand while placing my thumb under his chin holding his mouth closed. I then lead him down the bench. As I walked him down the bench he held the bumper real well so I removed my hand. He held the bumper until I said “give”. I took him back to the end of the bench and petted him for a while then placed the bumper in his mouth. He started down the bench and spit the bumper out. I pinched his lip against a tooth and replaced the bumper. (I don’t pinch real hard. Just enough to make it uncomfortable, not enough to make him yelp.) He held the bumper as he walked down the bench. I used 4 different bumpers and he held them as he walked down the bench. I set him on the ground and heeled him back to the kennel.
I heeled Blaze to the retrieving bench and she jumped onto it. I walked her up and down petting her. I placed the 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench and sent her to retrieve. I took pictures as she retrieved. She retrieved all 4 bumpers twice then I set her on the ground and placed the 4 bumpers in front of her. I sent her to retrieve and her mouth was almost too small to retrieve the first bumper but she finally brought it back. She retrieved them all. I put her on whoa and threw a bumper just a few feet and made her stay until I said “fetch”. This may be a step in being steady to wing, shot and fall. She had a little trouble finding the bumper when I threw it a long ways, later. It worked better if I threw the bumper high and sent her before it quit bouncing. I threw the bumper about ten times then let her run for a while before returning to the kennel.
I heeled Dolly to the retrieving bench and she jumped onto it. I petted her as I walked up and down the bench then placed the 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench. She retrieved all 4 twice. I set her on the ground and placed all 4 bumpers in front of her. She retrieved them all. I told her “whoa”, held her collar and threw the bumper just a few feet. All of my dogs have been allowed to retrieve as soon as I threw the bumper and now I’m making them stay until I send them. She tried to go before I told her to fetch and I held her. I whoaed her again then sent her to retrieve with a “fetch”. She dropped the bumper in my hand. I threw the bumper about 10 times and the last few times I didn’t have to hold her. She was whoaing until I sent her. I let her run for a while before returning to the kennel.
I heeled Luke to the retrieving bench and he jumped onto it. After the petting ritual I placed 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench. I sent him to retrieve while trying to get pictures. He retrieved all 4 bumpers twice with no problem. I set him on the ground and placed the 4 bumpers in front of him. He retrieved them all. I whoaed him while holding his collar and tossed the bumper. He wanted to go when I threw the bumper but I held him and said whoa again. He retrieved the bumper but dropped it as he got close. I held it and said fetch. I made him hold the bumper for a few seconds then said “give”. I whoaed him and threw the bumper and when I said “fetch” he ran out touched the bumper but didn’t pick it up. I held the button on the transmitter of the e-collar down, on level 3, and he ran back out, picked up the bumper and returned to me. He held it until I said “give”. I threw the bumper several more times and he retrieved with no problems. I let him run for a while before going back to the kennel.
I heeled Lucky to the retrieving bench and he tried to jump onto it. He jumped too soon but I helped him and he made it. We went through the petting routine and I placed the 4 bumpers at the other end of the bench. He retrieved them all, twice. I set him on the ground and placed the 4 bumpers in front of him. He retrieved them all. Lucky is 11 years old and I’m not going to change him now. I threw the bumper and he ran out and retrieved it. I didn’t try to make him stay on whoa. He’s not too old to learn but at his age I’m not going to put him through the process. Each time I work or hunt him I think this may be his last time. He’s in good shape and I used him a lot last season but 11 is old for a bird dog. I had him retrieve the thrown bumper 8 or 10 times then let him run before going back to the kennel.
All of the dogs, in the pictures, look like they just lost their best friend, when they are retrieving on the bench. When I throw the bumper on the ground they look much happier but there is too much going on for me to get a picture. Maybe, when I start throwing the bumper farther I will be able to get some pictures of the dogs looking happier.
I’m going to work the dogs for a few days on one bumper then later start throwing another while they are retrieving the first. Hopefully, they will learn to go in the direction I send them to retrieve. Tur Bo, Dolly and Lucky retrieve if they see the bird fall. I need to be able to send the dogs, without them seeing the bird fall and have them hunt dead. This is a learning process for me as well as the dogs.
Tur Bo
Luke
Lucky