Tur Bo holding bumper and walking down the bench
Blaze holding bumper
Dolly holding bumper
Another day working all of the dogs on the retrieving bench. I’m working all of the dogs, except Lucky, to whoa until I send them to retrieve. At 11 years of age, I’m not going to put Lucky through the stress of learning something new. He’s not too old to learn but at his age you never know if this will be his last training session or not.
Tur Bo still has a pulled muscle so I heeled him to the retrieving bench with the e-collar around his neck. I put the e-collar on him but I haven’t ever used it on the retrieving bench. I’m not to the point in his training to use the e-collar. I get all of the dogs used to having the e-collar on during training sessions.
He jumped onto the retrieving bench. I said up as he got ready to jump. Just as I snapped the pulley chain to his collar a friend called me. We probably talked for 20 minutes. I was close to him for a while but I started cleaning up some limbs that fell during the high winds yesterday and last night. I walked about 50 yards away to throw the limbs on a brush pile. At no time did Tur Bo even act like he was going to jump off the bench.
I opened his mouth, placed a bumper behind his canine teeth and said hold. After about 15 seconds I held the end of the bumper and said “give”. He moved his mouth away from the bumper. He understands “hold” and I no longer have to hold his mouth shut with my thumb. I placed a bumper in his mouth and led him down the bench. When we got to the end I held the bumper and said “give”. He moved his mouth off the bumper. We went back to the starting point and I placed another bumper in his mouth. This time I led him down the bench but when we got to the end we turned and went back to the other end. I held the bumper and said “give”. He moved his mouth off the bumper. The next time I put the bumper in his mouth I told him “hold” then let him walk to the other end without my hand being on his collar. I decided that was a good place to quit so I set him on the ground and heeled him back to the kennel.
Blaze was next. I heeled her to the retrieving bench and when she started to jump I said, “up”. I walked her up and down the bench petting her every few feet. I placed 4 bumpers on the other end of the bench and took pictures as she retrieved them. I put her on the ground. I told her “whoa” and threw the bumper. I made her stand for a couple of seconds before I motioned in the direction that I wanted her to go and said, “fetch”. She picked up the bumper, ran back and dropped it in my hand. I only threw the bumper a few feet. Later I will start throwing it farther. She retrieved the bumper about 8 or 10 times. I picked up the bumpers and let her run to the back before returning to the kennel.
I heeled Dolly to the retrieving bench where she jumped on at my “up”. Dolly has been force broke to retrieve so this is just something to get her out of the kennel. The dogs don’t care what I do with them as long as I’m doing something. I walked her up and down petting her every few feet. I put 4 retrieving bumpers on the other end. I said, “fetch” and took pictures as she brought them back. Some time I take the bumper as they get to me but some times I have the dogs hold the bumper until I say, “give”. After she retrieved all 4 bumpers I set her on the ground. I told her “whoa” and threw the bumper. After a couple of seconds I motioned the way I wanted her to go and said, “fetch”. I’ve always let the dogs go when I threw the bumper before but now I’m trying to get them to wait for my “fetch” command. Dolly retrieves real well but the waiting is hard for her right now. I threw the bumper about 10 times and she retrieved each time. I let her run to the back before going back to the kennel.
Luke has been force broke but I didn’t take it far enough. He retrieves real well on the bench and pretty good on the ground beside the bench but he doesn’t understand that he is to retrieve birds. I heeled him to the bench and he jumped on at my “up”. I always pet the dogs as we walk up and down the bench. I put the 4 bumpers on the other end and tried to get pictures as he retrieved the bumpers. I set him on the ground, said, “whoa” and threw the bumper. The first 2 or 3 times he retrieved real well then he ran to the bumper and rolled it around and came back without it. I held the button on the e-collar transmitter down on level 3 until he went back and picked up the bumper. When he got to me with it I made him hold it for about 15 seconds before I said “give”
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About this time a friend, Rob Downey, came over to work his dogs on my pigeons. He came down where I was working Luke. I thought this would be good training for Luke. When Rob got to us I told Luke to “whoa” and threw the bumper. The I said “fetch” and Luke went to Rob Downey. I held the e-collar button down on level 3 and it was like Luke said, “Oh yeah, I better get that bumper”. He retrieved it to me. I threw it again and again he started to Rob. I held the button down and he changed over to the bumper. He brought it to me. I let him run to the back then took him back to the kennel.
Rob had some quail that he didn’t want any more so he brought them to me. We put them in with my pigeons then worked his dogs. One of the quail had died on the way over so I worked Lucky with it as well as the bumpers.
After Rob left with his dogs I heeled Lucky to the bench and he jumped on at my “up”. I walked him up and down petting him every few feet. I placed the 4 bumpers and the quail at the other end of the bench. I took pictures as he retrieved them. I set him on the ground and threw the dead quail for him. I don’t make him wait. He retrieved the quail about 10 times. I walked to the back as he ran then we went back to the kennel.
Dolly and Lucky do a pretty good job of retrieving but Blaze and Luke need a lot more work. I’m hoping that I can get them to be good retrievers before the next season starts. Tur Bo is learning to hold and give. He’s also learning to walk with the bumper in his mouth without dropping it. When he gets all of this down I will start his force breaking. In my opinion, it’s easier to force break the dogs if they have already learned to hold and give.
Luke on the ground holding a bumper
Lucky
Tur Bo walking with a bumper