Tur Bo holding frozen quail
Luke with a frozen quail
Blaze with a frozen quail
I’m still working the dogs on the retrieving bench but this morning I used frozen quail. I also, used a live quail by putting it in a sock to keep it from flying away.
I heeled Tur Bo to the retrieving bench. I walked him back and forth petting him every few feet after he jumped onto the bench. I pried his mouth open and shoved a frozen quail in. He wasn’t too sure about the quail but he held it. I had him hold it for a few seconds then said give. He dropped it in my hand. I opened his mouth and replaced the quail. He held it fine so I had him walk down the bench. As he went down the bench he dropped the quail. I pinched his lip against a tooth and replaced the frozen quail. We continued down the bench then returned to the other end without him dropping the quail. When I said give he dropped it in my hand. I had him carry the quail up and down the bench several times then put him on the ground.
Tur Bo has a pulled muscle so I can’t let him run. I put the piggin’ string on him. I placed the frozen quail in his mouth and heeled him around, by the retrieving bench, on the ground. He dropped the quail. I pinched his lip against a tooth and replaced the frozen quail. I walked him around with the quail in his mouth. I stopped him and he dropped the quail in my hand when I said give. I pried his mouth open, put the frozen quail in and we made a big circle. He held the quail with no problem. I stopped him and he dropped it in my hand when I said give. I walked him a short distance then stopped him to pry his mouth open. As I reached for his head he opened his mouth and took the quail. I tried to not act surprised. I heeled him around in a big circle. He held the quail until I said give. I decided that was a good place to quit. I heeled him back to the kennel.
I heeled Luke down to the bench next and he jumped on it. I walked him up and down petting him every few feet. I had a live quail in an old sock with a knot tied in it and the extra material pulled back over the bird to make a smaller retrieving bundle. I placed 3 frozen quail and the live one on the other end of the bench. When I sent Luke to retrieve he got to the first frozen quail and started to pick it up. He opened his mouth but didn’t take the bird. He returned to me. I held the button on the e-collar down, on level 3, and walked down the bench with him. He picked up the quail and I let off the button. He brought it to me but turned it loose before he got all the way to me. He’s fast enough that is was like he threw it to me. I opened his mouth, put the quail back in and made him hold it until I said give.
I sent him after the second frozen quail and it was a repeat of the first. He went to it, started to pick it up but came back to me. I held the button on the e-collar down, on level 3, and walked down the bench with him. He picked the quail up and we returned to the other end. I made him hold it while I took some pictures. He dropped it in my hand when I said give. I sent him after the third frozen quail and he brought it back. I petted him for a few seconds then said give and he dropped it in my hand.
The only thing left on the bench was the live quail in the sock. I sent him to retrieve and he almost picked it up. He opened his mouth and moved it a little but then came back to me. I held the button on the e-collar down on, level 3, and walked down the bench with him. He picked the live quail up and we went back down the retrieving bench. I petted him for several seconds before having him give. I placed the 3 frozen birds and the live quail back on the other end of the bench. He retrieved all of the frozen birds without a bobble. I sent him after the live quail in the sock. He started to pick it up but turned and came back. I held the button on the e-collar down on, level 3, until he ran down the bench, picked up the quail in the sock and returned to me. I put the 3 frozen quail and the live quail in the sock back down on the other end of the bench. When I sent him to retrieve he brought all of them to me with no problem.
I set him on the ground, told him whoa, held his collar and threw a frozen quail. He wanted to go as soon as I threw it but I held him. I said fetch and released him. He ran out, picked up the bird and returned to me. He threw it at me as he came by. I put it in his mouth and made him hold it for several seconds while I petted him. I held his collar, said whoa and threw the frozen quail. I released him and said fetch. He picked the bird up and before he got to me I told him to hold. He held onto the quail as I petted him. He dropped it in my hand when I said give. I threw the frozen bird about 10 times. The last several times he did the retrieve correctly. I let him run for a while before returning to the kennel.
Blaze jumped onto the retrieving bench next. When Blaze doesn’t want to retrieve she has trouble getting her mouth to open wide enough to pick up whatever I send her after. I figured I would have trouble with her. After we went through the petting routine I put the 3 frozen quail and the bird in a sock on the other end of the bench. I sent her to retrieve with a fetch command. She slowly moved down the bench, picked up a frozen quail and returned to me. I took pictures then held my hand under the bird and said give. She dropped it in my hand. She retrieved the other 2 frozen birds just fine but couldn’t get her mouth open wide enough to take the live quail in the sock. She stood over the bird trying to get her mouth open. I held the button on the e-collar down on level 3. Her mouth opened up just fine. She picked the quail up and returned to me. I petted her for a while then said give. She dropped it in my hand. I put the frozen birds and the live quail on the end of the bench. She retrieved them all with no problem.
I set her on the ground and said whoa. I held her collar and threw a frozen quail. She wanted to go as soon as I threw it but I held her. I released her and said fetch. She ran out, picked up the bird and brought it to me. I petted her before saying give. She dropped it in my hand. Most of the dogs run out, scoop up the bird or bumper then make a big circle and come back. Blaze goes out, circles the bird, picks it up and returns straight to me. I threw the frozen quail about 10 times for her and she retrieved it, correctly. She’s a lot faster on the ground and has more animation. She acts as though she likes to retrieve when she’s on the ground. I let her run for a while before going back to the kennel.
Lucky was next on the bench. We went through the petting routine. I put the 3 frozen quail and the bird in a sock on the other end of the bench. Lucky has been force broke and he retrieves just fine. I told him to fetch and he brought each one back to me and held them until I said give. When he got to the bird in the sock he smelled it before picking it up but he just put his nose on it then grabbed it and came back.
I set him on the ground and threw a frozen bird. I didn’t try to hold him. He has enough seniority to do it any way he wants. He’s 11 years old and I’m not going to change the way he’s been doing things. I threw the frozen quail about 10 times and he retrieved it just fine. He holds the frozen quail real well when he comes back because he likes the petting. I let him run for a while before going back to the kennel.
Dolly was last today. Just as she jumped onto the bench my wife, June, called. I had left all 3 frozen quail and the bird in a sock lying on the bench. As I talked to June, Dolly picked up a frozen quail and wiggled all over. As I talked I held my hand under Dolly’s bird. She dropped it in my hand and continued to wiggle. I placed the bird back on the bench and Dolly picked another one up. She wiggled and wiggled. I held my hand out and she dropped the bird in it. I put it back on the bench and she picked up another. She’s so proud and she wiggles to show it. After I got off the phone I took pictures of her holding the bird. Her wiggles don’t show in the pictures but you can see how proud she is.
She, too, has been force broke to retrieve. I placed the 3 frozen birds and the quail in a sock on the other end of the bench. She retrieved them all just fine. She nearly always holds the bird until I say give. I had her do this twice before setting her on the ground.
I held her collar, said whoa and threw the frozen quail. She wanted to go as soon as I threw the bird but I held her. I released her and said fetch. She ran out, picked it up and returned. She sat in front of me wiggling all over. I said give after petting her for a while. She dropped it in my hand. I threw the frozen bird for her about 10 times before letting her run for a while. We returned to the kennel.
Using the frozen quail and the bird in a sock made all of the dogs more receptive to the retrieving drills, I think. I’m going to continue to use frozen birds for a while and make the dogs do the retrieve correctly. I will continue to use the quail in a sock occasionally as well. I used the live bird with 3 dogs and it was still alive and well when I put it back in it’s coop. I fed dogs and birds several hours later and I couldn’t tell which quail I had used.
Lucky with a frozen quail
Dolly with a frozen quail
Dolly with a quail in a sock