Blaze
Blaze
My e-collars, that I have been using, have been shortened by cutting the ends off and were getting too small to go around Tur Bo’s flanks. In the box that my cousin, Jim Smith, sent to me after he quit training dogs was a pair of e-collars made by D.T. They haven’t been cut so they will fit Tur Bo’s flanks.
I put the D.T. collars on Blaze, first. I put one around her flanks and one around her neck and heeled her out to the whoa board. When she stepped onto the whoa board I stopped her and hooked the check cord to the D ring in her collar after putting a half hitch around her flanks. I took some pictures, walked to the far end of the training area and flushed the bird that was tied to the pigeon pole. I shot the blank pistol when the bird flushed then again when it started to land. Blaze never moved.
Across the training area, about 8 to 10 yards in front of the whoa board, I had hid 3 pigeons that could fly away when flushed. I walked up close to these birds, kicking the tall grass, as I got near. I flushed the first one and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. I continued to kick the grass, flushed another bird and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. As I continued to kick the grass I accidently kicked one of the empty release traps and saw Blaze flinch. She didn’t move her feet but she flinched so I kicked both of them several times before I flushed the last fly away bird. I shot the blank pistol but she never moved.
There was one more bird tied to the pigeon pole. I kicked the grass then flushed the pigeon and shot the blank pistol. She never moved. The blank pistol was empty but I tossed birds several more times and she never moved. I heeled her back to the kennel.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo
That’s as far as Tur Bo can go without coming off the board.
I put the e-collars on Tur Bo and heeled him to the whoa board. When he stepped onto the board I whoaed him and hooked the check cord to the D ring after putting a half hitch around his flanks. When he steps on the whoa board he always goes on point with lots of style. I took some pictures then walked to the far end of the training grounds. When I turned the corner he was still on point, not moving but his head was real high, watching me. I flushed the bird tied to the pigeon pole and shot the blank pistol then shot again when it started to land. He moved on the board but he didn’t come off.
I walked toward him, kicking the grass as I came then flushed the first fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. The bird flew, real close to him. I put all of the birds in the release traps, pointed toward the dog on the whoa board. The pigeon coop is behind the dogs, also. He came off the board and I held the button, on the e-collar, down on level 5 until I picked him up set him back on the whoa board. As soon as his feet touched the board I released the button. He went back on point and I continued to kick the grass. I released another bird and shot the blank pistol. He danced but didn’t come off the board. I took the third picture to show how he goes to the very edge of the whoa board without coming off. His toe nails are off but not his feet. I flushed the last fly away bird and shot the blank pistol. He moved around but didn’t come off.
We had one more bird that was tied to the pigeon pole. I continued to kick the grass then flushed the bird and shot the blank pistol. Each time he moved on the board I held the button, on the e-collar, down until he stopped moving. He moved on the board, without coming off and I held the button, on the e-collar, down until he stopped. The blank pistol was empty but I continued to toss birds for Tur Bo. He finally stopped moving on the last few birds. I’m not sure if he understands that he’s not to move or if he just got tired. I heeled him back to the kennel.
These young dogs are getting 50 to 60 birds flushed in front of them each week which is more than some dogs get in a year of hunting. We used to train our dogs on wild birds but when we hunted we would be in birds most of a day. Now if you don’t have pigeons or a quail call back pen your dogs won’t see enough birds to learn their job. You can’t make a bird dog without birds.