I have really took this whoa post work to heart. I’m working the two young dogs, Abby and Boss, still, but I have decided to do Mann and Sally, also. I’m even turning Luke out to run. He’s old and retired but I want him to get some exercise, too. I have been having each of the dogs jump on the retrieving bench, after they work on the whoa post, just so I can pet them. I want each of the 5 dogs to think they are my favorite.
Abby on point, peeking through the milo stalks.
Mann.
Sally on point.
I want to work through the whoa post drill as quickly as possible without short changing any of the dogs. Normally, I don’t work the dogs on days where we hunt or on Sunday. Last week was an exception. One of the days I took Abby and Boss to the Hardens Game Farm I worked them on the whoa post. Today is Sunday and rather than skip a day I worked them.
I, probably, won’t work them next Sunday but I didn’t want to have a skip day in Sally and Mann’s work. I have only worked them two times before today.
After I got back from the game farm and was working Abby and Mann is when I decided to just work all of the dogs. When I take each dog out of their kennel I make them jump onto their house where I pet them before leading them out. I worked Abby and she did fine other than she bites at the check cord when I cue her on the flanks. There is a big knot right in front of her mouth so she uses that to get even.
The cue on her flank isn’t hard but she doesn’t like it. I wait for her to quit biting the rope and wait for her to acknowledge by sighing, getting more comfortable by moving her legs, licking her lips or yawning. I’m holding the check cord where it’s off the ground but not pulling on the dog. The half hitch around her flanks is taut but not uncomfortable. It doesn’t take very long, 15 seconds or so, for Abby to lick her lips.
After we do all 3 whoa posts I let the dogs run for a few minutes. I wait at the retrieving bench. When they come back or sometimes I have to call them back I have them jump on and pet them. I have a block wall around my water faucet that makes a good seat. I pet the dogs some more as I sit. When I take them into their kennel I have them jump on their house and I pet them some more.
Boss is easier than Abby. When I put the half hitch around his flanks and walk to the end of the check cord he usually acknowledges right away. Boss isn’t real comfortable with the check cord. He thinks he is being heeled any time he has a check cord on. Sometimes he puts himself on whoa, too. When he does this I have to go to him and tap him on the head to get him to move. This is just a young dog trying to figure the system out.
Abby honoring Dottie.
A couple of days ago he went across the fence to the north. As he came through a big clump of brush he decided he was on whoa. I could see him but when I called he just stood there. I had to cross the fence and go to him. I tapped him on the head and we went to the kennel area where I petted him by the water faucet then in his kennel.
I wasn’t sure what Sally and Mann would do. I brought Sally out first and she acted like she had done this for years. As soon as I cued her she licked her lips. I was really surprised on the first one but she did it on all 3 whoa posts. I turned her loose to run, petted her on the retrieving bench and beside the water faucet then petted her in her kennel.
Sally pointing a covey of quail with Dottie honoring.
I brought Mann to the first whoa post. He stood for me to put the half hitch around his flanks and move to the end of the check cord. I gently cued him on the flanks then stood watching him for an acknowledgement. And I waited and waited. Mann was easy to train on most things but his hard headedness showed up when he was force broke to retrieve. I saw it again on the whoa post.
On all 3 of the whoa posts I waited at least 5 minutes for any sign of acknowledgement. He looked to the left and then he would look to the right. Any direction except at me. He never moved for a long time then on the first two he moved his feet to get more comfortable. When he did I dropped the check cord and started to him. He would immediately lick his lips. I never once got frustrated with him or lost my temper. Actually, it was kind of funny. Once I had to change my leg position because I was getting tired.
This morning, Sunday morning, I worked them all again. I worked Boss first. I turned him loose to run after working him on the whoa posts, where he did really good. He went off me to the west and I had to go get him. I brought him back and petted him on the retrieving bench. I turned him loose to go back to the kennel and he went off me to the north.
Jim’s Dotty and Mann’s mother.
That’s the place where he had put himself on whoa and I had to go get him. I think this morning he finally figured the check cord out. He never went on whoa. I finally got him to come back to my property but it really may have been the neighbor’s big dogs chased him home. Something worked though. He came home and I petted him at the faucet and in his kennel.
I just turned Luke loose. I put him on the retrieving bench and petted him then went to the faucet. Luke doesn’t care what I do as long as I pet him. I petted him in his kennel and took the check cord off.
I took Abby next. She was still biting at the knot on the check cord but it’s kind of half hearted now. Abby is a yawner. After just a few seconds she acknowledges with a big yawn. She also stays closer to me than most of the others. When I let her run I just sat on the retrieving bench until she came back. I petted her then we went to the faucet area where I petted her some more. Then into her kennel for more petting.
Sally honoring Mann.
Sally was next. She had been really quick to acknowledge on the first two times I worked her but after the first one this morning she slowed down. I think the dogs do different things to see what will work. On the first one Sally licked her lips real quick as she had done the first two times. On the second one she wouldn’t even look at me for a while. She tried to make me think she was smelling something off to the north. I just waited. Finally, she licked her lips. I petted her then took her to the third whoa post.
It was the same. She looked every where except at me. I just waited. On both of these it took about 2 minutes for her to acknowledge. I can out wait her. After she licked her lips on the third whoa post I turned her loose to run. She likes being petted so she came to the retrieving bench after just a short run. We went to the faucet then into her kennel. Lots of petting.
Now it was Mann’s turn. I put him on the first whoa post and he licked his lips almost immediately. We went to the second post where he did the same. I thought, “alright. He’s got this.” We went to the third post and he wouldn’t look at me. Finally, after about 2 minutes he yawned. I dropped the check cord and went to him. Just as soon as I dropped the check cord he licked his lips. We went through all of our petting spots then I put him in his kennel.
Allie on point with Abby honoring.
Some times the hardest thing a dog trainer has to do is nothing. When I’m working puppies for the first time on birds and they point I don’t do anything or say anything. I wait for the puppy to make a move and I flush the pigeon. The same thing on the whoa post. Stand and wait for the dog to acknowledge. When it takes a long time it’s hard but the proper thing to do is, nothing.