Between my neighbor’s side and mine, I mow over 5 acres. With all of the rain it grows like crazy and is muddy every where. I’ve been stuck several times this year. But with all of this I still get out for a few minutes and work dogs. Mainly, Abby, Josie and Boss. Occasionally, I work Mann and Sally on retrieving.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Josie on whoa with me pulling on the check cord.
Abby on whoa.
I have been working Abby and Josie on honoring, heeling, whoaing and some retrieving. I’ve put them on the retrieving bench, place boards and whoa barrels. I had, also, worked them on 4 pigeons close together. I made them stay on point until I flushed the last bird. A few days ago, between rain showers, I decided that after heeling and whoaing them I needed to just let them point some pigeons. Both of them had been holding their birds pretty well before I started what I consider steady drills.
They had done well on the steadiness drills so I was expecting them to really do well on some pigeons hid in the tall grass. I put two pigeons out on the neighbor’s side of the training grounds. I brought Josie out wearing the e-collars around her neck and flanks, dragging a long check cord. I heeled her toward the back whoaing her a few times. When we crossed the creek on my side I turned her loose to run.
Josie is not sure that I’m really going to let her run, for a few seconds she still heels. After a few seconds she runs, hunting. We went to the back on my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. We went to the back and when she hit the scent cone she pointed. Josie always looks good on point. Before I could get close she ran in, to grab the pigeon. I should have been but I wasn’t prepared. I thought she would let me walk in front.
I set her back and said, “whoa”. She stood breathing in the smell of the pigeon. I stroked her sides and walked in front of her. I flushed the pigeon and she didn’t move. I heeled her a short distance then tapped her head, to release her. She started checking all of the cover.
Josie hit the scent cone on the next pigeon and slammed into a point. She didn’t let me even get close. She jumped in to catch the bird. I whoaed her. When I whoaed her she came to me and stopped at my side like when I was heeling her. I stroked her sides then flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move. I let her run until we got back to the kennels.
I reloaded the release traps and led Abby out with the e-collars around her neck and flanks. She was dragging a long check cord. Abby has always been steadier than Josie. I knew she would let me walk in front of her. I whoaed her a few times as we went toward the back. When we crossed the creek I turned her loose. Abby goes hard from the instant I release her.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby checked out my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. When she hit the scent cone on the first pigeon her front feet quit moving and her back feet slid to a stop. I started pulling the camera out to get a picture and she ran in. I whoaed her as the check cord tangled and stopped her. I moved her back, stroked her sides and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t try to move. I heeled her away. I tapped her head and she went back to hunting.
She was too far ahead of me for me to see her go on point but I knew where the bird was. I went toward it and saw her on point. Just as I saw her she jumped in and turned the release trap over. When I whoaed her she came to me. I caught her and set her back. I turned the release trap and flushed the pigeon. She didn’t move. I let her run back to the kennel.
After thinking about these young dogs, I knew that I had never whoaed them other than right by my side. Both of them wanted to come to me when I whoaed them on birds.I needed to start whoaing them when they weren’t right at my side.
There is a release trap with a pigeon hidden there.
This morning I put the e-collars on Abby and let her drag a long check cord. They have been dragging the check cord for a long time but I have never used it. I heeled her toward the front with the piggin’ string. Several times I whoaed her just like we had been doing. She was perfect on the whoa command. As we started toward the back I whoaed her and pulled the check cord out to the very end. I softly tugged on the check cord while I said, “whoa’.
When I said, “whoa” and tugged she pulled back. I gave her some slack in the check cord then said, “here”. I had to tug on the check cord to get her moving. When she had taken a couple of steps I held the transmitter down on low 2 on the flank collar and said, “whoa”. She wasn’t sure but she stopped. I let her stand for a few seconds then called her to me.
We went on to the back with me whoaing her every few yards but I only whoaed her 4 times as she was coming to me. A couple of times I stopped her more than one time as she came toward me. These are opposite commands and it puts a lot of stress on the dog. I don’t like to do it very many times until they really understand both commands.
Josie watching a pigeon fly away.
After we got to the very back of my side and started back I turned her loose to run. All dogs need some happy times. She ran back to the kennel.
I heeled Josie toward the front. She too had the e-collars on her neck and flanks and was dragging the long check cord. I got her used to whoaing before I whoaed her and called her to me. When I first called her to me, off whoa, she wanted to go past me. I had to run my hand down the check cord fast to pull her to me.
I started kneeling down as I called her to me and really making a big deal out of petting her. Before we got to the back she was trying to crawl in my lap when she came to me. A forty pound dog in your lap when you’re kneeling down is a load. She figured the here command out quick. Twice I stopped her a couple of times as she came to me. I let her happy time on the way back to the kennel.
I hid a couple of pigeons, in release traps, in the brush on the training grounds for Boss. He’s just over 13 weeks old and is holding on his birds pretty good. I’ve been putting them in grass strips for him but the last couple of times I’ve put them along the brushy edges. I hide the traps really well. I don’t want him sight pointing.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I had never put a bird on the neighbor’s side for Boss until the day I put the birds out for Abby and Josie. On that day I walked Boss to the back on my side then we crossed to the neighbor’s side. The wind was swirling at the back and he went on point as soon as he hit the scent cone but it looked like he lost the smell. He took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
He found the next bird but got too close and I flushed it. This morning after working Abby and Josie I put 2 pigeons out for Boss. I had hidden one in the edge of some brush and as Boss ran the edge of the brush he ran by the bird. He smelled the bird and slammed into a point. I took a couple of pictures with my camera then pulled my phone out and videoed him for 30 seconds. I shut the video off and just watched him. About 15 seconds later he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. The bird came out right over his head and he chased. We went on toward the back.
Abby on the barrel with pigeons in front of her.
I had hidden the other bird on the back fence and he was 20 yards away when he pointed. I took a picture but he decided to get a little closer and I flushed the bird. He chased a short distance and we went back to the kennel.
Boss knows he’s faster than I am. When we get close to his kennel he stays away from me. All of these puppies really liked for me to throw the older dogs food into the grass for them to find. I have started to get some of the adult food and hold it in my hand as I stand inside his kennel. He acts like I’m not really out smarting him. He just really wants that food. Dogs are fun to try to figure out.