October has started really well. It was in the fifties this morning with the noon time temperatures in the upper sixties. Really good weather to work dogs. During the hot weather I worry about the birds as much as the puppies. When it’s really warm and I put a pigeon in a release trap, hidden in the tall weeds, there is no air movement around the release trap. It has to be really hot on the pigeons. So on the real warm mornings we don’t use the pigeons.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
When I put pigeons in the release traps, I usually drive the side by side around my side and if I put birds on the neighbor’s side, over there. The dogs, even the puppies, will check the neighbor’s side and if there is no side by side trails they will come back to my side. This morning I tried something different, just to see how they would react. I walked onto the neighbor’s side and hid two pigeons in release traps.
I worked Annie first. I heeled her for a short distance whoaing her several times. I have heeled and whoaed the puppies enough that I can drop the Wonder lead after I say, “whoa” and walk out front or circle them. I can pick up sticks or leaves and toss them, and they won’t move, most of the time.
I had a pigeon in a release trap behind a clump that she couldn’t see as I heeled her toward the bird field. I said, “whoa” and flushed the hidden pigeon. Annie stopped and watched the pigeon fly away. I tapped her on the head and heeled her a little further. I whoaed her, grabbed her check cord and said, “okay”. I let her run dragging the check cord.
She was on the wrong side of the training grounds to smell the first pigeon. She ran all the way to the back and came back closer to me. She made a couple more passes without even trying to go on the neighbor’s side. After a couple of passes she hit the scent cone and pointed. I watched her for a few seconds, about 25, then flushed the pigeon. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
I crossed onto the neighbor’s side and had to call Annie over. With no side by side tracks she wasn’t interested. But once she was over there she went to hunting. She was quite aways from the next bird when she pointed. The way the wind was swirling I’m not sure she had a strong scent but she wasn’t moving. I moved up close to the pigeon and flushed it. She chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
That got her to really checking things out. She hit the scent cone on the next bird and pointed. I thought she was closer than she was. I don’t let them stand for very long when they are close. I flushed the pigeon but she wasn’t real close. This pigeon just flew into the tree above the trap. Annie stood and watched it until I tapped her head and called her away.
Stormy
When we got to the retrieving bench she jumped on without any assistance from me. I styled her up in 5 different places on the bench and fed her a chunk of hot dog each time. The pups really like the bench or maybe they like getting chunks of hotdogs. I put her back on the chain gang.
I reloaded the release traps without driving the side by side on the neighbor’s side. I heeled Stormy around for a short distance, worked her on the whoa barrel then heeled her toward the bird field. When we got close to the first pigeon I whoaed her and released the pigeon. This must have been a real young bird. It came out of the trap and landed right beside it. Stormy could see the pigeon as it walked around. She didn’t try to chase. We just watched the pigeon for a minute or so. I whoaed Stormy and started walking toward the pigeon. She stayed on point until the pigeon flushed, then she chased.
She was running with the Wonder lead still around her neck and she was dragging a check cord as well. I thought she would probably lose the Wonder lead but it stayed on through the next bird. She pointed the next bird and I took pictures. I walked toward the pigeon but well out to her side so she could see me. When I got a short distance ahead of her I flushed the pigeon. It came out low and she chased a long distance.
Bodie on point Mann honoring.
She covered my side of the training grounds a couple of times and when I crossed to the neighbor’s side I had to call her. Before we went over I called her to me and took the Wonder lead off. I didn’t need it coming off in some heavy cover where I might never find it.
She hit the scent cone on the next bird pretty quick. I walked near the pigeon and flushed it. She chased. Stormy really wants to catch the pigeons and this one came toward her as it flew out of the clump of brush. She jumped for it and almost did a back flip trying to catch it. But it flew away. We went on to the back.
She was pretty close to the next bird when she hit the scent cone. She looked really good on point but she was too close. I flushed the pigeon and it flew to a tree just a short distance away and lit. She watched it for a few seconds then went back to hunting. I took her back to the chain gang.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
Neither of the puppies had tried the neighbor’s side until I called them over. I decided to try an older dog. Bodie is just 3 years old but he’s been worked a lot on these grounds. I wanted to see if he would go next door without me calling him. I reloaded the release traps and heeled him out. I heeled him near the bird that I had flushed for the puppies and did the same with him. I said, “whoa” and flushed the pigeon. Bodie stopped and stood until I heeled him away.
Bodie is really steady on his birds so I whoaed him and tapped him on the head as I said, “okay”. The wind was really good for him. He was almost across the field from the pigeon but he pointed. And there was no doubt. He was looking right at the pigeon although he couldn’t see it but there was no doubt he could smell it. I walked in front of him, kicking the cover and flushed the pigeon. He chased.
He about wore my side of the training grounds out without even trying to go next door. I always lay down lots of tracks when I hide birds but this little trial just emphasizes the need to try to fool these pups. They learn to follow the side by side really quickly.
Stormy pointing a pigeon.
I went to the neighbor’s side and called Bodie. As I crossed, he crossed in another spot, and by the time I got over to the other side, he was on point. I walked in front of him and shook some branches on some bushes, then kicked the cover. He didn’t move until I flushed the pigeon. Then he chased.
We went on to the back. By the time I got back close to the last pigeon Bodie was on point. I stayed behind him for a while just to see if he would move if I left him on point for a while. He didn’t move so I went in front and kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. When it was in the air he chased. I took him back to the kennel.
Annie and Stormy were still on the chain gang. I took Stormy off and sat in my chair that is close to the chain gang. Stormy jumped into my lap and I petted her for a while. On the way back to the kennel we worked on the here command. Stormy had the check cord on and I tugged on it and said, “here”. When she came to me I gave her a chunk of hotdog. We did the here command 3 times. I put her in the kennel.
Annie pointing a pigeon.
I did the same thing with Annie. Annie needs more of the lap time than Stormy, I think. Anyway she gets more time in my lap then I only had one chunk of hotdog so I only worked her on the here command one time. Then I put her in the kennel.
I knew that dogs were smarter about some things than we give them credit for and this short trial just proves it. I have watched them over the years go to the neighbor’s side and if there were side by side tracks they would hunt but if there wasn’t they would come right back on my side. Today, they didn’t even go over there until I called them.