I have been working in my yard, between the rainy days, instead of working dogs very much. I usually turn Sally out to run after cleaning pens while I take care of the pigeons. The last few days she didn’t come back when I called her. Yesterday, before turning her loose to clean pens, I put an e-collar on her. When I got ready for her to come back, I called her and hit the tone button on the e-collar. She came right to me. I petted her and let her run a few more minutes. I hit the tone button and called her. She came right to me. I’ll continue to do this until it’s second nature for her to come to me.
Sally on the whoa board. Pointing a pigeon.
Betsy pointing a pigeon from the whoa board.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon from the whoa board. He’s not sticking his tongue out at the pigeon.
That’s the end of the e-collar.
I put 6 pigeons in a bird bag then put e-collars around Sally’s neck and flanks. I heeled her from the kennel with the piggin’ string. We went to the east then north to the edge of my yard then back west toward the training grounds. I whoaed her every few feet. As we started to the west I whoaed her and threw a pigeon in front of her. She wanted to chase but I stopped her with the piggin’ string and set her back on whoa.
I heeled her on toward the back and whoaed her a couple of times without throwing a pigeon then whoaed her and threw another pigeon. Again, she wanted to chase but less than the first time. I held her with the piggin’ string and set her back on whoa. I heeled her away. After a couple of whoas without a bird I whoaed her and threw another pigeon. She moved but she knew I was going to stop her so she only took a couple of steps.
I put her on the retrieving bench and we worked on hold and give. The give command is always learned quicker than the hold. After a few minutes I set her back on the ground and heeled to the whoa board.
I have a 2×6 raised off the ground about 36 inches with a chain, above, hanging from a cable. I set her on the whoa board and put a pigeon to sleep, on the ground, in front of her. From the first time I put her on this board she hasn’t moved but this is the first time she had a bird in front of her. The bird put some style into the whoa. After a couple of minutes I woke the pigeon. She didn’t move as it flew away.
I talk to these dogs and pet them, as I’m training, a lot more than I put in these posts. I put 2 more pigeons to sleep in front of her, one at a time. When I woke them and they flew away she never moved. I set her on the ground, whoaed her then heeled her away. I let her run for a few minutes before taking her back to the kennel.
I got another 6 pigeons in my bird bag and brought Betsy out with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. I heeled her to the front, then across the yard and back toward the training grounds. As we started back I whoaed her and threw a pigeon in front of her. She wanted to chase and without the piggin’ string she would have been gone. I set her back on whoa. I heeled her a few feet then whoaed her, again, without throwing a pigeon.
After a couple of whoas I whoaed her and threw another pigeon. She really wants to chase but the second time was a little less than the first. We went on toward the back and I threw another pigeon and whoaed her. The pigeon flew away then came back over the top of her. She turned and watched it fly away but didn’t try to chase.
Sally on another pigeon.
I put her on the retrieving bench. We worked on the hold and give commands for a few minutes. I set her back on the ground and heeled her to the whoa board.
I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her. After a couple of minutes I woke the pigeon and it flew away. She came off the whoa board. The chain is long enough to let their back feet hit the ground but it holds the dog upright. It’s uncomfortable but not painful. I set her back on the whoa board and put another pigeon to sleep in front of her.
As I stroked her up the pigeon woke up on it’s on and flew away. She came off the board, again. I set her back on the board. I put another pigeon to sleep in front of her. Again, as I stroked her sides the pigeon woke up and flew away. She moved but not enough to come off the board. I stroked her sides telling her what a good girl she is then set her on the ground. I let her run as we walked toward the back then put her back in the kennel.
I was running low on pigeons so I only had 4 for Tur Bo. I heeled him to the front then back toward the training grounds. With release traps Tur Bo always takes a step or at least moves his front feet when a bird is released. Throwing a pigeon might help in stopping this. Might not, too. I whoaed him and threw a pigeon. This was new. He wanted to chase. I stopped him with the piggin’ string and set him back.
After letting him stand for a few seconds I heeled him away. I heeled and whoaed him for a little way then threw a pigeon and whoaed him. He stopped but the pigeon only flew a few feet and landed in a tree. I heeled him away. I heeled and whoaed him a few times then threw another pigeon. He figured out I wanted him to stop so he did. I heeled him to the retrieving bench.
I threw a dummy for him a few times then heeled him to the whoa board. He’s been worked on force fetch so he retrieves bumpers pretty good.
He’s also been on the whoa board. I put a pigeon to sleep in front of him. Some of these pigeons don’t like to be put to sleep and they sometimes wake up on their on. This one did as I stroked Tur Bo. He didn’t move. That was all of the birds I had so I put him on the ground and let him run before putting him back in the kennel.
This time of year it’s awful easy to think that it’s a long time until bird season. I’ve got plenty of time to work dogs but a dogs life is really short and any day you miss is a day you can’t get back. Do something each day.
Tur Bo after the pigeon has flown away.
Betsy after the pigeon has flown away.
Sally on the whoa board watching a pigeon.