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pixie bee

MH
Posts:4452

02/07/2011 2:48 PM
I think she is getting anxious at the approach of people -when she is flagging,she is not in prey drive anymore. If she has no chance of catching, let her chase,especially if she will break off on her own.

"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle

TessaGA

Georgia

MH
Posts:2387

02/13/2011 10:49 AM
This weekend, I took her to a pro trainer who put some quail and pigeons out for her and asked me to let her hunt but not to interfere, and not to talk. We were just watching. He said she hunts very well. Then she had her first point and totally fell apart from there. Chased birds, and tried to catch any on the ground any chance she got (without success). I guess he knew his birds were very hard to catch. There must have been about 20 birds out there, with pigeons flying across every now and then. Tessa went totally wild. Any steadiness, recall, etc non-existent. We did have a few good points, some even without much flagging, but overall it was wild. [Not in my wildest dreams would I allow anyone to shoot over my dog acting like that. The fact that she is much much steadier and very cooperative when we actually hunt may be because there is shooting, and she knows a shot means she will be allowed to go to the dropped bird, and that it is followed by hunting up the next one and so forth]. He said she is so bird crazy that it gets in the way of things. All she can think of is get a hold of a bird. So when she points, she flags because there is a struggle between her mind which wants her to move, and her training that taught her not to move. Flagging is a way to move something without actually moving. Afterwards he worked her on a pinch collar and check cord with no force and no words and that was a sight to see. He uses Bill West's silent technique and it's nothing short of amazing! Doctors orders are not to give her another chance to do what she did that day. Work on her steadiness with pinch collar and check cord, on one bird per session. Not to use launchers on her as she is excited enough already. Keep up the yard work. He believes that once she is steady in body and mind, the flagging will stop.

To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]

pixie bee

MH
Posts:4452

02/13/2011 11:17 AM
I guess that's good news. If Tessa were my dog, and she's not and I can't see for myself, and she is strong in the search,using her nose and wind and truely searching w/o eyesight I would forget hunting for now. What I would do is work hard on whoa. I would have birds walking in front of her,thrown at her,flushing in front of her and any other scenario I could think of, with you and possibly others walking around,too.I would work on steady to shot separately and then add it. Sessions would be short, but daily. BUT, I may start with whoa on objects then move to birds. Like a tennis racket and ball. YOU retrieve 4 out of 5 - so, don't hit so far.LOL. She sounds like a dog who loves the chase. I don't believe in taking the chase out,only teaching self control. (which will all go donw the drain at a test)

"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle

TessaGA

Georgia

MH
Posts:2387

02/23/2011 7:33 AM
I like the tennis racket idea. We have a chuckit, but with a tennis racket you get some good noise too. Took her on her last hunt - it was on the books and they needed her - and wouldn't you know it, she did fantastic! Did not (fully) chase one bird. She crept some prior to the flush, she sometimes took a few steps after the bird flushed, but didn't engage in a chase. Did not try to jump/catch the birds either. Sometimes even her flagging stopped. The highlight came at the end when she pointed a bird sitting in plain view 6 feet away. Held that point until we could get there (50 yards). No flagging at all. When Chris tried to flush the bird, another one flew up right behind Tessa, and Chris turned around and shot it. So basically Tessa was standing under the gun with one bird in front of her and one bird flying off behind her, and she didn't move at all - didn't even turn her head. Kept her eyes fixed on that one bird with no flagging. Quite a nice note to end the hunting season on! That was at the end of the 3 hours, a little tiredness always helps calm her mind. I wonder though if the birds at the trainer's may have taught her the lesson she needed but couldn't get from our plantation birds - that you can't catch them. At any rate, now on to lots of yard work.

To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]

pixie bee

MH
Posts:4452

02/23/2011 7:38 AM
Exposure was what she needed and she got it. I am so glad this last hunt turned out so good. She was a 'puppy' when she started and now maturing into a hunting dog. Find a place with an all year shooting license.

"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle

TessaGA

Georgia

MH
Posts:2387

02/23/2011 8:05 AM
Yes, Francine, there is a huge difference between our last training session early December and this last hunt in February. We are doing a lot of things $$$backwards, and it no doubt creates more work for me and slows the progress towards the goal, but I am thankful for all these hunts my friend bought for us - that really put things together for her and we all enjoyed those outings. We could hunt year-round on that plantation, as a matter of fact this is where we will train once a month (or make arrangements for any time in-between). The summer heat will get in the way, and the birds are not good year-round. No wild birds near here. So it will just be good old checkcord training for a while, and let's see how that translates into her performance next fall.

To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]

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