What have you been doing this summer?

[Ayres]

So, since I've noticed a slight drop-off in posts per day, I figured that everyone else, like me, is out enjoying the summer months while you can.

So, what have you been doing that takes you away from posting on the forum?

Personally, I've been attending two summer classes quite regularly. On top of that, I've been taking care of my pup and trying to keep him wore out playing and running so he doesn't find his own trouble.

Here's a few pictures from last night when we were out on a walk:











So, let's see it! Where've you been and what have you been doing?

[Greg Jennings]

Wow. The pup sure is growing. He's a good looking little guy.

I'm aiming for my first trial of the year Sept. 18th and 19th.

We're polishing on steadiness at flush and gun, working on stop to flush and doing some light conditioning.

I'm about to start teaching him quarter and do some short but intense conditioning.

We're also preparing to bring home a new pup July 24th.

[grant]

Here is what I've been doing:

Video of Bell

[sochuck]

spent a week at Emeral Isle in NC. i can see that place as a retirement home for the Watson clan....well as soon as my retirement prgram finishes law school....hehehe

[Colleen]

Too hot and too snaky to do any training or work with my dog, so he's just been getting the daily workout in the backyard and every now and then a trip to a beach or lake or something with water. But we have to watch the gators too. As for me, I have been busting my butt in grad school from about 8-4 every day, and by the end of each day, and especially by the end of Firday my brain is mush Although last night I did enjoy the Chile-Costa Rica soccer game over strawberry margaritas at a favorite local Mexican restaurant....

[WildRose]

I'm with Colleen. Around here this time of year there's not much to do at all with the dogs other than try and keep them cool and pleanty of water to drink. We've been right around a hundred every day this week, and probably will be for the next three or four... just that time of year. Actually caught to big rattlesnakes in the yard the last couple of weeks, one two feet out of bounds of one of the dogs stake outs, and a five footer about ten feet from the kennel. That thirty inch block wall I put all the way around the kennel that nobody understood at the time sure makes good sense to everyone now.

Other than that just weaned one litter and went nutts for a couple of weeks picking out the two I was keeping, just in time for another litter to get here that proved to be even more work. Have a wonderful sweet ole momma dog that's had nerly half her nipples damaged over the years running through the rough stuff out here that was trying to figure out how to feed ten new borns with only six good nipples. Fortunately my girls are good moms and pretty loving to all puppies so as soon as they got some 72 hours worth of colostrum I was able to give half the litter to the mom we'd just weaned!

Now I have about ten more days to get these ready to move out of the house and into the kennel (at three weeks old) before the next two litters arrive around the 20th-30th.

Having a ball though in between working the two young pups from the Cleo and Magnum litter a few minutes every morning and evening and taking my 7 and 9 yer old neices fishing every evening.... September is how far away? CR

[Rusti's Mom]

It is now 6:10 here in Houston and it has cooled down to 98. Just trying to stay cool and keep the dogs the same way. They have holes dug out under the palm trees and I keep the soil moist for them. That is good until around 3 when I have to bring them inside. The old guy suffered a heat related stroke about 2 years ago and he had only been outside for 5 minutes. I found him lying on the patio with his tongue hanging out. My son took him to the vet and she said it was HS. So, I don't fool around with them.

The end of August must get here quickly. We will be off to WI. for a Field Trial. It does get hot up there, bt at least at night it cools off. And it is not as hot as it is here.

Stay cool wherever you are and make sure the dogs do too.

Pat

[emae]

Thought I'd join in too. In Texas as well, so the dogs are spending lots of time inside. I did get the Perfect start/finish videos and have been working w/our female on the whoa command and am liking the results so far. Unfortunately yesterday after we went to the river I loaded up the dogs, left the remote to the e-collar on the bumper and took off. Didn't realize it 'til we got back home. Went back to search and found it---------squashed on the highway, unrepairable. That really did not need to happen at this time, 2 days after I got my first shotgun. So I guess I am searching for another e-collar. Might not be a bad thing as we got a new pup and may think about a 2-dog system. Off to learn how to shoot this weekend on trap. Might be nice to actually hit a bird for my dog

[Ayres]

Sorry to hear about the collar woes. From what I've researched, I'd recommend the SportDog SportHunter SD-1200 ($199). It's a single dog collar, and is optionally expandable to two dogs (another collar is $99) I plan on getting one when it becomes necessary. I found it here: http://www.gundogsupply.com/sd-1200.html

[emae]

Been thinking about the sportdog as it has lifetime warranty. My only reservation is that I've not heard anything about them. I was also checking out the dogtra 200 ncp, about the same price. Anyone think one is better than the other and why?? I did have an innotek, but wanted to try something different from all the "bad' stuff I've read about them.
Thanks----

[Ayres]

Check out this message on the Training Supplies topic: http://www.gundogforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12

Noone recommends against the SportDog collars. Also, I seem to remember something like the SportDog brand was founded by a former Dogtra electronics whiz, so they're of comparable quality with a lighter pricetag (since they're a new brand). If anyone can confirm or disprove that, please go ahead.

[emae]

Just got off the phone w/gundogsupply and talked about the different collars. I think I will be going w/the sportdog because they are the only collar allows you to add another collar($99) to that system at a later time. All other collars you need to buy the 2-dog system. Big plus for me, as the new pup won't be wearing one for a few months yet.

They are a very new company, but have been good. THe only thing negative he said, was the transmitter was not as durable some of the other brands and I guess the manufacture is updating this. The collar, although is very well made.

Other recommendations were the dogtra and tritronics (nothing new here)

Just thought I'd share what I found out.

[msparks]

I've been doing some water training with my Willow and Bella.

Willow is really good at it now. I can fling the bumper way out there. She will dive in after it swim to it and bring it back.

Meanwhile Bella is standing in the shallow barking and barking but won't go in over her head. When Willow gets close enough Bella will grab the stick or bumper or whatever and pretend that she was the one that got it. Too funny.

I'm glad we live near a lake, so we can take walks about anytime without worry of overheating. They will usually jump in and out of the lake several times. Of coarse they smell bad afterwards until they are dry but that just part of life with a dog!!

[PA_Sportsman]

Been working on steadiness to flush, wing, shot and fall.

So far so good. I'm not sure if it's luck or I just have a very smart dog but we've progressed nicely through the training and I haven't really pushed her. We moved along at her pace. She's steady to flush, wing and shot. On the last 2 weeks, she's been steady to the fall of 8 straight birds until saturday when she broke on the fall but it did give me a chance to get a good correction. I wasn't too hard on her because she is young and bound to make a mistake.

Here is a pic of her on point this past Saturday.

[snips]

Ayres, I love your pup! Nice looking. Also nice liver GSP. Grant, I finally saw your mini movie, I was just wodering why you are heeling Belle off point. Was there a bird there?

[grant]

There was a bird there, and it was about to start raining, so I didn't want to tie a string on the bird. I wanted to give Bell and Carl a chance to point a bird, but I didn't want it to fly off. So, I just heeled each one off the bird. It was a fast way to let them find a bird then go inside. I don't practice that, but I was also interested if they would listen to my commands with a bird in their face...

Probably not a good thing huh?

p.s. You notice that she took a step or two. I would get points taken off for her moving after the point wouldn't I???

Grant

[snips]

It`s not something that would help their intensity. I train to come off point in more advanced stages but don`t do it much. Ideally you want to produce the bird they point then heel them off. I never use the E-collar for it, and I rarely take them off point unless I tried to call them before they pointed the bird, so taking them off was because they failed to come when called. I would be careful doing that with young dogs, a dogs point is something born in `em, you start messin` with it and it may not come back.

[grant]

yikes, thanks brenda!

Grant

[sudiegirl]

condor doing what he loves best (besides rabbit drags)..... catching a little air on a water retrieve!!

[ginia]

So, Grant, when you had Belle heel off the point, what's the alternative if you're not shooting the bird? We run across this in our yard all the time; Cassi will point, if she creeps, we can whoa, but then what? (We're in a city neighborhood, really can't shoot the birds in our yard.) Today she pointed at a lizard for at least a three full minutes before trying to pounce. BTW, that was a cute video.

[grant]

I've just caught pigeons and planted them like I did in the video. Once the dogs point, I walk up and flush the bird. Some times I just let it fly, and sometimes I will fire a blank pistol into a shirt or something to muffle the sound a bit. I am also in a neighborhood.

Its not a habit to heel bell of the point, I just wanted to get a quick video in before it rained, and I did not want to plant a new bird each time.

Just to get some training in, I will work the dogs in the backyard or take them to a pasture and let them point planted birds. I flush the bird and keep the dogs steady and let the bird fly off. Sometimes I'll tie a pigeon to an empty plastic coke bottle filled with approx 1/2 in. of water. This will let the pigeon fly for about 40 yards or so, and saves birds..........


Grant

[12 Volt Man]

Sometimes I'll tie a pigeon to an empty plastic coke bottle filled with approx 1/2 in. of water. This will let the pigeon fly for about 40 yards or so, and saves birds..........

Nice variation on the "carding" of pigeons. I may have to try that. I need to locate some pigeons. They are pretty scarce here in Utah, unless I head in to Salt Lake where I may be able to grab some from under an over pass. I'll try not to wake up the homeless guys sleeping under there LOL.

I have found a few breeders of pigeons, but they are fancy pigeons, homers and rollers ect.... They want quite a bit for them.

[grant]

Brenda told me about the carding method. I just had some bottles so I did that.... Carding may work better.

I caught a BUNCH under bridges here in GA, but I'm going to buy quail soon. The whole Pigeon Fever thing makes me shy away from the wild pigeons???????