At the top of his neck..yeah but

Gunner has a neck like a Giraffe. I put it up. He holds his head nice and high. Walking great. Then oops, it is down and we are pulling a little ahead. Stop, re-adjust, good for a little. Stop, re-adjust....rinse, repeat. Arrrgh! He is doing better but it took about 30 mins to go about 2 miles. I think we are going to walk more often during the day when we can. Like early morning, lunch and after dinner. And also do training. Do I have a life?? Well, I guess I can get up earlier. Going to do bird stuff later after I mow today. It is nice today, that is my positve though for the day. LOL

It is Wed and that should mean bird day

But today it doesn't. We were going to take a couple of Phezzies out and work Gunner but some stuff came up. So we will try to get out there on Fri. Did a fairly nice run this morning and he minded better on the collar than the harness. Also will be working on the Table later. His whoa/wait is getting pretty good on the table. Enough so that if I put him up there and drop the ball on the floor I can walk away and he won't move to get it until I say to. I have still having to treat him to get the ball. Heck with the treats he literally spits the ball at me. So we will just keep at it. I am still worried about his NA. I keep telling myself that it is an Ability test and he is not supposed to be trained or totally broke. Then I hear how great someone else is doing and broke their puppy was for his/her test and I get worried. I try not to worry about it too much after all it is not like if I don't do as well as I want they will take Gunner to a better trainer. I just want him to do as well as he can and I know he is just a great pup.





Did the Table work. He did really well and "Wait" until I released him to either get the ball I threw or just to come. Did use the cucumber, carrot and tomato treat to get him to "Give" the ball. Hoping tomorrow to get some water work done.


This is a pic of Gunner after he put himself on the Table yesterday.

Wait/Whoa, What??

It is Monday again. We have the day off. Yay!! Still have to go to my second home Lowes for some stuff to work on Thom's loft.

Have not totally finished the training table but mostly and enough to use it. So it is Table Time for Gunner. He is doing pretty well most of the time with his Wait/Whoa. Not totally though. Sometimes he just stops then comes back to me and looks like "What, and why are we stopping" I have been even "Waiting" him on the yard birds just to use any opportunity I get to reinforce the command. So that is what we are doing bird training wise.

We also have a 3 mile run/walk to get done today. Had fun yesterday and am teaching him that pulling can be done while running "Mush" but when we "Wait" I call him back and we "Heel" on the walk parts. He seems to be mostly getting it. I just have to remember to give the command. :) It seems like I have to be training as much as he is. I'll report later how it goes

We.. Thom, Gunner and I got the training table finished. He was not afraid at all and went right up. Now I have to actually start Wait/Whoa training him. Going to watch my NAVHDA DVD and get it straight in my mind and then it is drill time for Mr.Speedy Feet. I'm putting up a couple of pics and one Video. He gets a bit excited and rushing some.

Starting My training today

I offically started training again.

Training plan and everything.

Gunner and I did the local 5K running race route.

Just to see how out of shape I am. Well, we had fun. I was slow and it was not very great but it is a first run in the books. Gunner wore his harness so he could pull on the running parts and walk at heel for the walking parts. He did great and even got to meet a bunch of children. They were good and approched only so far and then let Gunner come up to them. He even let them pet him. He is not super socialized but I am hoping that the running and biking will help with that as there are usually other people around.

We are doing bird work tomorrow. It was supposed to be today but the weather looks a bit iffy. I don't mind and Gunner doesn't either but the Hubby really doesn't want to mess around in the rain. Thom took a pic of us before our run. Man, I'm chubby. Working on that.

Work and play

It's Sat and we had to work this morning. Oh well that is just how it goes when you work for yourself and the weather and stuff gets you. So we went in early and now home for Brunch and then off to work Gunner in the forest. Just a play day as we are doing birds tomorrow morning. I received my Cabelas catalogs today!! Whoo Hoo hunting stuff. I have to look for some chaps for my chubby butt. :) I have pretty much decided against the chest protector for Gunner after seeking advice from some other hunter people. It is cooler but looks like rain. At least it is not as hot as the face of the sun like that last couple of weeks.

Oscar the Pheasant cock is looking really pretty now that he is starting to get his adult feathers in. He just has some of his head green but the chest and all is filling out nicely. Pretty bird...even if he is a big old grouch. He was really grouchy this morning when I didn't have any squash for him and the hens. But they did get Kale and some bugs that were munching on the kale. I figure they are good protein for the birds and an Eco friendly means of pest control.

Pink tape and new tricks

Gunner has learned some new tricks today. I am so amazed sometimes at how quick he can be when he wants to. We went out to the forest today to just scout for birds. I decided to go off trail onto some less used old logging paths and deer paths. When I do this I always mark one side of the trail every so often with Pink Fluorescent Line tape. That way I don't get turned around or lost. And I use the pink because that way I know it is mine...the guys around here would not be caught dead using pink tape. They seem to prefer the Orange. LOL It was nice and cool. But also brushy and prickly. I think I found every kind of pricker bush and vine and tree today. Gunner does well and just charges forward sniffing, and sniffing. We did not find any birds today. Gunner did find some deer poop. Why do dogs like this stuff? He doesn't bother any other kind of poop but deer and rabbit. Any way we went for about 45 minutes one way and then headed back. Now when I go back I collect my tapes. Today Gunner started to help me collect them. He was running a bit ahead and pulling them loose and bringing them to me. Well, I thanked him and then had to correct him every time he would get close to one. The first time I told him no he looked so hurt...Like Momma I just found these you lost and am bringing to you. What a face. After about 3 corrections he figured I could just get them myself and would barely slow down for me to untie them. But he did check back frequently so he must not have been too put out. I took just a few pics to compare how foggy it was this morning. The clear shot of the landscape was a couple of weeks ago. The foggy one and the trees are from today. Well off to shower my poison ivy dog and myself. Then off to work.

Got home from work earlier. Did some heeling work and some recall. He is getting pretty good. Tried to do a track with a few feathers. He did find them but I think he saw me. I am going to do some bird work this weekend with the pheasants. Looking forward to it

Why is it raining today?

First of all I want to thank everyone who reads and posts on my blog. I am having a problem responding to your messages. But I do appreciate them and will figure out what I am doing wrong. Please be patient with I get tech savvy enough. :)

So I check the weather this morning. Like I do every morning. To help plan what the day will hold. They say not rain here until later this afternoon, if at all. Look at the Radar, looks good. So I go to work. To remove and replace the tiles on the pool deck I'm doing this month. Get to the job, get set up and start. Then about an hour into the job....it starts raining. First just a drizzle then down it comes so I just sit there and finish removing the tile. Hey, at least it is not hot.
but I can not set the new tile down until it get dried up. So here's hoping tomorrow is not wet.

On the training side. We went out at 6 am to get our walk in before I left for work. Gunner did pretty well on his Heel on the walk. Did have some corrections but not too bad. We will be going out later with a Pheasant in harness to work some on the track. He is resting up for his afternoon workout. And Yay, it did stop raining about 10 minutes ago and it is only supposed to be like 75 degree today!!

Attack of the crawfish LOL

Today we went to Shawnee State Park to get some water work in. It was simply beautiful this morning. Cool and mostly sunny. With a bit of fog on the hills. Very nice. Gunner and I got out and did a few sit,wait, stand, wait and heel drills. Then I stood on the CC while gearing up. I look over and Gunner has something pointed on the grass about 2oo yards form the water. So I hustle over to see what it is, hoping it is not a snake. It was not a snake but a Crayfish making his way in orderly fashion to the water. Orderly until this gray menace got in his way. I called Gunner off and took his little tough self pictures. Then he went on his way, determined and probably muttering something about gray things and giants.

Went at heel to the field and let him search. He found a good trail a couple of time and pointed about 3 times. The one in the grass he let me approach and a little bird flew up. He wanted to chase and did take about half a dozen steps but he did not rush it while on point. The second was a nice point, I got up to him and could not see into the brush and down the steep incline but do believe there was a bird there. Called him off. The other one he or I didn't find anything.

So we went down to the Lake and Yay!! it was ok to swim. So we did retrieved and he did pretty well. Still wanting to hold the bumper but he is bringing it right back to me now and not trying to speed by me. Did a nice Heel all the way back to the car. Then he ran around a bit before we headed home. All in all a much better day...oh yeah, he did well with some standing "Wait" while I walked away..first time for him to get it in one try. Good Boy Gunner.

It's Mon and not a great training day, so far

It's a Mon. all around. Took Gunner out to train with 2 pigeons. Thom went with us. So of course Gunner had a bad day. He wouldn't listen and was just crazy. I don't know if it was the slightly cooler temps or the guy that showed up with 3 off leash beagles. Normally there is no one there this early in the morning. But not today. I should have taken it as a sign, that and Gunner was just being impossible. Did I?? Nooo. I had Thom plant the pigeons and we set out to find them. Well he had a hard time finding the first one and then it was just sitting there in front of a tree. He did point, briefly, before he grabbed it. (I have video but it is not great ) I was in the wrong place and couldn't control him. Bad Mom. The second bird, took off just as we got to where Thom planted it. So I guess he will show up home after a bit.
To try to salvage the day we did some retrieves and he did alright with that. Not great but it is just one of those days. If it stays some cooler today, it will be a 2 day training day. Do they make Ritalin for dogs...or maybe it is me. Oh well I guess a bad day just happens every so often. I'll be doing bird work again Wed. Tomorrow is swim day if the lake is alright to swim in.

Man, its' hot...

So today we were working on the Pheasant pen. It is coming along nicely and they are going to love it. As much as a bird loves anything. They are doing fine and looking good in their temp. pen. I have been giving them produce out of the garden in the morning to supplement their Pheasant food. They love corn on the cob so they get the little ears or the older ones. And it gives them something to do. I was sitting outside last eve and they were talking to each other and the Rooster, Oscar, was calling them. His name is Oscar because he is grouchy. I love the soft little noises the hens make. I can see where they may be the descendants of the dinosaurs because if you look closely at Oscar he looks and acts like a VelociRaptor
Going to go to the forest and work with some pigeons and Gunner tomorrow morning. It is hard sometimes because of the heat and humidity.

A new week and a new focus...

I am going to really try to blog more and better. Today we re-started Gunners "heeling" After the Sat. training day and some..actually lots, of help from Ron B.
I am going to do the drills and get him heeling constantly. And when I saywe I mean Me. Went out to the West Side Park. Got parked and started out. Kept him at the heel until we got to the part that I wanted him to search for birds and run around. He did pretty well. Trying to remember to "pop" and sideways not up or back. I say it is Gunner learning but it is as much me learning.
We skirted the edge of the soybean field and the corn field. He had a nice point on some kind of brown bird and actually did not rush it and I got there and flushed it up. I also found the perfect more close spot to plant birds for him. Good cover but not too much and big enough so it is not just right in his face.
On the way back toward the car, I put him in Heel and started. He was still being bossy about it so we just went different ways and I also discovered the quickest way to get his attn. besides the "pop" is to change in direction right into him. He has to pay attn. or get stepped on. So we just took our time and he was doing really well by the time we got almost all the way back . So while he was going well. I stopped, he sat and then I told him he could check out the edge of the field to the car. It was really foggy and wet but at least at 7:30 a.m. it was cooler. Going to work birds hopefully Wed.
Pheasants are doing well and settling in.