How to get started?

darlinggrl7 · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:02 am Post subject:

Thanks for the gloves tip. I didn't even think of that.

He told me to bring water and and something to put it in. A chair, and something orange to wear while in the field. Oh and bug spray.

This is what I got:
1 - I bought 2 new water bowls that you can put the 2 liter pop bottles on. I got 3 bottles for them. (I have a lot of pop drinking to do.. Confused

) Is that going to be enough?

2 - I got 2 hunt orange vests for 99c Very Happy

(2 because my little sister is coming so she can watch one dog while I'm working with the other and wasn't sure if she'd need one or not)

3 - Planning on taking extra cash for donation to land owner, donation for lunch, and purchase of birds. $2 for pigeons and $4 for quails. Don't know how many I will be using though since I don't know if they'll be ready for that yet.. But then again, I don't really know what to expect either.

4 - Desire to learn. Very Happy

5 - My 20' lead, and 2 regular leashes. Looks like I'm getting another 20' lead too.

6 - Hammer

7 - Hand sanitizer... I don't personally feel like eating with my hands after handling dead birds..

8 - I'm also planning on bringing an icechest with water bottles. Probably some extra for the other guys/girls as well.

9 - 2 Chairs

10 - Sister for additional help with the extra dog. At least until I can know what to expect.

I'm heading to wal-mart again today for the bug spray that I keep forgetting. I'll also get an extra lead (I have 1 20' lead already). I'll get a stake too, with a wire cord.. Less likely to chew through. Embarassed

I've never had them staked out before and am not quite sure how they'll handle it.. so just in case. Oh, and gloves, probably the leather working mans glvoes?? I'm adding to my list as I type.

darlinggrl7 · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:13 am Post subject:

Oh, this may seem like a silly question.. but do they usually have some sort of bathroom mechanism out where you guys go? Or do I need to be prepared to pop a squat? Laughing

peppernaei · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:19 am Post subject:

Sounds like you'll be much more prepared than I was and you'll come bearing refreshments!

I thought I'd add...

Your sense of humour - I've met many jokers so far. Very Happy

And Patience for waiting and for the dogs.

Most places we have been haven't had any washrooms. I plan my travel to pass by a truck stop or coffee shop to prepare myself. I guess having tissue handy is also helpful. And/or baby wipes for clean hands too. Confused

Have a GREAT time!

DanniGirl · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 11:51 am Post subject:

It sounds like your off to a great start!

h20fwlkillr · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 12:27 pm Post subject:

darlinggrl7 · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:18 pm Post subject:

LunaBrown · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:47 pm Post subject:

We are broke, so we made our check cord!

Went to home depot, bought some yellow rope + snap hooks + rope clamps-the kind you just need a hammer to smoosh it together... (all were in the same aisle!)

+

= Check Cord

We spent under $20 and since the snap hooks and rope clamps came in 2 packs we had enough material to make 2! It's been through a few training weekends... it's dirty but holding up very well.

So far it's working well, I'm proud of our little 'project'

peppernaei · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject:

I was able to find mine at a local large no name place. It won't help for this weekend but you can get one here http://shop.dogsunlimited.com/item.asp?n=cc&d=13&b=1

Your gloves should be fine. Anything to protect your hands.

I don't bring food but I drive two hours to get there and I don't want him getting sick in the car on the ride home. Remember not to feed them right before you go either.

h20fwlkillr · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 2:16 am Post subject:

LCSupply.com has a very 20' good check cord for around $10. It is well worth the money. You can order longer ones for 50 cents or so a foot over 20'. They also carry just about any training gear you could possibly want or need. They are a top notch operation and are eager to please.

While you can make your own, it is very hard to find good rope that is stiff enough. Climbing rope works well, but after you buy the rope and clasp, it is higher than buying a pre-made CC.

darlinggrl7 · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 8:52 am Post subject: ****Update on how it went ****

Saturday at Training day was a really great experience for me. Everyone was really nice and helpful.

The dogs seemed to do okay on the tie outs. Turns out the tie out that I bought was WAY to big. Embarassed

But they had some extras that I could use.

We started out with tracking... Appears my dogs were much to concerned about where the other one was than the duck. Rolling Eyes

They have some separation anxiety when they can see the other one.. Yes, I know.. not good. That being said.. it looks like I'm going to be trying to work with them a lot separately. Secondly, they couldn't care less about that bird if it hit them in the face! I know they have prey drive because I've seen it in the back yard (dead squirrels and birds to prove it..) however, when they were on the lead the bird was of no concern to them. He even went and got a live pigeon to flap around and try to get the interest of them. They were a little bit scared of it!! Also, I'm not sure if them being on a lead was business time for them, they generally aren't supposed to pay attention to distractions when on a lead anyhow. So technically good for them, but bad for teaching them about birds. Confused

I don't know if the separation anxiety was primarily because they were in a new place, or because the other one was in sight, or if it was just pure separation anxiety.

Something I'm going to try to do is get/borrow (I have no place to keep birds) a clipped pigeon and try to play a game with them to get them interested in the bird. They guy who had the birds for training day doesn't live too far from me and we've already discussed it.

So, what it all boils down to is: If they show interest in the birds and seem to really want to get it, we can continue training for bird hunting. If not, well then.. oh well, it was worth the try.

Thank you all for your suggenstion and help. I really appreciated it. Helped me be a little more prepared and know a little bit more about what to expect. Very Happy