Quail Training

* * PLEASE NOTE: All birds were set free after this training session. * *

On Sunday, I joined the Tivoliz family for a Quail Training Day in Sunshine, Maryland. I really enjoyed seeing my family and meeting my new cousins and aunts and uncles from the Legal Eagles and Three's Company litters. My grandmom Siren was there; Cooper, Echo, Kona, Jack, Henna, and Harlow came; Jersey and McCoy came down from New Jersey; and Rudy and Polo came to visit from North Carolina! Let me know if I'm missing anyone!

The land was really pretty, but it was very cold!
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Just ask my mom! She wore a long-sleeved shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, two coats, a hat, gloves, and fleece-lined snow boots! I can't laugh at her too much though; I would have cried if I wasn't able to wear my coat.
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Debbie and the trainer bought a whole bunch of live quail to work with.

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Mr. John was our trainer for the day. He worked with each dog individually and did three training rounds.

Here he is teaching our parents how the traps work. Basically, it’s like an upside-down basket that keeps the bird on the ground so that the dogs can smell them. When it is time to release the bird, the trainer just steps on the little handle to lift the basket. Then, the bird is free to fly away.

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Here is one of the traps with a bird in it (the green mesh thing with a brown blob to the left of the orange flag). Can you see it? My mom couldn't until my dad pointed it out.

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I liked the birds! They smelled super good! I didn’t know it was possible, but they smelled even better than cookies!

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The best part about Mr. John was that he let me play with real live birds!!! He's like the Santa Claus for dogs!

Mr. John, I swear I've been good all year! Give me that bird! Please?

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After Mr. John finished baiting me, he took me out to find a bird in the field. It didn't take me long to find.

It's over there! I smell it!
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Getting a little bit closer . . .

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Found it!!!!!!
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Darn! My mom scared it away!

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Even though I didn't actually catch the birds, my parents were really proud of me.

I really wanted to bring it home to show my friend Riley. He would have been so jealous that I hunted a bird! Oh well . . .

After the training, we all had a play date.

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Dave and Cooper.

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Either Rudy or Polo.