Jump-Up Training
I’m experimenting this week with some additional hawk training this week to keep Sable in top condition through the winter. When I trapped her, Sable’s keel was exceptionally sharp and this seems to maintain it’s shape despite my best efforts to ‘beef her up’ with higher food rations. This doesn’t do much for hunting episodes, but I do want to make sure that she’s got enough muscle to fly properly when we do hunt. These exercises are part of that training.
As you can see by the video episode, she jumps up the the glove on each whistle command. There are 17 total jumps to the glove for food reward. One of the things I enjoy most about Sable is her easy-going personality. She is not tethered for these training exercises, and follows commands and pays attention for the duration of the training session. When I need to take care of her feet for inspection and such, I can hood her, sock her up, and take care of her talons and feet. When I’m done, she pops back up to the glove like nothing ever happened.
I like to do the same thing, only usually in the late summer, at end of molt, to get back into condition, and use my tall perch outside. It is a ring perch on top of a 6 foot pole. A tidbit is tossed onto a small rug target. The bird quickly learns they won’t get the next tidbit until they fly back up to the perch. Because they are close to the perch, and it is a more steep flight, it is a harder workout. It can be made even harder if you attach one of those weighted leashes, a rubber hose with BB’s in it. All good to build up the wing muscles.
Thanks, Carolyn for the comment. YES!!! all of those things are good ways to train a RT after a summer of the moult. I’m working on building Sable up during the season to keep her in condition for hunting while I try to figure out where her hunting window is because it seems to be all over the place.