RETRAINING MY HARRIS'S HAWK, ARAMIS (PART 2)
This is the session following part 1!
The start of the routine is the same: getting Aramis from his mews and weighing him, followed by some manning.
Time for some more recall practice. We've gained a quick response from a greater distance already! It's windy today, you can see how he angles himself to avoid being blown off course. This is good, I like having opportunities to train with him in various weather conditions so he's used to and reliable in different situations once flying free. Wind, drizzle or light snow: unless it's freezing or there's a downpour we'll be out there!
We're also reintroducing the lure today. I mainly use the lure as a safety measure: Aramis knows there's food on it and its movement makes it more enticing and visible. If I ever need to recall Aramis in a pinch out in the field, I can do so more reliably using the lure. I'll sometimes swing it to him during outings too to reinforce his response. As you can see, he remembers what to do!
I always fix a small tiring to the lure before heading out (such as a quail wing) so it's ready to go. When Aramis lands to pick at the food, I'll come up and put my foot on the lure. The one I use is weighted and Aramis doesn't have a habit of carrying it, but it's best to be safe. Once he's done eating, we'll do a trade off on the glove.
Aramis is weighed again and we hang out some more.
I'm satisfied with his response in training, so he'll be free lofted from now on :)
