Bird Dog Question

[olegregg25]

My lab (12wks) is having trouble retrieving. I’ll get her in the hallway at the house which is only about 7’ and train her there. Problem is, she loves to drop and will rarely bring me the dummy. When she drops and chews I back away but with the length of the hallway I’m in the open living room where she’ll dart the other way and go running through the house. My hope is that she is still in puppy mode and wants to do nothing but play chase but I don’t want to develop any bad habits. Suggestions?

 

[flatsmaster]

12 wks I'd work on sit and walk on lead and just make ur puppy wild to go get something... trap a pigeon or buy a duck on CL and shackle it and get it crazy about feathers ... get hillman puppy DVD and follow and then Lardy and start it ... formal obedience at 5 months followed by FF if u do that at 6 months ... only throw a couple ... always leave them wanting more ... don't worry about retrieve to hand IMO ... make it fun and work on obedience bc if u don't have control u won't have much of a duck dog ... good luck bc they grow up fast

 

[flatsmaster]

I'll add ... find a Retriever club in driving distance and check it out ... everyone has been where ur at

 

[olegregg25]

I'll add ... find a Retriever club in driving distance and check it out ... everyone has been where ur at

I hear ya. I am more worried about her obedience more than anything. I know some dogs will pick up the retrieving at different times. She definitely enjoys retrieving, its just the delivery she has trouble with. This is something i am certain she will mature into as she gets out of puppy mode.

 

[flatsmaster]

Saw this on another hunting dog site ...
dog training ....
Real important to get a program and follow it step by step ... don't go on u tube and say look at that I'll do that today ... take the knowledge of great trainers who have done the trail and error and laid out a plan for you to follow ... program is worth every penny and ur pup deserves it

 

[hrstille]

Baby steps man. Training a dog is a marathon. Teach obedience then work on retrieving. Find a program and go with it. There's a lot more to training a dog than tossing a bumper and bringing it back. Invest in so tools, choke chains, leashes, shock collar, ect. Talk with trainers about do's and don'ts. Doing it right will pay off in the long run.

 

[baddave]

you're ok , a lot of pups ain't fixin retrieve to hand @12 wks.. i would stop before that becomes a habit .. if you can get her to SIT, HEEL , and HERE you can make a retriever out of her .. the fact that she goes and gets it and then turns around ,, you're ok .. the 3 things i mentioned could take months ... remember , once you think you got something down pat , do it another 500 times ... about the retrieving ,, sometimes you could run a little ways and make her chase you and quickly turn and squat and receive ..then she did it and you show just a little approval.. and don't over do that

 

[jakebuddy]

FF should fix those problems when you get there. Had a K9 handler tell me that it's easier to teach a dog that's a little older than a young dog, like it's easier to teach a 5yr old how to write there name than it would be a toddler. Functionally a dog that is almost a year that has consistently been taught basic obedience is much easier to teach than a dog that is too young. Long winded but you get the idea, some are fast learners some require more time. I have a dog now that is 7 months and is not ready to go past basic obedience.

 

[olegregg25]

I’m sure she knows my patience wears thin haha. Obedience training is spot on, she catches on quick to sit, stay, come so we’re spot on with that. I’m sure we’ll both figure it out here in the passing months. I’ve been reading Water Dog and that seems to be the popular go to for training

 

[baddave]

oh yeah ..sounds like you got a good girl .. patience(5 times)... she'll be fine

 

[tucker80]

Need a check cord. When she stops to play, give a tug and lots of verbal encouragement. Focus on obedience because that's your foundation. Keep it simple, short and sweet right now. Retrieves to a minimum per session to leave her wanting more. And water dog, may want to reconsider.
To each his own but...
https://www.gundogsupply.com/evan-graham-smartwork-smartfetch.html

Best of luck

 

[olegregg25]

Need a check cord. When she stops to play, give a tug and lots of verbal encouragement. Focus on obedience because that's your foundation. Keep it simple, short and sweet right now. Retrieves to a minimum per session to leave her wanting more. And water dog, may want to reconsider.
To each his own but...
https://www.gundogsupply.com/evan-graham-smartwork-smartfetch.html

Best of luck

I was thinking about using the check cord. Makes sense to bring her in on these short retrieves.

 

[Joe Overby]

I hear ya. I am more worried about her obedience more than anything. I know some dogs will pick up the retrieving at different times. She definitely enjoys retrieving, its just the delivery she has trouble with. This is something i am certain she will mature into as she gets out of puppy mode.

No...its not something they mature into...the chase it down and kill it part is bred into them...the bring it back and deliver to hand part is man made...you want a reliable delivery to hand it has to be trained.

At 12 weeks I'd want her chasing live pigeons...retrieving in the water as much as possible, casting to her food bowl, and just starting to learn obedience...

 

[king killer delete]

No...its not something they mature into...the chase it down and kill it part is bred into them...the bring it back and deliver to hand part is man made...you want a reliable delivery to hand it has to be trained.

At 12 weeks I'd want her chasing live pigeons...retrieving in the water as much as possible, casting to her food bowl, and just starting to learn obedience...

This^^^

 

[jasper181]

Work it step by step, if the dog messes up on a step go to the previous. Keep it short and always end sessions on a positive note. I would force fetch the dog personally, its not if but when, the day will come in the field they just wont retrieve. If they are retrieving based on instinct there is no way to correct it in the field, if they are force fetched you can correct it. Ive got 8 dogs to finish by October , 2 labs and the rest pointers, Im ready to pull my hair out.

 

[crow]

2 suggestions: use a check cord in the hallway to control her...never give a command that you cant enforce, especially with a strong willed puppy. Dont worry about dropping the dummy short right now. That will be corrected in force-fetch later. Absolutely do force fetch...if not you will regret it.

Research clicker training. It worked fantastic with my strong willed Boykin Spaniel.
At this age, always have treats when she does it correctly...only treat when the puppy gets it right, then give her treats and lots of loving.

Man, the fun has just started.

 

[T Tolbert]

Get bill hillman puppy video you will thank me.