Retriever training question

[helibow]

Go get the book "water dog" by Ron Wolters... tried and true methodology. Will give you the step by step of what you need to do.

[Captrix]

Genevieve
The right trainer can do it with out the pouting becoming an issue. Its about applying pressure to get the result your after not pain. My pup is 6 years old and all i do is act like im mad and she will pout but the man who did my FF training got the results we were after with out hurting her or making it a negative thing.

I can't afford to hire anyone. He will completely shut down if you're not careful and I'm not sure I trust anyone not to ruin him. I have a horse that is the exact same way. He was a difficult one to train because he is so sensitive. I've been training horses for quite awhile and he's the first one that was really a challenge. I think the hard headed ones are much easier to train. I actually sold the horse and ended up buying him back because no one could ride him (he was sold 3 times in less than a month) There was nothing wrong with the horse, its just that most people don't know how to handle an overly sensitive animal. Some how I always end up with the sensitive ones.

I have all the retriever training books and I'm pretty confident in doing the FF training myself but I wasnt sure about doing it with Hank being so sensitive.

[iamntxhunter]

I recommend that you do the force fetch yourself. If you educate yourself on it and have the time you will be glad you did it yourself and so will your dog. Not saying a trainer can't do it for you but their time is you money and they feel they have to be results oriented quickly. Some dogs don't progress at the same rate and allowing your dog to grow and learn at his/her rate pays off in the long run.

[bdchorn]

Make sure you use a good trainer to do your force fetch training. If youv never done it then i would hire it out and go take part in it but would not do it myself. There are several different ways to force fetch so question the trainers when you interview them over the phone, any training that produces pain instead of pressure i would stay away from.
If you screw up the force fetch period or allow a trainer to screw it up then it is a long road of recovery trying to get it reversed and then done the right way. Also right now at 5 months old your pup has about a 3 minute attention span so dont try to move to fast, stick to the basics, make her retrieves a game and move slowly.

This. 5 months is too young for force fetch in my opinion

[SMOOTHboar]

Go get the book "water dog" by Ron Wolters... tried and true methodology. Will give you the step by step of what you need to do.

Do they have it on tape?

[fox1]

Go get the book "water dog" by Ron Wolters... tried and true methodology. Will give you the step by step of what you need to do.

This is an excellent book

[txdukklr]

I dont want to hijack the thread but I have a question about force fetching. I have a very sensitive 8 month old chocolate lab. Even a stern "No" hurts his feelings and he goes to his corner to pout. I've been a little concerned with force fetching with him because he is so sensitive. Anyone have experience with this? He's very good at fetching. If I point to something and tell him to fetch it he will. I was thinking about waiting a little longer before I start to force fetch him to see if he grows out of his "pouting" stage.

force fetch done well should get rid of pouting . . . force fetch means you fetch when i tell you . . . . not when you feel like it. You dont want a dog that works when he's happy and quits when he's not.

the key is force fetch done the right way.

as soon as a pup looses his puppy teeth he is ready for force fetch and is completely steady.. i recommend finding a trainer or training group locally to do your first dog. pouty or not i would ff the dog.

I would also recommend if the funds permit

Genevieve
The right trainer can do it with out the pouting becoming an issue. Its about applying pressure to get the result your after not pain. My pup is 6 years old and all i do is act like im mad and she will pout but the man who did my FF training got the results we were after with out hurting her or making it a negative thing.

absolutely i think force fetch is automatically thought of as bad or pressure . . . . it's good pressure. it's teaching a dog how to evade, negate or get out of bad pressure.

I can't afford to hire anyone. He will completely shut down if you're not careful and I'm not sure I trust anyone not to ruin him. I have a horse that is the exact same way. He was a difficult one to train because he is so sensitive. I've been training horses for quite awhile and he's the first one that was really a challenge. I think the hard headed ones are much easier to train. I actually sold the horse and ended up buying him back because no one could ride him (he was sold 3 times in less than a month) There was nothing wrong with the horse, its just that most people don't know how to handle an overly sensitive animal. Some how I always end up with the sensitive ones.

I have all the retriever training books and I'm pretty confident in doing the FF training myself but I wasnt sure about doing it with Hank being so sensitive.

so this is easy find the local training clubs. find the local trainers and go work with them on weekends. They'll teach you how. My experience professionals are more then willing to help you when they get someone who's willing to help train. throwing bumpers, loading launchers, loading dogs all that is tedious alone.

Call the local club, call a pro in the area. I'd really recommend a pro for your first dog and your involved. Force can go from good to bad real quick

[Captrix]

He fetches when I tell him to, thats never been a problem. My son leaves a trail of wrappers and sometimes I'm too lazy to bend over and pick them up I tell Hank to fetch it and he does. Now if I could just teach BOTH of them to put it in the garbage can Hank is getting pretty good with the remote too, when he can find it


I did catch my son (he's 6) "working" with Hank and he was doing a good job (I was shocked). He told Hank to sit and Hank sat. He told Hank to "stay" and he dropped a treat and Hank "stayed" He threw a bumper and Hank waited... and waited... and waited until Shane said "fetch" and he took off and brought it back and waited for Shane to take it from him.

[KRB]

I recommend that you do the force fetch yourself. If you educate yourself on it and have the time you will be glad you did it yourself and so will your dog. Not saying a trainer can't do it for you but their time is you money and they feel they have to be results oriented quickly. Some dogs don't progress at the same rate and allowing your dog to grow and learn at his/her rate pays off in the long run.

Right on, do force fetch yourself ! You will develop a bond with your dog that a trainer cant create.

I used the Fowl Dawgs DVD program and watched a local trainer in my area force a few dogs.

However you need to start working on a good solid HOLD before even thinking about force fetch. The dog should be able to do all basic OB with a bumper in its mouth before force fetch.

[Miodetx]

Force fetch is something you will need to, but there are other training that needs to be done first. The dog went & got the duck, just didn't bring it back. You must be very thorough in your basic obedience first. I was a professional retriever trainer for field trial dogs for many years. If you want, you can pm me with questions & I'll answer as I can.

[txswtheart22]

Question for dog guys:

I have a 5 month old black lab that we have been "working with" trying to train her to hunt. She is extremely smart, loves to retrieve and has picked up on everything I have exposed her to so far. A couple weeks ago I bought a rubber bumper and she loves to retrieve it and always brought it right back to my hand. Also a couple weeks ago we shot a few ducks and before we cleaned them I had the idea to see if she would retrieve the dead duck when I threw it out. We went out in the front yard and I threw the duck and gave her the command to fetch, she hauls after it like she always does, but when she got to the duck she wanted to lick on it and try to eat it. She wouldnt bring it back. After three or four rounds of her not bringing it back we quit. Since then when throw bumbers or anything else she always goes and gets it and brings it right back. Yesterday I thought I would use tie wraps and fasten a duck wing to the bumper. Threw it out, she hauls after it but when she gets to it and smells the duck feather she starts to chew on it and wont bring it back. Anyrate, I know this is a long explanation, but what is my next move with her? How do I get her past the wanting to play with the duck issue? Any/all advice is wanted.

So i quit reading after i got half way through the thread bc everyone was saying the same thing... 5 months is too young imo to start force fetching, yes some young dogs do well on it, but if you screw the dog up thats it.. it takes a ton of work and time to break a dog after hes been screwed up, We sent one of our labs to one of the best trainers in Texas, he is VERY hard on dogs, but produces results.. well he screwed her up and yea ever since shell hunt, but if you yell at her, shes done, and runs back to the truck.. My recommendation? Go to cabelas, academy, or any sporting goods store and pick up a canvas dummy and some duck scent. We started our lab on tis but with with quail scent.. after we moved to frozen pigeons( we use pigeons for training our pointers in the beginning, and if a dog chews up one of those well oh well.) Next time you get a duck, freeze him.. work on your labs with the canvas dummy and scent, along with putting a long check rope on him.. when he gets to the dummy and picks it up, starting pulling him towards you while saying here. Once you get him to where he brings the dummy back with no problems, pull the duck out. To frozen duck with prevent him chewing on it, and teach a soft mouth.. Hopefully this will fix or help your problem...

[Langston32]

Go get the book "water dog" by Ron Wolters... tried and true methodology. Will give you the step by step of what you need to do.

x2 great book! The author really knows what he is talking about and explains it in a way that is easily understandable! I was recommend this book when I was training my lab and I have recommend to guys that got pups from me!

[iamntxhunter]

When you work your dog it is work time and not a time for other family members to be giving the dog orders. You should have your obedience traing done first to the point of being finished and I also believe that its traing should be done by one person only. Dont ever give your dog a command if you cant enforce it once it has been given. You need to get some of the videos recommended above and always be willing to realize that not every day will be a good work day for your dog and what I mean by that is there will be days that things don't go to well. A little bit every day is better than a lot every other day. Dogs are pack animals and you need to be the alpha, there is only one alpha per pack so they need to understand that they are not it.

[Montgomery84]

Sometimes a "sensitive" dog is just using this act as a way out of doing what you have told them to do or what they are supposed to do. It's just an avoidance behavior. My golden had the wool pulled over my eyes with his act, especially during ff, until an experienced trainer convinced me otherwise. Not to say this is always the case, but it was true in this example.

"Retrievers...from the Inside, Out" by Butch Goodwin is a good read.

[k9trainer]

I can send you the book if you don't have it