I train memory retrieves almost from day one with a pup or adult dog. No heelwork or any kind of steadiness is needed. It is the memory retrieve equivalent of a damn good run in and that's the way I want it in these early stages. I want the dog to enjoy it so much I can use it as a reward.
The pup or dog is taken on lead onto short grass - the grass's height should not hide the dummy. To begin with the dummy is tossed always in an underhand bowling action to land just 5 -10 feet from the dog. Right from the start I put in all the cues I will later use on blind retrieves. I slide my right foot a bit forward to point my toes at the dummy. I half crouch beside the dog. I "bowl" the dummy because this keeps it at dogs eye level as it leaves my hand. As I do this I say ."Watch ! Watch !" in an excited tone of voice. If the dog lunges towards the dummy on lead so much the better do not correct for this by tugging on the lead! I turn and walk away, often with the dog still straining backwards towards the dummy and I don't correct for that either ! At about 20 feet from the dummy I turn towards it . I do not make the dog sit - no obedience stuff whatsoever - I do my "cues" let the dog off lead and if it belts off to the dummy without waiting for the fetch command then so much the better !
Assuming the pup or dog has done this very simple memory retrieve O.K. I'd move on. No obedience stuff is the main rule while tossing the dummy or when sending the dog. If the dog runs in as soon as the lead comes off - let it. The sit before sending the dog is easily added later.
My own dogs are so keen on this kind of retrieve that they often " go" (run -in) just as soon as I say "Watch!" They often do not wait for the actual fetch command. This has happened to me in tests during blind retrieves but the judges never downmark for it because as far as they know the word " Watch!" means go and retrieve !
My dogs don't run in on marked dummy retrieves but they do on blinds because they prefer them !I would now lengthen the memory retrieves distance, this also lengthens the time span between the dummy being tossed and the dog being sent. In order to ensure the dog does remember the dummy and it's "sight picture" of the fall area , I now toss the dummy following giving the cues but as I lead the dog away, I stop and turn at about the same distance as before (20 feet) and repeat all the cues making sure the dog sees my right hand give the "bowling" motion towards the dummy. I never push or grasp the dogs head to make it look , I wait for the dog to show me it can see the dummy , the dog often lunges towards it but is never corrected for this.
I turn again and walk the dog away for another 20 feet , give the cues after turning to face the dummy once more then send the dog as quickly as possible or as soon as it looks in the dummies direction. The cues given at about the halfway point serve as a reminder to the dog that there is a dummy out there to go for. The halfway stop also refreshes the dogs memory of the "fall" area when seen from a distance. ( I continue with this halfway cue behaviour for weeks or even months as the memory retrieves and the time spans grow progressively longer in distance and in time.)
The dog is now going about 40 feet for easily seen dummies on the grass. All that is required now is to build on this at the dogs rate, not yours in order to ensure success every time. I have begun pups of as little as ten weeks old doing this and they loved it too . It was a fun exercise for them because no obedience was asked for during the exercise....... yet the pup is learning more than it thinks.
It has learned to accept that without an actual throw from my hand , if it takes my hands direction it will run right onto a dummy. It has also begun to remember "sight pictures" which is useful during marked retrieves. It has learnt my cues which tell it a retrieve is coming up very soon and before long the pup begins to align with my pointing foot before I have even begun the other cues. I think pups also learn to love retrieving even more because as the retrieves distances increase they get to build up to a fast gallop towards them.
The friend who came to me earlier today has a Brittany of 11months. He has never done retrieves of more than a few yards and these were always marked retrieves. By the time our training session had ended her dog was enthusiastically doing a memory retrieve of forty yards, through woodlands ,over a small stream and up onto the far bank for a dummy. (I'd actually tossed out 3 dummies to make certain of an easy find.) Billy was sent to collect the other two.
Forty yards is a considerable distance for a dog that has never done this before but the dog was "showing willing" and I had faith in him even though his owner didn't ! Brittanies as a breed tend to be crackpot keen hunters but less keen retrievers.......... the memory retrieves worked their magic on this dog and he forgot all about hunting in order to stretch his legs running out for the dummies. I think his owner went home delighted.
She still has to teach her dog walk to heel , sit etc. but perfection comes after enthusiasm for the job.
Wullie
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