Retrieveing with an Adult Dog

[da.drew]

I'm looking for some good advise please. My Springer is just turned two, he's a lovely dog and is on the edge all the time. I'm a novice trainer and attend a lesson with a proper trainer every couple of weeks.

The dog loves to retrieve but isnt so hot on bringing it back and this is my problem. I've been working hard to bring steadiness and retrieving up to a standard and whilst I was making progress with steadiness, the recall with the retrieve was stalling!

I've been considering taking a huge step back and letting him just run in on the retrieve for a while to really get it established, I cant see any point in progressing onto anything else until I have this at 100%.

So my question is:

Do I take a step back and let him run in until the retrieve is established or do I continue with keeping him as steady as I can and let the retrieve progree in VERY slow time.

[trekmoor]

If the dog is already very keen to run out and pick up an article then that is not the part of the retrieve that needs to be worked on , so yes, you could keep the steadiness if you want to.
You need the dog to deliver to hand and since that is a different part of the retrieve, that is the part you train for. There are various ways of achieving a delivery to hand and they are all posted in this forum. I'm no use at doing "searches" but I'm sure others will be along soon to point you in the right direction.

Wullie

[da.drew]

Thank you for your response, I will see what I can find.

Just so you understand my thought process on this (and I'm not suggesting its right, just where I was coming from, so to speak).

I was hoping that the by letting him run in he would naturally learn that bringing it back would result in it being thrown again, so another retrieve. Clearly I was wrong!

[Bruneval3]

I agree with Wullie, you have the steadiness keep it!

Work backwards EG concentrate in the present, can be done in the kennel/room dummy in gob, with him in front of you just holding the dummy with plenty of praise. Start with very short time, steadily increasing. Don't bore him silly, couple of times a day.

[da.drew]

I agree with Wullie, you have the steadiness keep it!

Work backwards EG concentrate in the present, can be done in the kennel/room dummy in gob, with him in front of you just holding the dummy with plenty of praise. Start with very short time, steadily increasing. Don't bore him silly, couple of times a day.

He's happy to hold the dummy, the problem is playing keep-away, when he does eventualy come in, hes happy to give it up. Ive tried long check cords, placeboards, food, toys etc and all had some degree of success, but once I removed the training item we were back to where we started.

Maybe Im doing to much retrieving with him, Im really pretty frustrated at the minute!

[trekmoor]

Maybe Im doing to much retrieving with him, Im really pretty frustrated at the minute!

My personal belief is that you cannot do "too much retrieving" ....it is easy however, to do the wrong kind of training for a particular dog's nature.
I have considerable sympathy for your problem for it is one that I had last spring with my Brittany and also had the year before that with a vizsla pup.
I overcame the problem by having the pups retrieve to a place of their choosing while I intercepted them. It was not a quick fix , in the case of the Brittany it took a few months but she has just completed a season as a picking-up dog and did very well for a first season dog.

Wullie

[Nonehpets]

How would you describe his recall when he has an empty mouth? Is it 100% reliable?

I ask because you say he is happy to hold an item and he is happy to give an item to you so it doesn't seem as if the retrieve is perhaps the basis of the problem?

With introducing steadiness has he perhaps learned that when he recalls he goes on the lead or has to stay at heel?

Cathy

[Penwithian]

Hi. Reminds me of one of my springers, a few years ago. She loved retrieving, but always messed around bringing it back. For a little while I sat in the boot of my estate car when I threw a dummy, and she was only too happy to jump in the back of the car and get lots of praise, when her retrieving became more reliable I moved back into the field.

[da.drew]

How would you describe his recall when he has an empty mouth? Is it 100% reliable?

I ask because you say he is happy to hold an item and he is happy to give an item to you so it doesn't seem as if the retrieve is perhaps the basis of the problem?

With introducing steadiness has he perhaps learned that when he recalls he goes on the lead or has to stay at heel?

Cathy

Cathy, recalls good without distraction and not to bad with a distraction (I can sit him up and put a dummy fairly close to me and then recall him in without it), I think your right in as far as when he recalls he knows I take the dummy but I try to either give it straight back to him to hold/replace it with a ball and never put him on the lead.

[Bruneval3]

I agree with Wullie, you have the steadiness keep it!

Work backwards EG concentrate in the present, can be done in the kennel/room dummy in gob, with him in front of you just holding the dummy with plenty of praise. Start with very short time, steadily increasing. Don't bore him silly, couple of times a day.

He's happy to hold the dummy, the problem is playing keep-away, when he does eventualy come in, hes happy to give it up. Ive tried long check cords, placeboards, food, toys etc and all had some degree of success, but once I removed the training item we were back to where we started.

Maybe Im doing to much retrieving with him, Im really pretty frustrated at the minute!

You can still work it this way out (backwards), you say he is happy holding the retrieve article, that's fine, working backwards from that you now extend to the pick up and present. On lead/line, when he runs out and picks up you are with him running backwards giving him big praise and timing the taking of article from him. I am not very good at explaining things via a keyboard, but this can be done, like everything else it's fun fun fun, slowly slowly slowly!

Never train when you are not in the right mood and always finish with success, good luck.