Pretty much ever since I have had my ess (I got her at 4 month she is now 7 months) she has been very possessive of a dummy, circling around only coming within a few feet of me etc. I have tried back to wall/walking away etc but have had no success. For a few weeks I stopped all dummy work and concentrated on other training. So today I resorted to a pack of small "pork sausages". Making sure she knew I had something tasty to hand I threw a dummy and hey presto back she came (twice today), only problem she 'spat the dummy' for the treat! I haven't used treats in my training and have read this is a problem as they want their chops around something nice instead of a piece of tatty canvas. I am thinking I should continue for a few more days then stop the treats. Have I created a problem for myself
You should have researched how to use edible rewards first, then you would have understood the potential problems . There is a thread on here dedicated to clicker training, although you don't need a clicker to train in this way. It is all part of the learning process for the pup to spit the dummy out in anticipation of the treat. Providing that you don't reward it unless it puts the dummy in your hand, it will quickly learn what it has to do to earn the reward. If you have been rewarding it for spitting out, then at this stage it will be an easy matter to re-educate it & you should be able to do this in one lesson.
My first thought on reading the o.p. was ...." Oh dear ! I did that with my first spaniel with the same result !" If you are going to use treats then learn the difference between "treating" and "bribing." Do not waggle your sausage about enticingly.... I should probably rephrase that knowing the minds of the folk on here
Keep the treat well out of the pups sight until the retrieve is completed.
Wullie
If at first you don't succeed .....find out if there is a booby prize !
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Don't do what doesn't work - do what does.
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If at first you don't succeed .....find out if there is a booby prize !
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Don't do what doesn't work - do what does.
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I had to resort to using treats to get one of my dogs to retrieve to hand. I first taught her the hold and give commands by gently placing the dummy in her mouth, removing my hand from the dummy, then taking hold of it again and saying give, then gave her the treat after she had released the dummy. Once we had progressed to doing retrieves again she realized she might get a treat on returning with the dummy, she started dropping the dummy once she got to me, but as I had already trained the hold command, I withheld the treat and told her to pick it up - the dummy, that is - (which I had already trained), and only gave her the treat after she had done this. I was then prepared for her to drop the dummy as she came up to me so gave the hold command as she approached. She now delivers lovely to hand and still gets a treat quite often for doing so.
Why is this making a rod for your own back?
Treats are effective as the dog gets a reward for something they are doing, all you have to do is as others have said, complete the retrieve process and then give her a reward.
This book is perfect for teaching how to back chain your retrieve using a clicker and treats.
Hi, rather than getting into the treat/no treat argument, have you tried having the dog on a lead? What I would suggest is that whilst walking the dog at heel on the lead, offer it the dummy. Assuming that it takes it(not all will) allow it to carry it for a period of time, then call it up to you and take the dummy back. Now the important bit...loads of praise now, then GIVE IT BACK.....carry on and repeat. obviously during this period of corrective training there should be no retrieving at all off the lead. Most delivery problems I've seen have been caused by the dog getting fed up with having something taken away all the time, and is often remedied quite easily by breaking that cycle...obviously its not a 2 minute fix, and it will need to be absolutely perfect on the lead before you progress to trying it off the lead but I reckon that if you are careful it can be solved with the minimum of fuss without having to resort to things that at best might work, and at worse will potentially cause untold levels of damage if done incorrectly.
Hope this helps
C.
I haven't used treats in my training and have read this is a problem as they want their chops around something nice instead of a piece of tatty canvas. I am thinking I should continue for a few more days then stop the treats. Have I created a problem for myself 
. There is a thread on here dedicated to clicker training, although you don't need a clicker to train in this way. It is all part of the learning process for the pup to spit the dummy out in anticipation of the treat. Providing that you don't reward it unless it puts the dummy in your hand, it will quickly learn what it has to do to earn the reward. If you have been rewarding it for spitting out, then at this stage it will be an easy matter to re-educate it & you should be able to do this in one lesson. 
