Gundog Training Forum

As we all know young cockers are known for running off with a retrieve or even running off and burying a retrieve! I'm interested in how others have used different methods to over come this habit of theirs.
Cheers Shane

Which is your's doing?

I got the advice from the breeder to ignore it if it happened. I trained indoors all the time. I made sure she had lots of toys around, old bottles, gloves, tennis balls and whatnot. Whenever she happened to come towards me with something in her mouth i made much of her, praising her, giving her attention. In the beginning she turned quickly to run and hide her prized toy in the cat litter box as soon as she noticed me noticing her. As soon as she turned her back on me for whatever reason i went quiet and continued with what i had been doing, puter, tv, cleaning or whatever. After just a few days she began to climb up on me and wiggle around in my lap holding the toy, lots of fuss and stroking her head and thrat but i never touched the item. After some weeks i began with holding her up and throwing a glove for her indoors, same thing there, i didn't take it as she came back with it. So slowly we got rid of the hiding indoors but she still had problems outdoors, i think she was about 5-6 months when i was able to throw things outdoors, and there i did the same, old glove, not taking the item but spending ages praising her while letting her wiggle in my arms or around me. Today she's a super fast very keen retriever and she's if possible even quicker back to me than out, i see nothing of the hiding behavior at all.

I think that they possibly grow out of it on their own with age but i wasn't going to sit and wait without doing something. So i think, either ponder how to deal with it or wait till the pup is a bit older before beginning the play retrieving.

Helene

Hepe wrote:I got the advice from the breeder to ignore it if it happened. I trained indoors all the time. I made sure she had lots of toys around, old bottles, gloves, tennis balls and whatnot. Whenever she happened to come towards me with something in her mouth i made much of her, praising her, giving her attention. In the beginning she turned quickly to run and hide her prized toy in the cat litter box as soon as she noticed me noticing her. As soon as she turned her back on me for whatever reason i went quiet and continued with what i had been doing, puter, tv, cleaning or whatever. After just a few days she began to climb up on me and wiggle around in my lap holding the toy, lots of fuss and stroking her head and thrat but i never touched the item. After some weeks i began with holding her up and throwing a glove for her indoors, same thing there, i didn't take it as she came back with it. So slowly we got rid of the hiding indoors but she still had problems outdoors, i think she was about 5-6 months when i was able to throw things outdoors, and there i did the same, old glove, not taking the item but spending ages praising her while letting her wiggle in my arms or around me. Today she's a super fast very keen retriever and she's if possible even quicker back to me than out, i see nothing of the hiding behavior at all.

I think that they possibly grow out of it on their own with age but i wasn't going to sit and wait without doing something. So i think, either ponder how to deal with it or wait till the pup is a bit older before beginning the play retrieving.

Helene

This is what I do with my 20 week old cocker and she hasn't dropped it midway back, hidden it or run off with it. Just let her jump on me wagging furiously away while I praise her.

i find this iteresting in as much the Infamous Bertie, is always bringing me STUFF indoors and i make lots and lots of fuss/praise when he does. Sometimes i take it and then give back or just leave it.
However when I do a retrieve outside he goes straight away gets it but does this circling and will not deliver to hand
although its changing just a little...

Terry wrote: However when I do a retrieve outside he goes straight away gets it but does this circling and will not deliver to hand
although its changing just a little...

I fixed the circling by putting my back to the house or a tree so he couldn't circle. Of course, the place boards take care of that too

I have a 18 week old cocker bitch, she was born in a litter of six and when they found anything they had to run off and hide it or the others would pinch it, she did that when she came to me, I didn't do any retrieves initially after discovering this, just worked on the relationship between her an me, a month later I was her mum and she was delighted to bring me anything.