How would you guys deal with this?

[Rascal]

We have a spaniel in the rescue we think he's about 3 and he's a lovely dog, hunts well with pace and style and is on the whistle, turns and sits both close to and at a distance. The only thing that's missing is the delivery, he's very wary of you going near his mouth too...Not sure why and probably will never know...

He's not interested in food really very half hearted even with tempting stuff like cocktail sausages cheese and the like I think if I could get the delivery right he'd make a smashing working dog...I'm not sure that clicker training would work unless possibly we let him get really hungry and there are folks that wouldn't be willing to do that...

The only thing he has held onto is a bone and has delivered that to me twice although very warily. My thinking is do I work on that and then maybe move it onto putting it in a canvas dummy with an elongated toggle so I don't worry him when asking for a delivery of it?

If I'm allowed I might borrow him for a bit and see if I can get it right as he's a real nice dog and would make someone a good picking up or even possibly a useful rough shooting dog...It seems a shame for him to be just a pet...

Any better, different ideas...? He won't even look at or sniff a dummy if you offer it to him not even a rabbit fur ball..

Rascal

[Gazelle1000]

How about some cold game

[Strathcraig]

How about warm game? Shot right off his nose?

[romanriver]

place boards?

[Tungulria]

What about a home as a beating dog where there is no necessity for him to retrieve. I know beaters dogs can and do but if his main thing is hunting then perhaps focus on this and then maybe the retrieving may come once he gets out there?

[Rascal]

I've no doubt he'd pick game, he picks dummies both when he finds them hunting and on a seen retrieve tail going like fury, he just drops it on the way back and looks worried. His behaviour when you offer him a dummy rules out for now a game of give and take, he's definitely worried by hands near his head and mouth without a dummy as I said, so I need to earn his trust with that for a start I think.. I might try some T Touch...

Andy his recall without a dummy is enthusiastic and right into us, as long as you keep your hands up and away from him. He is ok with body stroking but if you move your hands towards his head his muscles stiffen.

He's good in his kennel, clean and quiet and he's fine with the other dogs..

Tungulria the trouble is most shoots round here won't have dogs in the beating line until about January...

Rascal

[t jack]

Place board.

[Terry]

If I'm allowed I might borrow him for a bit and see if I can get it right as he's a real nice dog and would make someone a good picking up or even possibly a useful rough shooting dog...It seems a shame for him to be just a pet...

I would have thought the final part of that sentence is exactly what he should be for awhile a bit of TLC, I am sure
Then all your magic can be worked.!!
A v nice read though.

[trekmoor]

I agree with Terry that a month or two as a house pet might turn the dog around. As a house pet he could get used to picking up toys and tennis balls with no compulsion to either pick them up or to put them down. He might end up bringing them to you and then you could pet him while still not going near his mouth....not to begin with anyway.

To me it sounds very like the dog has had too much jowl shaking or possibly ear shaking ? While I have no problems at all when getting my cocker Billy to deliver into my hands he is still very worried if I , for example, try to groom his ears .....or anywhere else ! He loves being fussed over but panics at the slightest hint of correction. It sounds like a similar problem that your dog has.
If I was a beater I'd probably be delighted with him just the way he is Wendy.
Wullie

[Springfield Pointers]

This dog needs a few months in the house being free to carry stuff around at will. You can slowly introduce games to make it comfortable and feel unthreatened. It won't take long to have it bringing things to hand if it's eager to please. But be careful to place no pressure, even vocally, on it when it drops any item for now. Ignore the behavior completely, only encouraging it when it picks up. My 2p.