Hey Guys hope all of you are well..

During the past few weeks i have been starting to teach the Retrieves with my bitch.. we got our BH last month and now im looking to move on for our SchH1 but there is a problem i have encountered along the way with the retrieve. I have my bitch infront of me holding the dumbell in a nice position with a calm hold and good grip on the dumbell and a nice clean out for the ball.. Well this is where my problems comes in.. i then throw the dumbell after having great success at holding the dumbell infront.. and tell her to hold.. she picks up the dumbell and starts running back to me.. but then drops the dumbell within seconds of picking it up.. i get the feeling this is anticipation in awaiting the reward for the ball.. I have used a ball in a calm way but the drive is very high for a ball.. So over the past couple of days of training ive just been giving her the dumbell with the good hold and running along with her.. and rewarding for keeping hold of the dumbell.. that too seemed to work very well.. Only today i tried to throw the dumbell and she went out very fast the pick up was good but then she dropped the dumbell and come running back..So i then reverted back to the hold infront and we finished on a good note.. If anybody has any valuable advice i would be very greatful....

Lewis

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/104026/page/1#Post104026

A somewhat similar thread; I especially like the advice about breaking it down into the smallest pieces before putting them together (chaining).

An example would be first teaching my dog to put a fetch item into my hand (backchaining), before ever throwing the item at all.

Hi Guys over the past few weeks our retrieve has been very neat, only last thursday my dog cut her paw on the ground where we were doing the retrieve, she has now reverted back to the go out fast and drop half way back style retrieve, i think shes associating the retrieve with pain as she limped off the field that day. Im not sure whether i should give her a break and try again in a couple of weeks time or should i work through this.. does anybody have any valuable information...

Thanks

Hello again.. i have just got back in from doing some more dumbell work.. this time i decided i would just play with the dumbell get her to hold it and make prey movements.. i think i know what the problem is.. when she is infront and she comes into drive.. she becomes very possessive.. and doesnt want to give it back.. but my problem being as i posted above is not the grip and not the pick up its her wanting to come back to me and presenting it without dropping it.. because upto now she either veers off in a different direction with the dumbell firmly in her mouth.. or she comes half way drops the dumbell near my feet and looks at me..? Any suggestions please

Let me start by saying I do not do Shc, but hahve to do a formal retreive for an exam.

Will your dog retreive other items to hand? Or is she a "spiter outer"?

I had a dog that would not hold and wanted to drop things at my feet and certainly did not want to sit and hold at the same time.

This is what worked for me. Firstly, I never picked another thing up of the floor for the dog again. Any casual retreiving required the dog to deliver to hand. Was frustrating in the begining, but I just kept moving back end encouraging the dog to bring it all the way to me and then the dog got that I was never going to pick the item up off the ground and throw it.

Next. I ditched my formal retreive item and worked with something else. I noticed he would hold a sock in his mouth and that he like to tug. I put a ball inside the sock. Worked on tug...I let go of tug, I move back, dog comes in for more tug, we play tug, I let go of tug, I move back, dog comes in for tugging and so on.

Once the dog was anticipating tugging, comming to me and holding the object, I casually asked him to sit. And he finally did with out dropping it. Butt touched the floor, item still in mouth, Woo hoo, mark reward by tugging.

Once we had finished working on the dog running to me and presenting for tugs, I put it into a formal retreive. Short at first. Dod sits at heel, item thrown, dog released, dog brings item back for tugs. I would move back and encourage verbally the dog to come right to me at first, but he quickly learned tugs were comming.

Once it the retreive was formalized, the dog knew what was expected whenever we started a retreive from a heel, the exersise would finish with the dog holding in front. I then started to change the retreive objects. First to a leather tug, for a few weeks, then to a jute roll and so on. Now that the retreive was fomalized and the dog knew what was expected, the item could be changed up. The out was rewarded by giving the item directly back to the dog.

Once the dog knows exactly what to it hased to do to get rewarded it will comply to get it's reward. I am not saying this meathod will work for you, just trying to illustrate that sometimes you have to get creative to get the dog to do what you want! I tried some more negative meathods, but my dog would shut down (he is soft). I made it a tug game until he knew what I wanted and then faded out the tugging. Sometimes I spit food with the returned item, with you it sounds as if it will be trading for the ball. Now that he knows the game, the retreive IS the reward.

You just have to figure out a way that the dog knows the reward comes only if the item is brought back and presented. For me that was making the reward item and retreive item the same thing in the beginging.

Thank you very much for your reply Jennifer, i shall try this and see how it goes.. shes never been a spiter outer before shes just trying to cut short to get her reward and yes its frustrating

Lewis

There are several wys of training the retrieve and lots of different steps. Just to give advice on what you are already doin, I would say first use a different retrieve item( like PVC) , then I would do all retrieves on a flexi, and I would shorten up the distance. Also I would not reward as soon as she brings it back. I would add more steps to the reward if you think that she is anticipating it. Like make her fininsh, or if you need add an about face, platz, sitz, start heelin, ,,just whatever you think you need to do.
I dont like the idea of using the dumbell until I think the dog has it down and/or the "learning" part of it is over.