Bit Of A Brag!

[dogdude]

Are you using food? Try giving the come command as soon as he picks it up. See if he sits to a front then? He should sit in anticipation of the food. He may try to spit it out at first (which I would'nt worry about at first). You can re-enforce the hold later.

[Sayreovi]

Yes i am using food at the moment, usually train with a tug toy, but i want him to be calm and thinking before i get to the hyper stage

Am about to head outside for another go so will give what you suggested a try!

[Ptolomy]

Mel - you should be back chaining the exercise - so the dog should be able to sit in front of you and you hand him the dumbbell and then c/t - then gradually you lower the dumbbell, then place it on the floor at your feet and ask the dog to fetch - and the dog bends forward picks the dumbbell up and your c/t - so the most reinforcing position is always the sit in front of you.

You then would place the dumbbell on the floor and you move back 2 steps and tell the dog to fetch and he should pick it up and come and sit in front. Notice you still haven't thrown the dumbbell.

I too have dud retrievers - so hang in there.......

[leopuppy04]

Well Brock is actually holding the dumbell now! I ended up letting him drop it and saying no as he dropped it. That seemed to give him the idea that he is supposed to have it in his mouth! My poor toes though! He is still rather peeved about the whole thing.

Drop on recall I taught with the dog running around the garden, basically would call out drop, sit etc. In the beginning you might have to call out wait or something so they realise it is wait and drop right there, not at my feet!

I'm so happy to hear you are getting 'somewhere' Jules!!! go Brock!!! :laugh:

DOR - try throwing some food or a toy - the dog will race out and get it as they turn around to come back to you - give a drop signal and a verbal and see what happens. Reward if they drop - this becomes a game and the dogs love it.

Don't they just LOVE that game though!!! I even 'test' them with a couple of distance 'sits' too - although Miss K likes to 'come in' a little .

TO -I never looked in this topic before. I've been having troubles with d/b too - reason being I didn't know how to teach Leo so I ended up skipping a heap of steps..... AND the fact that if they d/b doesn't move - why chase it .... it seemed to be going great guns until last night..... I threw him a ball for a reward and do you think we could get another *good* d/b retrieve?! Nup - silly thing was just too fixated on the ball! Luckily when we went back to it, he retrieved nicely

Have you tried breaking it down further? Getting him to sit infront of you - and then giving him the d/b to hold..... then slowly building up from there????

ETA - hmm - I just read back..... What ptolomy said

Edited September 6, 2007 by leopuppy04

[ness]

And maybe next time you need a BC rather than a toller - isn't that right Ptolomy. I hear BCs make great gundogs .