Help With Retrieving :)

[beach_kelpies]

Hi guys,

I've got a 6 1/2 month kelpie who's very clever but unfortunately his owners are not as clever when it comes to training. As first time dog owners we are putting a lot of time and effort into raising our little man to be happy and healthy. He picks up tricks very quickly but there's a few things that elude him. I understand that he's quite capable of bringing toys,etc back to us but, so far, we obviously haven't been doing the right thing to let him know that's what we want.

He fetches toys very well. In fact, he's so focused on the toy that you can put treats into his open mouth and he doesn't even care about them

Once he has the toy he's very reluctant to come back to us. We've made sure from the beginning to praise him and throw the toy again straight away whenever he has brought it back and dropped it near us.

When I play with the frisbee at home I throw it, he chases it and picks it up and then either stands there looking at me or runs off with it. If I stay there he'll just lay down with it between his legs at a distance. If, however, I go inside, then within a minute he drops it at the door and stands a few metres away staring at it, ready for me to throw.

I know there's probably something very obvious that I'm doing wrong but for the life of me I can't figure it out.

[piper]

When I play with the frisbee at home I throw it, he chases it and picks it up and then either stands there looking at me or runs off with it. If I stay there he'll just lay down with it between his legs at a distance. If, however, I go inside, then within a minute he drops it at the door and stands a few metres away staring at it, ready for me to throw.

I know there's probably something very obvious that I'm doing wrong but for the life of me I can't figure it out.

Jazz used to do exactly this. My method was to wait. I found a nice warm afternoon and took a book outside. I picked up the frisbeee and threw it. I then sat down on the ground and read. I totally ignored her, no eye contact, no talking. Nothing. I sat and I read. She laid down with her frisbee and stared. I sat and read. Then she started whining and pawing it. I sat and read. Then she nudged it, I kept reading I think it was around 20 mins and she had it back to me. She knew to bring it for the game to coninue as like your boy if I ignored and walked inside she would pick it up and race to the door with it. The instant the frisbee was within arms reach I gave her happy praise and threw it again. Then I started to read.

I implemented a strict rule at home that no body was to play ball or frisbee with her while I was going through this training stage. Each afternoon for around a week I went outside with my book and sat outside for an hour. By the end of the week it was reliably coming back to me within a min or so. Then I went and sat soenwhere else in the yard and she got a bit conused and we went back to around a 5 min wait. All up I think it probabkly took 2 weeks before I would get the frisbee back to me pretty much immediately. I also have a strict rule of if I have to move to pick it up then it is not close enough or ekse dropping it 1m away will quickly become 2m away. Jazz has ddeveloped a fine art of throwing it at me as she runs by and takes off for the next throw but if it misses me she shoots back and grabs it and drops it more carefully

The point of taking a book is it meant I didn't get bored and I wasn;t tempted to look at her or talk to her, I just let her work it out herself.

[Jigsaw]

I've used a method similar to Piper. I became very very boring. No reaching out, no eye contact. If I even look like I'm going to take it from my dog she averts her head or body. It has been slow progress but we've gone from a dog that would stand about 5m away and bark at you and if you moved as in bend your knee she'd run off, to now standing next to me and letting me touch her body while she has the toy in her mouth.

It's a game for my dog, the chase is her biggest reward, she loves it! We've still got a way to go but she is so much better than she was. We've made sure that we're in control of the toys - although she still sneaks the socks, which I just ignore. :D Someone suggested the two toy game but it just doesn't work for my dog as she is able to put two toys in her mouth, she's faster than me getting back to the other one on the ground (and if I start to run it's game on) and if it's a ball she will have one in her mouth and play soccer with the other.

Edited September 24, 2009 by Jigsaw

[Mym]

Good Topic! I have one dog that I can say 'In my hand' and he deposits his ball in my hand, at home, he will even go and find his toys to hand to me.

Then there is Harry....

He has learnt to retrieve but insists on delivering the ball about 2m away ;)

I feel that if I go and pick it up and throw it for him he is just going to have it reinforced. (My other dog will often go and take it off him and give it to me )

I have also tried recently to have him on a lead and we roll the ball away and this gives me the chance to take it back from his mouth and we make a big fuss, but I am not convinced this is really useful.

At training, we use a ball and also a tug. I like the tug as he has to bring it to me in order to play the game.

Ignoring him hasn't worked really (he will wait and wait and wait), but I will try any ideas....

[fainty_girl]

Could you use two toys at once, like a previous poster suggested? Does he know a command to drop his ball/toy?

When he's retrieved the first toy and is reluctant to come back to you, bring out the other toy, and if he comes running straight back to you, tell him to drop the toy that he has in his mouth, then throw the toy you are holding for him if he drops his own toy.

I've also found that the more Tilly likes the toy, the more reluctant she can be to drop it (eg. she is more reluctant to drop her favourite dog soccer ball, than she is to drop a tennis ball). Tilly also won't drop a ball near another off-lead dog (even Jessie ) because she thinks they'll take it because dogs used to steal her favourite squeaky ball all the time.

Your kelpie will probably happily play fetch 24/7 once he gets the hang of it!

[Mym]

In the last few days I have resorted to just throwing a tug. He will always bring the tug back.

It is just the ball!

Don't you just wish you could talk to them in English somedays???