Atticus is coming up on six months, I got him a little late at a/b 3 months old. We were doing great w/ just fetching little toys and stuff, inside and out. Super w/ obedience stuff.

Moved on to the dummy after I'd had him a month or so. Not bad! Sometimes dropped it on the way back, but if I encouraged him he'd go right back and jump on it and bring it back with a "smile." Still super w/ obedience stuff.

Now all of a sudden, it's been about a week or so, he's like, "Whoo-hoo, she gave me a dummy!" Sometimes he runs around like he's insane for three minutes, and then zooms in on me and knocks me in the knees. Or, he plays keep-away. Or, he just plops down and starts chewing. Super w/ obedience when that's all we're doing, but once he has that dummy he's deaf.

Shouting does no lasting good; neither has a good swat; neither has giving him a shake by the scruff and plopping him down with a curse. Any of this might work for one good retrieve to end the day, but it's not a lasting effect.

The only thing that gets him to come back without an angry scene is if I revert to puppy-days as soon as I toss it, and clap and "Whoo-hoo" and run away from him like an idiot getting him to chase me. Then he loves the "game" again.

Do I persist in this absolutely bizarre enthusiastic behavior with a 50 pound dog--and the neighbors watching over the fences--until he grows out of it?

Do I stop for a week or two and try again?

Or, do I toss the dummy, figure he knows what to do when I say "here," and see if I can end this argument once and for all by raising genuine hell if he doesn't come... (and then REALLY worry about the neighbors watching over the fences... argh.)

And I'm worrying about delivering to hand from heel...:rolleyes:

Everything is a phase unless you encourage it then it becomes habit. ;) Don’t worry most pups go through this; he is just growing and asserting some independence. You shouldn’t chase him, they all love that, and as for looking like an idiot, you shouldn’t have a dog if you don’t want that to happen. They just go hand-in-hand.:D
The solution is fairly simple and is handled in a two-prong approach. First, work on basic recall, this is very important, because it really isn’t retrieving if you can’t get your dog to come to you. Second, until he has it clear you want him to return to you with a bumper, every time, put a check cord on him when you are doing retrieves. Once he garbs the dummy give it a quick tug and command “here”, “come” or whatever you use. As he comes, just reel him in. The fastest way I have found to do this is guide the rope with your left hand and pull with your right.
Now for the tricks, make sure you have gloves on, rope burn is not fun. Watch were you put your feet, as you pup takes off he can jerk you off you feet and you don’t want to put that kind of stress on his neck. As he comes in don’t worry to much if he drops the bumper on the way just keep encouraging him and keep him coming to you. Don’t work on a snappy heel when he gets to you, you are training him to come in, going to heel is another exercise for another time. If you decide to do water work make sure you have a poly rope that floats, and always be prepared to go in the water yourself to get the dog if necessary. Speaking from experience, even a rope that floats can get snagged.
The biggest error I think most people make is taking the bumper too quickly form the dog. When he gets to you with the bumper let him hold it for a little while, pet him and tell him he is a good boy. On the last retrieve of the session let him carry that bumper into the car, his crate, or the house. This sets you up for some future training on “hold”, and helps you avoid the dog whom spits the bird out when they return or the dog which dances around and won’t come to heel.
Take your time and realize most people stop using a check cord too soon when training a dog and they are also unwilling to go backwards in training. There is nothing wrong with doing refresher on basic work it helps build a dogs confidence especially when they are struggling with a new concept. And if all else fails, put the dog training away and try again tomorrow, everyone even dogs have a bad day.
Hope this helps.

Another "duh" moment for me.

Of course--I have a check cord from training my old dog, Strider (although Strider never really learned to come until he was darn good and ready, and had rolled in something long dead).

The books I've got say "Be enthusiastic! Give him cheese! He'll catch on!" or "Beat him with a stick if you have to! Be careful not to hit his face! He'll catch on!" Time for a new book.:rolleyes:

So glad you responded--THANK YOU for being so detailed--we'll use the check cord tonight.:)

Happy to help. :)

Thanks for the detailed tip, JJ and for the question gottaluvalab. We are going to work on this with Calley as she is going through the same phase.

Check cord works. I've even sort of snapped it on and off, to see if he knows the difference. All's well, but we'll keep it on for a while. After a couple of times, he was like, "OH, you want me to COME with it! Well, why didn't you just SAY so. Geez."

Working with teens all day, coming home to a "teen" at night...:rolleyes:

Sounds like Calley and Atticus are about the same age. We'll have to keep each other posted.

Thanks again, all!