Need retriever training help.

[Mouse]

Have a19 week old lab. She has been doing fairly well up until the last few weeks. She sits and has been retrieving dummies back to hand ( not always). Lately she makes the retrieve and does not want to come back. She wants to play. Also having trouble getting her to obey the " come here" command. Any ideas?

[voodoo]

a long lead line helps maintain control. youtube video searches are abundant on techniques

this guy has lots of positive dog traing vids

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZz...MhGTxffpzgTJlQ

[Woodrow_Woodchuck]

Howdy and welcome to the forums!

I use the simple 'end of game' technique. If the item does not come back, end of game. I stand and just walk away ignoring the pup. That game of chase me for it, isn't too much fun when YOU don't want to play too. Then walk a bit and get down on the ground and pretend to be having a ton of fun with something!!! Remember, she is a 5 month old lab pup, EVERYTHING is a toy to them! She will come RUNNING over in short order because whatever YOU have seems like a lot more fun than playing keep away by herself. As she starts for you, call her. "Come. Come girl. Come on!' LOTS of praise for coming and them 'play' with whatever you had. And think simple too, kind of like pulling a quarter from behind your grandkids ear or something. A favorite of mine was a stick under some leaves. I move the stick and a foot or so away, leaves move!!! "What is it???" "Did you see that???" I am literally laughing, remembering the amazed look in Sunshine's face when she was young enough to play those kinds of games! Now, first thing she does is look at me and go 'I see your hand moving.' Or just throw a handful of leaves in the air! YEAH!!! It's like magic, toys everywhere!!!!

Then go back to the dummy, or change it up with another toy to retrieve. But whatever or however you play this game, you have to make bringing it to YOU the bestest thing in the whole world!!! YEAH!!!! Lots of hugs and praise!!!!! Then you can slowly work 'rules' into the game. Like sitting when they hand it to you, or waiting for a drop command to drop it.

Have fun with your pup! Try different things and see what works for both of you.

[ChoppersDad]

I've been training my puppy to be a retriever lately and received a lot of good advice on training from this website. I have been pretty successful with using the command "Here" along with a treat. I try to do this command when there are positive things related to it such as feeding time or when we are about to go outside for a walk. My pup now associates the word "Here" with a reward and is really starting to come around to listening to me. I also try to get him excited about the bumper by waving it in front of his face before I throw it. It seems to keep him interested in the bumper. On the retrieve, I do not take it away from him immediately so that he doesn't think I am going to take it away from him. I pet him and praise him prior to taking the bumper away. I always get excited also on every retrieve to let him know he is pleasing me. It seems to be working for me.

Hope this helps!

[pinseeker]

I'm having similar difficulties on the retrieve with my 5mo boy. He does like to retrieve his toys in the house but he gets distracted very easy outside. I've had to learn to time the short training sessions when distractions are at a minimum.

On a related topic, I'm unclear about the proper sequence of commands. I'm not requiring him to be steady yet because I want to build his drive. He will sit and watch the bumper, but those are usually the poor retrieves. If I don't steady him he goes much faster. So when I throw the bumper, I 'release' him by calling his name, Jake. Am I supposed to give a fetch command? Then when he picks the bumper up, I've been commanding 'here' to return.

We taught 'here' first with the yo-yo technique. Two people at some distance (across the room at first) and pop a small treat in his mouth each time. Our pup is very food motivated so we can get a lot of reps. If your are on your own, you can give a little pop with a long line then move back so he's kind of chasing you. To really make it stick we increase the value of the treat. Using lunch meat works real good for us. I've heard of people using a cheese burger. Eventually, we only treat for the very best retrieves. You have to make adjustments with distance and distraction. If he doesn't come, we just go get him...no punishment, no yelling. With this technique, so far, we haven't had any games of chase or keep away.

Hope this helps.

[Anna Scott]

When I got my first retriever the pro I use told me as a puppy to make it fun first and not to worry about whether she brought the dummy back to me as long as she came back. Building the come in is more important than the retrieve at first, because as the pup becomes more enthusiastic about retrieving he is not going to want to leave the bumper (bird) behind. We use the long line and lots of praise when the pup returns, let him hold the retrieve object for awhile, pet and praise then take it.
You might want to look for someone to help you by throwing for you. Pups can get conditioned to only going as far as you throw. To stretch our pups out we start close to the thrower then move back a little after each retrieve. The thrower stays stationary so the bumper always lands in the same place. The pup knows exactly where it is and the distance becomes secondary. He is confident he will get it. We also do this to build long water entries. Start close to the shore line and then after each retrieve back up a little. You get a nice straight entry without bank running.
The other thing we were told to do is when you are working on a small pond and it is tempting for the pup to get out and bank run start blowing your come in whistle as soon as the pup reaches for the bumper. This gets him thinking about getting back to you.
After 3 or 4 retrieves we have the thrower throw 2 or 3 more bumpers that the pup is not allowed to get. Always leave him wanting more and he will be ready to go the next time you train.

[barry581]

I started training Sophie to retrieve when she was about 5 months old. She was very eager, right up to the point where she wasn't. Now at the age of 3, she has not real interest in retrieving. When I got Bruce back in may I swore I would not make the same mistake. I've concentrated mainly on obedience work with him (he's now 10 months), and he's doing great. I do a lot of informal retrieving with him, I toss things, he brings them back, but it's nothing formal, I use all kind of different items, from bumpers to Frisbees. I just want it to be fun for him. I want him to get excited when I pull something out of the box to play with. I never throw anything more than four times. Always leaving him wanting more. I just want it to be fun for him, because he's still a kid, and kids just want to have fun!!!!

Bruce's sire and dam are both working retrievers. And both breeders don't start formal training til their dogs are a least a year old. I know that goes against what a lot of people/trainers do. But I trust these people know their dogs, and what's best for them. In March when I get back from England, Bruce will be a year old, and real training will start!

Remember, at 6 months they look like adults, but really they are still babies. If something isn't fun they aren't going to want to do it. Also, they are going to have good days and bad, and you have to work with that. If they aren't into retrieving, do something else that day. Never get frustrated, and always keep it fun for the dog.

[FOWLQUEEN]

At that age I'd have pup on a check core for all retrieves and if they loosing interest on the way back ..I run backwards away from the pup clapping getting very excited calling "come" or "here" whatever your command is. When pup comes running
up to you be very positive with pup praise a lot and slowly take the bumper from the pup....At this age it needs to be fun and interesting so short 15-20 mins of training...Always end with some fun and positives. If pup is still getting bored of the bumper keep put up for a day or so...just work some OB. Then try the bumper again. Birds ( pigeon/ quail) are also great ways to spark some interest and drive in your pup

[ChoppersDad]

On a related topic, I'm unclear about the proper sequence of commands. I'm not requiring him to be steady yet because I want to build his drive. He will sit and watch the bumper, but those are usually the poor retrieves. If I don't steady him he goes much faster. So when I throw the bumper, I 'release' him by calling his name, Jake. Am I supposed to give a fetch command? Then when he picks the bumper up, I've been commanding 'here' to return.

I ordered Tim Hillman's videos and he said make sure your puppy masters the "Sit" command first. Every other command after that hinges on the "Sit" command. If you do not master the "Sit" command, your pup will begin to anticipate your next command. He also said "Balance" is the key. If you have a dog that is naturally excited about the bumper, then concentrate your training sessions on obedience. If your dog tends to be less interested in retrieving, then work on getting him excited about the bumper. I have been training him to sit first, then stay until I release him. I use the fetch command to send him on his way to the retrieve. As soon as he is on the retrieve, I get excited and start praising him so he brings the bumper back to me.