Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 26

Thread: Force fetch

  1. #11
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    Yes. There are two fundamental types of retrieves, marks and blinds. So most folks give the dog lots of cues when preparing him/her to anticipate a blind retrieve.

    I got out my copy of Lardy's Total Retriever Training. From FF, he goes to Simple Casting.

    1. Have the dog facing you. Have one bumper to one side. Give him an over.
    2. When this is old hat, put one bumper on the other side.
    3. When this is getting solid, put a bumper on both sides and give him overs.

    (This could take several days. You want the dog to just flow with it... no mistakes = no pressure.)

    4. Eventually, put one bumper at 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock and 12 o'clock. Now you're giving him overs and backs.

    Then (when this is solid) you transition to piles of bumpers.

    5. Put a pile of bumpers to one side... give overs to it.
    6. Put a pile of bumpers on the other side... give overs to it.
    7. Two piles for overs

    (Again, no rush. Let this gel and get solid.)

    8. Next, just one pile of bumpers at 12 o'clock... give "BACK" to that.

    [Anna may want to chime in here. But at this point, I would be expecting the dog to turn left and right at my direction... i.e., if I put up my right arm, the dog spins to his left and vice versa.]

    9. Continue with three piles until the dog is really, really solid.

    This is what Lardy recommends before actually doing FTP. At this point, the dog gets that the word "BACK" means to drive back.

    I will hasten to add one thing that I learned the hard way. A bright, eager dog will start to anticipate these overs and backs. Get eye contact and make him wait. Then cast. If you get into a quick rhythm, your dog will begin "autocasting". Then you're in the predicament with trying to slow/stop your dog... when the whole game plan at this point is about GO. (Don't ask me how I know this.) BIG BIG RULE: The faster the dog, the slower you handle.

    My pro begins FTP with the term "FETCH" since this is a natural step from FF. She walks the dog up close to a pile of bumpers at the end of the yard, gives the FETCH command. She gradually backs up using the same command. Eventually, she alternates BACK and FETCH and then gradually stops using FETCH altogether.

    Lardy uses a pile that's a mixture of white and orange bumpers. He gradually increases the distance to 35-45 yards. He also says:

    "Use finesse and encouragement to get [the dog] to look out and go from a side send. Your dog should have no problem leaving from your side on "back" since you have already been putting your hand down when you send him on marks. With visible bumpers and the use of the hand, the stage is set that your dog is likely to go."

  2. #12
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    So ok today is the last day im gonna force him on the table with a bird then gonna move to ground force with dowels and bumpers and then back to the bird on the ground shouldn't take more than a week then do walking fetch for another week
    so what would come next learning his hand signals or force to the pile

    the dvd and videos I watch you teach the dog back with force to the pile before you teach him his overs but it makes sense that you would start with overs and the way he would spin and all that I don't get what's the difference between a left back right back and back if all 3 make the dog go straight back

  3. #13
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    This Casting Drill by Lardy is done with the bumpers in clear view, 3-4 yards from where the dog is sitting facing you. It's a preliminary bridge between FF and FTP. I view it as a step where you are teaching the dog his vocabulary, so that when you get to the FTP, Single T and double T, stopping on the whistle and handling... all of which is itself a big step for the dog... he will enter this complex new phase already understanding the commands in at least a limited way.

  4. #14
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    So I should do the casting drills before moving to force to the pile

    get a place mat or something for him to place to about say 10 yards in front of me
    then throw bumpers to one side few yards from him make him bring it to heel. Then back to place and repeat until he has it down. Then go to the other side

    then throw over his head and say back or let force to the pile establish back

  5. #15
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    I would have to get the video out and see but I don't recollect Lardy tossing the bumpers to each position when the dog is sitting there. But since it is about learning vocabulary... when you're dealing with one bumper in each position, it would be tedious to walk over and drop the bumper. You could toss it to the side if the dog is very steady. (Although tossing it over his head would induce him to turn away from you and face the bumper.) If he turns toward the bumper, you are teaching a new command. (We use the command STRAIGHT, because a young dog will often stop on the whistle, but not turn directly to face you. So we don't cast until the dog is STRAIGHT and facing us.) When you are up to putting piles out, now he is for sure understanding that this is not marking. It's something new.

    My recollection is that this is a brief phase for the dog, just a warm up for FTP, T and TT.

    How is he doing with his sit on the whistle?

    I also don't recall Lardy using a PLACE command or a mat. He put the dog in a front-sitting position and backs up. But if your dog is doing a PLACE to a mat... and it's not going to be a hassle to do that... I don't see a problem with it.

  6. #16
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    I never really worked/focused on his whistle command but he knows that one whistle means to turn and face me and sit and 3 toots on the whistle means to come to heel. I can also stop him on the whistle while he is running at me that's one thing I got lucky with never tried to stop him in the middle of a retrieve yet I was planing on going over all that before I moved on he is steady I can throw a dummy while he is on place and he won't move or in an throw it 10 ft from him and he won't move

  7. #17
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    Idd like to use place just to keep it fresh and drive it into his hard head so he don't forget it

  8. #18
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    I think that's a good idea. In Hillmann's method, he does a lot of "send-backs" where he is out in the field, throws a mark, releases the dog, then has him deliver it, then sends the dog back to "PLACE" so he can change locations and throw another mark. Probably a useful skill for the dog and for training alone.

  9. #19
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    Once I finish force fetch I'll get with you to make sure I'm doing tmy he overs correctly

  10. #20
    House Broken
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    79
    Thanked: 21
    I've ran into a new problem and need some help cleaning it up Ok I've been in force for at least 2 months really taking my time with him and trying not to put to much pressure on him Well I was supposed to do a hunt test this weekend but they full well I dint know this until last night and yesterday after my walking force session I have him some long marks bout 100 yards and on the way back he drops the dummy and when he gets to me he will dope it but pick it right back up should I get on him with the collar when he does this idk if it's cause he's outa shape fromNot running that much or what just don't wanna have to go back through force cause when he is fresh he will hold that dummy for 10 min and not move And he also always wants to grab it on the ends and I've trains him with a dowel that he has to grab in the middle Idk what to do to correct it I think of he would grab it in the middle he wouldn't drop it on the way in from a retrieve

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •