Not returning with dummy or bird

Legacy357 · 03-23-2006, 06:21 AM

I was curious if you had any tips for having the pup return with the dummy or bird. So far, she is starting to get distracted from her task. I will kneel down with her on my right and tell her to sit and stay. i take the dummy and make her want to get it. I throw it a bit and release her. Recently, she is not bringing the dummy back. She will pick it up and then drop it and start to wonder off to sniff the ground( mostly for goose poop). So i got some dead birds and i would do the same thing. This time she stops and starts to eat all the feathers off the bird. She is a 4.5 month female lab. Does anyone have any suggestions how to stop her from doing this and returning with the object? thanks

Doc E · 03-23-2006, 07:05 AM

1. Use a check cord and reel her in.
2. Have you looked in her mouth --- is she teething?

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Legacy357 · 03-23-2006, 09:24 AM

yea she is teething....has lost 3 teeth so far, it looks like one tooth is growing in but the other one never fell out.........thats why i got the birds cause they are softer.....i will have to go buy a check cord.

rick64 · 03-25-2006, 04:45 PM

Legacy there is a retriever club not to far from you. I watched one of their training sessions after I finished a hunt one morning and I'm sure you could find plenty of help with your pup. When yourdog advances they do some grouptraining that would be difficult to accomplish on your own.

Flairball · 03-26-2006, 07:16 AM

She's 4 1/2 months. Relaxthe steadyness (sit/stay) to make the retrieves more fun. Get the pup really jazzed up before each retrieve.Tease her with thebumper, and lether break when you through it. When she's older you can work on steadiness. Keep it light hearted and fun.

Doc E · 03-26-2006, 07:25 AM

OK, if she's teething, ditch the birds and ditch the bumpers for now.
Her mouth is going to be SORE for awhile. Having a teething dog retrieve birds can result in mouthing issues in the future.
For now, you should only be using Paint Rollers for her to retrieve.
When her baby teeth are all gone, and the adult teeth are 1/2 - 2/3 of the way in, you can go back to bumpers, but I wouldn't use birds again until the end stages of Force Fetch.

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