Lost the drive

[dubya]

I am 15 and have a 5 1/2 month old yellow lab. I have been training him to be a duck dog. He has the basic sit stay come and fetch down. My problem is that he wont always fetch the dummy, He is usally good for about one throw and wont do much after that. he usally runs out there then sniffs it then runs back to me. I dont know what to do...... HELP.. Also i have been reading alot of different books like 10 minute retriever and Water Dog

thanks
Will

[drgildy]

Remember he is just a baby yet and does not have a long attention span. Don't work him at all on retrieving for a while and when you start again just let him retrieve one. Make him realize it is just fun at his age. Take it slow. You may have to force break him to fetch later but at that young age he is too young to take much pressure. Slooow down.

[Swamp Dawg]

You may have to force break him to fetch later but at that young age he is too young to take much pressure

I would definitely force break him as soon as all of his adult teeth are in. (usually around 6 months old) This turns retrieving from a game to a job. It is much more humane for a dog to be able to turn the pressure off than to not know what you expect from him. The 10 minute retriever explains this well. This is a neccessary step in training IMO.