offroadTRD

What do I do about my almost 2 yr old yellow lab picking up doves, and then instantly dropping them? He's a very good and obedient dog butthat has nothing to do with the subject at hand.He's only beendove hunting 3 timesbut its not good that he doesn't like feathers. I'm guessing that's what it is anyways. I work a lot and have to find time to play and work him so its prolly not all his fault anyways. He will pick them up, drop them, then pick it up again, then drop it over and over again. He does this the whole time when I try to get him to bring them to me. What should I do??? Other than doves,he'll bring every single item back to me that I throw with him. Please help.

JW

Simple - take it through Force Fetch.

Others may disagree but I know no other way for me to teach 'fetch'. I take all myd ogs through the program - some are naturals and graduate early and others take a little more time to grasp the concept.

All I say is Fetch - that means go out there - you will find something and bring it back to hand. Iuse no other commands such as Hold or Good girl or Boy - just Fetch.
to me Fetch means go get it - hold it until I tell you to release - no exceptions.

There are many good books out there on this process. I prefer the ear pinch.

JW

Cessna Flyer

Will he retreive other birds like Pheasant, duck? Doves are a hard bird due to the ease of feather pulling. I had a trainer years ago tell me some dogs will not retreive doves, but will other birds with no problem

sproulman

practice, it takes practice..
reward him,praise is good, food is good too..
watch those peopleon those dog shows, they are always reaching intheir pocket for treat..

i know, this is not right way but it works...

springerDIVA

Doves and pigeons have very dry feathers and a lot of dogs don't like to hold them. The conditioned retreive (force fetch) will help with this along with about a hundred birds. If you can get a cleanly killed or dispatched pigeon (or two) and freeze it, I use them after the dog is conditioned to "Hold". Once they've learned to hold a dumbbell, then a bumper, then it's time for the pigeon. I take the dog through each step in force fetch with the dumbbell first, then the bumper, then the pigeon. Then we work with clip wing pigeons.
It takes time, that's why it's called conditioning.
Also make sure you offer a lot of water with these birds, because they are so dry. If our dogs come in with a mouth full of feathers we clean them out and water them before we let them go back again.
Good luck. I am sure he'll come out of it.

SwampCollie

When its hot, your dog salivates a fair amount, you get the whole foam and drool thing. I can't keep mine out of the pond sometimes. Its important to keep them cool. Doves will lose feathers if you look at them funny, and all that spit, mixed with easy out feathers is sort of like sucking on a cotton ball while running a mile. It is true that some dogs will not pick up or hold doves, but, as others have said, thats the difference between a retriever and a house dog.

Force fetching does work... mine had picked up about 110 ducks and never a dove until this past September... doves are just another brick in the wall for him, and his dove count is up in the 40s now (no thanks to my shooting)... but he is a bit rough on crippled ones... such is life sometimes... he's only 1.5 yo. Working with your dog everyday, even if its only for a few minutes is every bit as important as force fetching, although too, your dog needs to understand what he is supposed to do, and what you want him to do.

drhntr178

There isnt a dog out there that likes dove feathers, some just tolerate them more than others. As previously posted, he needs to be force fetched. A simple procedure any decent trainer will do for you. Takes about a month to do right and should be done with every retriever. Good luck.