Firefighter194

Ok I'm new to the site, newto training a dogbut not new to hunting. I have a 7 month old yellow lab that I am trying to train for a familiy/duck hunting dog. Ok well here are the questions / problems.

-He will sit and stay for me for about 30 seconds in the house, but not outside.
-When I throw the rubber dummy in the back yard, instead of him bringing it back to me helays down and chews on it once he gets it.
-I try and make him sit and stay before I throw the dummy, but as soon as I throw it he tries to run after it (but I have a hand around his collar).
-Any good tips on gun / loud noise shyness?

Any help with any of these issues would be greatly appreciated!!!!

EODLT

Slowdown! Stop! Backup!

You are rushing your dog way too fast!

Rubber dummies are for advanced levels of training, to refine the skills hes already learned...

Put the dummies away for a few months.

Start with your basic obedience, which is your STAY, Sit, Here, heel, etc..

After and only after he has mastered his basic commands, do you start formal retreival training. Just because hes a lab doesnt mean he automatically knows how to retrieve.

You have to keep working on stay. Your fighting instints of the dog to want to chase something, to follow the master, and to not be left behind.
Keep working that pup until he will stay for a LONG time inside.. Im talking several minutes, while you go to another room, etc...

Then take him outside, where there are distractions, new things to smell and see. This may take weeks...

He should have a solid recall before you start retrieveing... Recall is "come" or "here".

once he has absolutely mastered the basics... which could be months, he may be over a year old before you bring out the dummies. Then you can start retrieveing.

Start with DROP.

Then HOLD, the most important, which keeps him from chewing on the dummy or the bird. Try to google training techniques for DROP and HOLD.
IF you cant do It... DONT RUIN YOUR DOG TRYING TO DO "FORCE FETCH" TAKE HIM FOR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR THIS PHASE IF YOU HAVE TO!!!!!
After you have DROP and HOLD, you teach FETCH. Which is releasing the dog to go and get the bird, and coming to you and droping it in your hand.
This is where you get to finally use the dummies. If the dog has a poor recall or doesnt hold well, back up and slow down and keep working on these weaknesses... For heavensake do not rush it!

Good luck.

Firefighter194

Thank you very much for your reply / reality check. I truely do appreciate it!!!! Is there any way you could give me good tips on "Start with your basic obedience, which is your STAY, Sit, Here, heel, etc.." How do I get him to sit and stay longer? Also how do I get him to sit and stay when I walk behind him where he cant see me?

I want to do him right and honestly dont want to rush things. I just thought I might have started his training to late I guess and was assuming I could play catch up.

EODLT- Is there anyway I could PM you if I have any more questions?

Thanks

EODLT

Certainly... Just click the PM or email me anytime, [email protected]

Its not uncommon for beginners to rush right into bumber training because thats what they see on book covers, t.v. shows, and such as that... You have to build up the dog much like a house... I wouldnt build my roof before my foundation! You have to start simple and keep it slow and repetative.

Basic obedience is the foundation of the dogs ability to be trained so to speak... without it, you couldnt possibly teach him to retreive correctly.
I use positive reinforcement, which is a treat or praise for a job well done. Keep your sessions short and simple, to the point. Take 5 minutes and some little pieces of cheese or meat or a dog treat, walk the dog to a familiar spot in the house, somewhere he is comfortable. Have him "sit", take the treat and hold it above his nose and move it backwards towards his tail in a smooth manner, he should sit while he follows the treat with his head. Say "sit" and reward. then hold a flat hand, palm out and say firmly "STay" keep your hand outstretched to keep his attention. If he moves, stop and take him immediately to the "exact" same spot he was sitting, repeat the "stay" command until you can take several steps back... Say, "Here" and bring your hand down to your left side and have him "sit" infront of you before you reward him. Tell him what a good dog he is. Take a break. Maybe a hour or so later try it again for 5 more minutes and see if he remembers what to do to please you...
After he is pretty consistent inside, get a check cord and a yard ring, (screws into dirt with a ring to feed the Check cord through, ancors the dog into sitting position) then have him sit, and stay, walk back and keep the cc slack free... he cant move. Then drop the cc and commmand here. Praise for a good dog that comes immediatley and sits. REPEAT DAILY or atleast 4 or 5 times a week for 5 or 10 minutes at a time... Dogs are like young children in the training stage, with ADD. You have to keep the sessions short or you lose his focus and hes learning nothing but how boring this is....

Feel free to ask me any questions wiht PM or email.

WRONG! You can teach a dog anything at any age... its never too late, but It can be too soon. Thats your problem, too much too fast.

Good luck.

Flairball

The advice given is all good. All I'd like to ad is to remember that dogs are place sensitive when it comes to training. What I mean by that is a dog if trained to "come" in the yard, and is 100% compliant in the yard will often break down, and not "come" (or follow any other command) in another location. A way to remedy this is to train in several different locations. One day at home, the next in the park, after that in a friends yard, etc. This keeps the focus on the command. A dog is never too young for the changes in location, and no command in too unimportant to not be obeyed.

Also, I've found several good books on training spaniels, and pointers. I'm sure there are probably twice as many on retrievers. One writer I'm fond of is James Spencer, who trains retrievers too. His other books were easy to follow, and understand. I'd recommend a training book.

Good luck

Doc E

Get on a good - modern - sequential training program.
It sounds like you are just winging it on your own.
A good one for the newbie trainer is the "10 Minute Retriever" by John and Amy Dahl.


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Firefighter194

I thought about getting that book, but reading the reviews it looks like a lot of force fetching and useing a shock collar. Or are there other techniqeus (sp?) in the book? Not sure I want to use pain to train my dog, because I assume other haveNOT used pain in their training and have welled trained dogs........

EODLT

I just wanted to add, that books are great for certain people... Sometimes different people can misinterpret thoughts and ideas represented in a book.

Get yourself a good training book for sure, but If you get stuck on a section or a technique, for the sake of the dog... seek professional help!!!
A respected trainer can really help you see something from a different angle... Making it less frustrating, and you can move along in training smoothly. Never beat or cuss the dog if he isnt doing everything just like it says in the book... Thats how dogs are ruined, and become "gun shy"and act "afraid" of the handler, obeying out of fear and not "working" for the handler.

Best of luck,
EODLT

Doc E

When properly adminisered, FF and the ecollar do not inflict pain.


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EODLT

This is right, but not many greenhorns know the right ways to PROPERLY administer FF... The purpose of FF is to cause DISCOMFORT, Not pain. The dog learns that the Discomfort goes away when he does the right thing. I agree with DOC E, but doing FF right takes practice and skill. Not a quick paragraph in a book explaining the process....