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Hey, i have a six month old springer spaniel that i'm trying to train to fetch. he loves to play keep-away and whenever i use treats he forgets about what he's supposed to fetch. shouldnt he pick it up naturally? what should i do?

Are you following any specific training program? If so, which one?

.

ok
do you have a hallway in your house?
If so, close any doors he could run in, roll a ball down the hallway and let him go chase it, call him to you. He has no way to run around you, he will either come to you, or he will stay at the other end of the hallway. If he stays, have another ball, toy, food treat, etc. handy to exchange for the ball he brings back. Coax him to you. If he doesnt bring the ball back, thats ok at this point. You are building a recall.

If you want to, you could put him on a Check cord or a long line, and reel him in while you call him to you. Later on, you could Force Fetch him if you want. This is a rather complex process that takes some skill and experience. A good training system, dvd, would be best. Or even better, taking him to a pro trainer for lessons.

If he is dropping the object, you could try to teach him "hold", this can be a little difficult if you dont know what your doing.

Good luck

thanks for the info! the hallway trick is really starting to work, i'm using treats also. he's starting to get the hang of it. now if i can just break him off of the treats.

Ready to Hunt,
You need to get a copy of James Spencer's Hup: Training Flushing Spaniels the American Way.
Find a local spaniel club that does field work, email me if you need help there I'll put you in touch with some one...
We use the Mike Lardy method on all of our spaniels. We begin with the conditioned HOLD before we go through force fetch. You will have a much more solid delivery and reliable retrieve if you do this too.
Who did you get your pup from? Let's see some pictures.

Good, glad its working.

Now to ween him off treats and onto verbal praise:
You have to make the treats sort of random, so that he never knows when he might get one, but he knows you probably have some. Maybe one time he gets it right you give him a treat, next time its a "Goooooood boy!" and a vigorous rub on the chest/side. Do this a few times, then when your done, go sit down watch some tv. Call him to you and have him sit, reward with a treat... Keep him on his toes as to whether or not he will likely get a treat. Also, make the act of getting the treat random, so that he wont disobey a sit, because he knows hes never gotten a treat for it like he has a recall. The treat/praise is his paycheck, would you go to work and do your job and only get paid for certain tasks? No you would resign, the dog might learn that if he blows you off for certain tasks, its ok because as long as he does one thing, he could still get his treat...

Eventually you can just give him some verbal praise, but dont over do it.

Sorry, no pics. i got him from my uncle in PA. i live in western NY. he's got beautiful markings and a great personality. don't think there's any spaniel clubs around our place, but ill get the book. Also, what habitat will you find the most grouse?

I couldn't find James Spencer's book. isnt there any place online that i could buy it?

http://www.gundogsupply.com/hubyjabsp.html

Quote:

isnt there any place online that i could buy it?