Hey, here's an idea for all of you who are force-fetching your dogs. Once you've taught your dog to hold and carry the dumbell, try a piece of meat wrapped in a baggie. I tried it with my dog and he immediately tried to mangle it, but after a few corrections, he started to get the point. Once he successfully learns how to hold and carry the meat, i'll switch to birds. Hopefully that will cure the bird-eating problem and quicken the training. Please tell me if im doing this wrong.