6 mo' old yellow lab (has a little golden in him, not "pure") that ive been training for a while.. he does pretty good.. having a few problems...

he'sa house-pet aswell as a hunting dog .

one is he doesnt havethe drive to retrieve like ive seen other dogs.. he'll retreive by commands but he's not "dying" to retrieve.. how can i change that?

it seams that all he wants to really really do is play tug-o-war or keep away.. drives me friggen nuts

another is that he just got neutered, which i feel was a big mistake but the wife won that battle. is it uncommon for gun/bird dogs to be neutered? especially males? im feering that the little bit of drive he has is going to go away with his testosterone levels.

i think im gonna try the force fetch method to get his basics down more concrete but i cant get him to mark multiple targets, and when he does,, he'll pick up one bumper, carry it to the next, drop them together and work from one single point instead of two seperate areas..

and he looses interest in the training sesions pretty quick..i might get 10 throws and retreives in before he smells some rabbit crap and runs off to try and eat it..

i was using small treats as rewards but slowly switched from them to large amounts of praise and love .. mainly because i didnt want him to hunt just for food, rather do it becuase he wants to please me ,,, was also attempting to raise his retreiving drive

i havnt used any media to train him.. just stuff ive thought of or ideas and suggestions ive gotten from my uncle that has successfully trained a lab/spaniel mix...

he's just been gun broken and did really well.. havnt found water for him to jump into, and its starting to get really cold up here in NY, but he hates taking baths..

any suggestions would be greatly aprreciated

nueterd dog should have no bearing on his drive.

mine is fixed and hunts fine.

hunting has to be in genes.

i see labs that have no drive, i call them HOUSE DOGS.

did dog come from HUNTING LINES.

if not, just get use to him playing at home.

my friends dog does same thing,eats dog poo, makes me mad as h to see it.
his dog will run and run right into your legs.

he rolls in field and runs away.

over 10 times throwing something, dog will get bored.

i believe you have to try to start obewdience training but i am no expert on that.

dogs i see NOT from hunting lines, act very different than ones from hunting lines.

Get on a good, modern,sequential training program.
The best is the Smartwork series of books and DVD's, by Graham.
Second best would be the "10 Minute Retriever" by the Dahl's.


.

Like Doc said get him on a good program, personally I like Lardy manuals. That said, what the hell are you neutering a lab at 6 months of age? That is waaaaaaaaaaay too young for those that choose that route. Do some research on the subject so you don't make the same mistake in the future.

Very true. Early spay/neuter markedly increases the risk of blowing the CCL (ACL).


.

i did tobys neutered at 1 year old.

many vets will say at 6 months old.

Training cant be training. Everything is about fun at 6 mos. I throw 3 times per session and I throw in different directions each time. The dog is praised each time and often he gets a treat. I watch for signs when his excitment wears down and then we move on to something else. Throwing 10 times in a row in the same spot with little in it for the pup is going to make all but the obsessive compulsive dogs look for something fun. Also when you do throw to him and he isnt doing what you want and you show or voice your dissatisfaction, the puppy is going to think that this game sucks and he is not going to like it. When I am training a young pup everything is happy happy all the time. When the dog looses interest or starts doing things he is not supposed to then I just move on to something else or quit altogether and try again later. Also you cant yell at or scold a pup when he does not get it right. Only praise when he gets it right. At about 10 mos I get a little more serious but not strict. I like to think of 6 month pup as a 7 year old child. The 7 year old child is old enough to learn how to play baseball but you would never yell at them for screwing up just praise and encouragement. When the child is 10 you treat him a little different and as the child gets even older the treatment changes again. No different raising a dog.

I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about retrievers is that people think they will retrieve endlessly and enjoy it. Its just not so. Of the dogs that I have known that would retrieve over and over without end had personality disorders. OCD . Most notably German Shepards or German Shepard mix.

I am lucky to get 3 good retrieves out of my dog if its in the backyard but when I take him to a park, field, hiking trail or my hunt club he gets into it and his energy level is limitless because its fun. The best thing you can do is take him walking or hiking everyday without exceptions. Raising a Lab pup can be draining but I like to make everyday fun for my pup and me.

I think its a good sign that he gets bored with 10 retrieves. To me it shows that he has a good bit of smarts and wants new challenges and more fun things to do.

Also my dog is neutered and he loves to hunt and will go all day. Neutering wont slow a dogs drive, it just keeps their brain from being short circuited by the scent of dog hootchie. I think if I were neutered Id probably want to hunt more. Id probably have a lot more money in my savings account too

Another thing that I recommend is finding a local kennel club and going to group obedience classes. I learned a lot about training and how a dogs mind operates. Also if you have a dog park nearby take him. Let him play and burn off some steam. While he is having a good time and starting to get bored with the other dogs then start throwing his stick/ball and the pup will equate it with fun.



Good Luck
Glenn

i did tobys neutered at 1 year old.
many vets will say at 6 months old.
[/quote]
I recommend reading the following links pay close attention to the neutering of immature dogs. 6 months and 1 year are immature dogs.
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
http://trinitylabstexas.com/what-age-is-best-to-have-my-dog-spayedneutered/

I recommend reading the following links pay close attention to the neutering of immature dogs. 6 months and 1 year are immature dogs.
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
http://trinitylabstexas.com/what-age-is-best-to-have-my-dog-spayedneutered/
[/quote]

i waited to a little over a year old to do toby.

vets dont like to go that long as the dog will have learned behavior and a year in their eyes is too long .

you should have been there when i said,LYME SHOT WILL GIVE YOUR DOG ARTHRITIS.

he almost threw me out BUT i also read that too that it will hurt your dog.but i had him give it.

yet, everyone that has not given their dogs a LYME shot locally has it and many are in bad shape,for sure.

boy, its hard to decide what is right,one says 6 months, 1 year.

1 says , lyme shot, other says NO.