Force Fetching a Lab

[inthebox30lbs]

Anybody have any experience doing this. My dog is progressing great. He is now 7 months old, basic obedience is close to being mastered, been shot over, retrieves great on land and in the water. The only issue Im having is getting him to consistently hold the bumper for me when he retrieves it. He wants to drop it at my feet and go right into SIT to get ready for the next throw. Im a little cautious to start the force fetch being I have never done it before. Any tips,info or anyone locally that works with labs would be great. Thanks
scott

 

[bigbuck]

Water Dog by Richard Wolters is a good training book. hope that helps.

 

[RDub]

The best book I have read on force fetching is Smartfetch by Evan Graham. You can order it at gundogsupply.com I believe. Water Dog is a good book but if I remember correctly it does not deal with force fetching at all. Force fetching takes time and that always depends on the dog. You must be willing to apply pressure to the dog, usually its ear, until it picks up and holds the dummy on command, then you stop the pressure. I have force fetched one Lab and it was a task but well worth it. He "got it" rather quickly and in a week understood what I wanted. Good Luck and be consistent and patient. The time you spend doing force fetch will be well worth it. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Maude]

If he is retrieving good, I would recommend you try these two tricks before going the forced route:
First: As he is returning to you with the dummy, begin backing up so that he has to chase you a little. Reach down and take the dummy from his mouth and praise him well, but never pick the dummy up off the ground when he brings it back. He'll get used to this and begin delivering to hand. This will take repetition, say several days to a week.
Second: Teach the HOLD command: With the pup in a sitting position, open his mouth and insert a small dummy. Immediately clamp your hand around his snout and say "HOLD". Gradually release your grip on his snout and when he begins to drop the dummy, grip down on his snout and tell him to "HOLD" again. Don't make him hold the dummy long at first and gradually increase the time you make him hold the dummy. When he has the grasp of what the hold command is, begin incorporating it in the retrieve. As he is returning with the dummy, begin saying "HOLD" when he gets close in. If he has successfully learned the HOLD command, he will hold it.

I actually prefer to use these two techniques together once the HOLD command has been mastered.

 

[DuckTruk]

Oddly enough, Force Fetch doesn't have much to do with actual "fetching". It is a method to teach the dog how to respond to pressure. Now, on to answer your questions. The absolute best information on FF is Smartfetch by Evan Graham (http://www.rushcreekpress.com/page1homepage.html). The poster above is somewhat correct in a solution to the problem. What has happened is that the dog has figured out the routine (whether you were trying to establish one or not). I typically don't teach "hold" as I consider the delivery to hand a part of the retrieve (the retrieve is not done until I take the bumper out of the dogs mouth).

Here are some steps to fix the issue:
1. Remember, the key to fixing this (and many other issues) is escalating pressure

2. Put the dog at sit and put the bumper in its mouth, as soon as he spits it out (and he will), say "No" firmly and put the bumper back in his mouth. IMMEDIATELY PRAISE HIM (SCRATCH EARS, RUB SIDE, WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU).

3. When he spits it out again, repeat the above steps, but this time the "No" becomes more firm, and the "placement" of the bumper back in the dogs mouth is more dramatic. Once its back in the dogs mouth for a couple of seconds, repeat the praise.

4. The idea is to build up the duration of the dog holding the bumper by praising him while he's holding it.

5. Don't "wear this out". Do it 2 or 3 times in a row. When he holds the bumper for a couple of seconds, after you praise him, take the bumper out and throw it for him to retrieve. Don't worry about him holding at sit at this point. You just want to "break the pressure".

6. While he's bringing the bumper back, praise him up good and back away from him several steps until he gets to you. If he drops the bumper, put it back in his mouth and praise him up. If he drops it, turn your back.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to email or PM me.

 

[Guest]

Scott , before you teach the pup bad habits that are hard to correct get Evan Grahams book Bob is correct it is by far one of the best . do you plan on running in any hunt test or just want o good hunting dog

 

[inthebox30lbs]

Im not planning on running him in hunt tests just looking for a good duck dog
scott