Pheasant Retrieval Help

[atbrdly]

I know there are a lot of threads on here concerning this but I wanted to give you my story so I could get some help!!

I have a 20 month old GSP. He struggles to pick up the pheasant and make it back to me when we are hunting. Normally once he has it in his mouth he makes it back but it is the getting it in his mouth he is struggling with. He retrieves everything else to hand every time when working with him in the yard. I have used the dokken, a pheasant pelt dummy, bumpers, etc. He picks those up every time and brings them back straight to me no problem exactly what I would want to happen. I have also worked with him with retrieving in the water which he does great every time. HOWEVER again, when we are pheasant hunting and I have a dead bird 50 % of the time he goes to it and picks it up and brings it to me with no problem. The other 50 % he struggles with getting it in his mouth and never makes it back to me. I have 3 pheasants in the freezer currently and am working with him on them in the yard but he is struggling in the yard to get them in his mouth. It seems that he has the desire and drive to retrieve he just can't seem to figure out how to pick it up.

What should I do and how should I work with him? any suggestions? I honestly don't think he needs the basics of "fetch" or retrieve based on his desire to bring everything else to me with no hesitation but I am kind of at a loss. It's almost like the pheasant is either to large for his month or he doesn't like the feathers in his mouth

Please help!

 

[NC IA Tail Chaser]

Pheasant Retrieval Help Reply to Thread

Atbrdly,
It sounds like you have done a good job with teaching the basics of retrieving to your GSP. My guess is that you are probably doing something a little different when you shoot a pheasant in the field and ask your dog to fetch. My GSP is a dog that really responds to praise so I used it as a tool when I was training her to fetch. I would use the fetch command over and over until she brought the bird all the way to me then once she brought it all the way back I heaped praise on her and she loves praise. The same thing you are describing happened to me with my shorthair and my friend picked up on what I was doing wrong. I would see her pick the bird up and start to bring it back to me and because I was so proud of her I would begin to praise her. Well I guess she thought since she already received her praise and she could see I was excited and proud of her she could drop the bird JOB DONE. When I quit praising her until she got the bird all the way to me she would not drop it.

 

[atbrdly]

Thanks for the response. I have a guy going out with me to a preserve and i asked him to watch how i handle myself.

Update - I strapped to e-collar to him when we are in the yard and i am using the dead birds to practice retrieveing. I tone him when he first picks it up and this seems to be helping him conetrate on gettting back to me quickly. HOWEVER, he is jawing the bird as he brings it back and some times it falls out of his mouth on his way back then he has to try and pick it up and anyway it goes south from there.

Do you guys think i need to start from the basics of force fetch with him?

Thanks for the input.

 

[mnaj_springer]

Did you Force Fetch your dog? Also, how does he handle smaller birds like pigeon, quail, and chukar?

 

[atbrdly]

I did not use force fetch. He was started when i got him and i'm not the most experienced when it comes to how to train or when training is needed. He seemed like he had the will and desire to retrieve so i let it be.

I have not really used smaller birds. I have used a pheasant pelt dummy (significantly smaller than a actual bird) and a dokken dummy. he does the jawing/chewing to it all.

However, It seems to be worse with a feathered animal

 

[mnaj_springer]

I have a couple suggestions. Try working with smaller birds. Pigeons will do just fine. Pheasants are large and can be intimidating to young/inexperienced dogs. Especially if the rooster isn't completely dead. Maybe that would build his confidence around birds.

As for the bobbling... Try petting the dog rather than taking the bird or dummy away. A lot of times bobbling is the dog getting ready to drop the bird upon arrival. If you let him hold it longer he may and praise him, it might stop.

See where that gets you.

 

[cthemfly]

Let me add to mnaj with the following suggestion. Not sure what distances you are working his retrieves but using smaller birds or frozen chukars, etc, have him fetch at very short distance from you to start, maybe 10 feet, and then gradually let him hold the bird longer when he returns. Lots of praise.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "tone him" with the ecollar but I would be careful to use any impulse which might startle him during a retrieve of a bird.