dog not wanting to retrieve

[beaglebob1]

Rooster Tim, I have a GSP that I have the same issue with. I can get him to fetch anything but a dead bird. He absolutely has no interest in dead birds. I"ve put him through Evan Grahams "Smart Fetch". It's taken the majority of the summer. He seems like he may be starting to come around to the dead birds but only because he has to. He makes it clear he is not really interested in doing this. He still is not a finished force fetched dog, but I"m hoping he will be in a few more weeks. This being said I know he will never have the retrieving desire I want him to, although I do believe he can be trained to fetch dead birds. Outside of fetch, this dog is a bird hunting machine and great house dog. However, in the future I definately will select dogs that come from lines with more of a natural retrieving instinct.

Some dogs just retrieve better than others. I was given a 1 1/2 female GPS that had NO training. In first outing with a collar she was here and heel broke.BEEPER ONLY no juice. Did this 3 or 4 times during a week 15 minutes at a time.
Got her around some live quail and she was very birdy. Next day let a few fly and let her chase, she caught one and brought it to me ALIVE. Next day we did it again same thing but used caps and a dead bird perfect fetch to hand. Few days later live bird shot gun dead birds fetched to hand. Easiest dang training I have ever done. My point is some just do it no work at all, it was not me but the dog. Now my English pointers one had to be forced and two are natural. I seem to have better luck with the ladies when training..
Bobby g

 

[latonia631]

There are a lot of Youtube videos for training your dog. You might want to test them one last time before going to the pro-trainers. If that doesn't work, I guess let a pro-trainer do their work.

 

[wesslpointer]

I have one english pointer now that I have worked with and worked with and still shows no interest in retrieving. He is now 4 and has been through a FF program. Great dog in all other areas but just will not retrieve. I believe some english pointers just don't want to do it. So my advice is to get another dog to hunt with your pointer say a lab. That way you can have a duck dog as well and its a good excuse to use on the wife. "But honey, I have to have a lab so I can find the downed birds. Honey, the lab was made to hunt ducks. I can't let him just sit here." See what I mean.

You my be better of getting another dog that loves to retrieve and point so you can hunt him with your pointer.

 

[oldandnew]

RoosterTim, You are absolutely correct, there is a large segment of the Pointer breed who do not care for retrieving. Some hunt dead, others, usually high powered big males of open all age lineage, don't give a hoot for dead birds, once the bird is away, on to the next find. Let the singles hunting girls pick up the fallen. It's been de-emphasized in their breeding, for years. If parents are from hunting stock, not field trial stock, better chance of at least getting a dead bird finder. By the way, this is a general description, the very best, dead bird hunter-retriever, I ever saw,and had the pleasure to own, was a female pointer, absolutely refused to give up on a bird, even long after I did, always found it. Personally, I would live with it, recruit new re-enforcements, from pointer retrieving stock.

 

[oldandnew]

I re-read your post. Now I understand. I suspect that the dog got spurred by a rooster at some point, and decided all birds hurt! Your dog 's issue is not a retrieving problem, it's a bird problem. He's blinking dead or crippled birds, because of some issue with a bird that hurt, or scared him. Most dogs use to soft a mouth when young, roosters can easily get positioned to spur, same thing as a retriever getting wing slapped by a honker, or getting hit with a beak. Most of the spurred dogs learn to clamp down hard on pheasants, from this experience, while remaining softer mouthed on quail. But some just quit retrieving, may come out of it, I have seen that happen, but I have also seen them remain as they are.