Drill/Training Advice for Lab puppy

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IowaBoy92

New member
Anybody have any drill advice for a couple issues with my year old lab?

She doesn’t do a great job keeping eyes on birds after they flush. I typically have to mark them and guide her to them and tell her to hunt dead.

She retrieves chukar fine with no problem, but seems to have an issue with pheasants. She’s supposedly been force fetched but she took about 5 minutes to get a rooster to me from 15 yards away. She kept picking the bird up and dropping it and acted like she didn’t know what to do, and at one point just looked at me and I had to tell her to fetch it up about a dozen times.

Any advice?
 
IowaBoy92 said:
Anybody have any drill advice for a couple issues with my year old lab?

She doesn’t do a great job keeping eyes on birds after they flush. I typically have to mark them and guide her to them and tell her to hunt dead.

She retrieves chukar fine with no problem, but seems to have an issue with pheasants. She’s supposedly been force fetched but she took about 5 minutes to get a rooster to me from 15 yards away. She kept picking the bird up and dropping it and acted like she didn’t know what to do, and at one point just looked at me and I had to tell her to fetch it up about a dozen times.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Probably needs force fetch tuneup
 
For the pheasant retrieve, one suggestion is to not repeat the command multiple times. You're teaching her the command takes multiple times for her to comply. Say it once, and if she isn't doing what you want. Walk over and take it from her and start again.

Idk what distance you are working from, but step back and return to the basics. Meaning if you're working on a 40 yard retrieve, go back to 10. Or less. Remove that distance and get her solidly retrieving from 5, 10 yards away. You may need to even go less.

One drill I did with my dogs as they were young was the "bucket drill". Get a bucket (or chair, just something to sit on at her level). Have her sit next to you and stay. Toss the bird a short distance away, 5 feet even. Give the command and send her for a retrieve. If she returns to you with the bird in a manner you deem acceptable, give her a good treat (hot dog chunks work well) and praise her up. Continue repeating until you get some distance in the retrieves.

One thing that's helpful is having her on a check cord doing this drill. This way you have control. If she's farting around and not returning, pull her in and make her do it again. Don't be afraid to take the bird from her if she's not doing what you want. But do it in a calm fashion. Take it and give her a soft "no" and make her repeat.

Once she does it correctly a few times and she's getting rewarded via treat and your praise, she should start putting it all together that her going out, getting the bird and returning means she gets a treat and your happy.
 
FF needs to be done with anything you reasonably expect the dog to retrieve. Put her back on the table and go through all the steps with a pheasant, first with a frozen bird then a fresh bird. This should go pretty quick if she's been properly FF'ed, probably only a couple days. Now the next time she starts farting around with the bird walk out pinch her ear (assuming she's been FF'ed with an ear pinch) and command fetch ONCE and do not release pressure until she complies. I would then proof this by doing 3 mini retrieves IE drop the bird at your feet and command fetch while ready to ear pinch.

As for learning to mark get a buddy to go go out in the field and throw for you. Have him toss a bird and shoot while gradually increasing distance and and complexity. Do not rush to help the pup let her work it out or simplify the marks till she's 80% successful.

Bill Hillman has some YOUTUBE stuff on stand alone marks. Give it a look if you don't have a buddy to throw

PS do the FF stuff first so you don't dilute the marking drills with retrieving battles
 
IowaBoy92 said:
Anybody have any drill advice for a couple issues with my year old lab?

She doesn’t do a great job keeping eyes on birds after they flush. I typically have to mark them and guide her to them and tell her to hunt dead.

She retrieves chukar fine with no problem, but seems to have an issue with pheasants. She’s supposedly been force fetched but she took about 5 minutes to get a rooster to me from 15 yards away. She kept picking the bird up and dropping it and acted like she didn’t know what to do, and at one point just looked at me and I had to tell her to fetch it up about a dozen times.

Any advice?
Click to expand...
Since she has been force-fetched, start with a frozen rooster, with the dog sitting, hold it 2 inches in front of the dog and say Fetch once and in a normal tone. If she does not immediately fetch, the dog has not been thoroughly force-fetched.

By telling a dog to fetch it up a dozen times, your diluting the fetch command to "background noise".
One command in a normal tone (no yelling!) otherwise by repeating commands your teaching the dog to ignore your commands.
 
Sounds like the foundation steps were not really solid before progressing or maybe just need to be revisited.
 
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