Slow learning lab

R

rugardave

New member
Hi Trainers,
I've posted before and have gotten good results and advice and now I have a new problem. When he was young we got seperated and he flipped out. Someone else found him after I lost him at a public hunting area, they were nice enough to tie him to a bumper in the lot where I found him 5 or 10 minutes later. NOW, when we hunt he will not leave my side or if at the most 10 yrds. always on a game path and not rangeing through the weed right and left. If he looses sight of me he franticly races back to my side. He is 4 yrs. old. In the yard he will range, run and fetch dead quail/pheasant all day. My yard in about 1.25 acers so there is enough room. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks for your help.

Dave
 
Is there a reason no one is helping rugardave?:mad:
I would try to hunting him with another dog. I'm no expert can't see where it would hurt any:)
 
Well you won't lose him again! I would say it makes him brighter than average. Experience should help a lot, another dog going out finding game would help entice him out. Shooting birds out a ways, will encourage a long retrieve. Use voice re-enforcement good dog, go back, anything which helps give him your position. I had a lot of bird dogs pups who get lost, and found them back at the truck. I suggest he'll work it out. Sometimes we make a mountain out of a mole hill. As always the sage advisor says birds, birds, and more birds, make a birddog. Happy experience finding and retreiving birds makes all the difference. I am assuming that you didn't over-react when you found him lost, that makes confidence harder to acheive. Retrieving drill is use a shackled bird, and let him watch it, let it go, hopefully scurry away, after awhile let use the scent and find it, bring it back. You stay on the direct route back. He watched it, went and found it a distance away, and found you where he left you. Problem solved. There are lots of drills to come up with to accomplish this.
 
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I agree with oldandnew. I am no expert but I feel the dog will work it out on his own with more birds. The more birds he gets on the more enticed he will be to get out further. That really is a good thing though when the dog wants to keep you in his site. He'll be hunting with you, not for himself. Maybe use another person to take him on a leash and you gradually work your way further away from him. Let him keep you in his site but they can keep them on the leash and see you further away and give him positive reinforcement as you gradually get further away.
 
Have you shot alot of birds over him? Sounds to me like he may not even know what he is supposed to be doing in the field.

What kind of training has this dog recieved thus far?
 
I would work on some scent games with him. You seem to have a decent sized back yard but it appears your problems do not lie there. I would take him out into some public access fields and plant some freshly killed birds or heavily scented bumpers. Really drag them thru the grass to get a really hot scent trail going. I would keep stretching these distances out until you have him ranging and finding the birds/bumpers and retrieving them steady.

I would also work with a dummy launcher to get him retrieving at greater distances or get a friend to go with you and you hold the dog at heel and have your buddy throw a dead bird (have your buddy standing about 40 yards in front of you hiding)

This should help. it seems he has lost his confidence and is unsure what to do. Whenever my dogs seem to lose confidence or act unsure I go back to the basics and build them back up again. The goal is to always set your dog up for success in training so in the field they do not hestiate or think twice. I would be happy to assist you or offer you more advice. Good luck! Most problems with dogs are fixable.
 
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