Dear trainers,
My lab pup (now 6 months) is crazy for retrieving. He will heel, sit and
wait to be sent by name for the dummy. He blazes out to get the dummy,
runs back with it, but drops it short of my hand. I have tried running
away from him, stepping forward to grab it before he drops it, and he still
drops short. How can I get him to bring it to hand?
Thanks,
Steve
Steve,
It sounds like you are on your way to having a nice hunting dog.
The next step is the command "hold". You teach this by
getting your dog to sit at your side. Then bend over and gently place a
bumper (dummy) in his mouth telling him to "hold". Now, I like to stroke
their chins to take their mind off of the bumper.
It's also important to praise the dog while he holds the bumper and not
when you take it away. When you take the bumper from the dog teach him
the "drop" command. Do this for about 10 minutes a day until you can
stand up and no longer stroke his chin. Then try to work up to doing on
leash obedience while the dog is holding a bumper.It should take 2 to 3
weeks until you transfer this to a retrieve. As your dog is returning
with the bumper tell him to hold it. If he drops it put it back in his
mouth. And keep practicing until he gets it right.
Jan Burkholder
Stonewall Kennels
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