Pup won't leave boat

[bookum1]

My 16 month old chocolate lab is having trouble leaving the boat to retrieve. She will retrieve in the water from the bank with zero problem. She did ok in the beginning of the season. Once a duck falls she will whimper ans whine and run all over the boat like she trying to find a good way out. I know its driving her nuts because she wants that duck. I have a dog ramp, but its not getting g better. I have been persistant and she will eventually go in but it usually takes a least. A full minute of frantic running up and down the boat. Its too cold to run drills so I'm at a loss as to what to do

[GoodDog]

It's sounds like she isn't confident in how to leave the boat. I have hunted and competed with labs for years now, and this isn't uncommon. You need to go back and build her confidence. I set up a decoy spreed on the ground, then I put a small Jon boat at a common distance from the decoys. Then get in the boat, sit her from where she would normally be, and run some retrieves. We she is confident and solid, I then put the boat on the trailer, it not very tall, and run some more retrieves, put the ramp on at this point and have her learn to enter the boat that way. When solid and not intimidated by jumping out of the boat, I move to shallow water. I beach the boat, get the dog out and run some shallow retrieves, build her confidence, then get in the boat, run some retrieves to dry ground, then shallow water. When good and solid, go to deeper water. Once they get it, your good. I have had to go back to the boat on trailer with the ramp before, a little extra time for a lifetime of dog work is time well spent. I would also suggest not forcing her and making this a negative experience. She sounds like she really wants to go, just not confident in how she is supposed to do it. Good luck and have fun.

[SpinoneIllinois]

Maybe try a variation of the NAVHDA trick. Borrow another retriever, throw bumpers from boat, let borrowed dog retrieve, praise the borrowed dog while ignoring your dog. Yours should follow fairly quickly.

[A/C Guy]

Try putting the boat in shallow water and you get in the water and call her to you.
She just needs to gain confidence that she can jump out of the boat and not get hurt.

[slistoe]

The competition angle will be the quickest fix.

[crackerd]

GoodDog's given you the template - that's how you train for it. Starting, as noted, on dry land.

MG

[Doc E]

Did you train initially with the boat on dry ground ?



.

[duckn66]

Did you train initially with the boat on dry ground ?



.

^^ This.

If you can get the boat or A boat on dry gound and then transition to water it will fix it. Some dogs don't need it and others do. Depends on the dog. I start mine on dry ground, only takes a few times and they know what it's all about. I do the same with my tree stands for flooded timber. I hook them to my light pole a foot or so above the ground and have them practice sitting and marking falls from them and returning back to them with the dummy. Pretty fun stuff!

[bookum1]

Started in her in water and then worked her out of the boat a little before season. She was a little hesitant early in the season, but it has gotten worse. Would it be too cold to work some drills. it's about 50 here now and the highs are supposed to be in the low 60s all week. I can get her to retrieve in the water from the bank and she hauls butt into the water. I want to be very careful since this is her first season and I don't want to cause something irreversable. I have a buddy with a good dog that would be perfect to work with.

[northern cajun]

Did you train initially with the boat on dry ground ?



.

^^ This.

If you can get the boat or A boat on dry gound and then transition to water it will fix it. Some dogs don't need it and others do. Depends on the dog. I start mine on dry ground, only takes a few times and they know what it's all about. I do the same with my tree stands for flooded timber. I hook them to my light pole a foot or so above the ground and have them practice sitting and marking falls from them and returning back to them with the dummy. Pretty fun stuff!

Exposure is the key. Set them up to succeed.

[deke]

Hmmmm i just kicked mine off the boat if he didnt jump right in. took all of a morning for him to figure it out.

[duckn66]

If she is nuts about retrieving then its definately not to cold. I just would make sure when you were done that she wasn't done and was wanting more. That will really build the drive in a retriever. I would put the boat at the edge of the water for the first session and then if she is going in and out without hesitation by the end of it move the boat into shallow water on the second. Start the second session on ground first then the last couple of falls put the boat in shallow water so that she doesn't have to swim, wading as she leaves the boat. Start the next session where you left off with the last and then half way through progress. Just make sure you leave with her wanting more retrieves. Another thing you could do is get your buddies dog in the boat with you and have her sit in the boat and watch and not retrieve. By the first few retrieves she will most likey be trying to chew her way out of the boat!

Just my opinion. Tons of ways to skin a cat.