Force Fetching a lab

[zdiddy]

im ffn my first lab. I am on day 4 and he will hold on command but wont take on fetch. I know this can be a process, and will come together eventually. Just curious for some helpful input, my biggest question is how I will associate this conditioning with the field.

[3forme]

im ffn my first lab. I am on day 4 and he will hold on command but wont take on fetch. I know this can be a process, and will come together eventually. Just curious for some helpful input, my biggest question is how I will associate this conditioning with the field.

Can I ask what program you are following? You say day 4 he has been on hold, and now won't fetch? Also how old is the Lab?

You need to make sure he is gripping and not containing also you should be using different objects, duration,distractions,walking at heel are all things you will be doing before advancing to ear pinch. You will be forcing your dog to the object with an ear pinch at a later date. Tell us more, are you planning to trial, just hunt, how important is a proper delivery, etc. Once you work this all out on the table you can transition to the yard with a cc

[zdiddy]

well i'm not "following" a specific regiment, I pry his jaw open command fetch and then hold and tap his jaw and repeat hold. He is 15 months and a hunting dog, I mostly want the style. I'm learning as I go. Trying to read the dog a bit not be to hard on him

[gonehuntin']

You're getting into a real can of worms here if you don't know how to ff the dog, where you're going and how you're going to get there. 1) You never "pry her mouth open" for force. You pinch her lips on her front teeth and make her pop her mouth open to take it. When you just touch the uper lilps and she pops her mouth open you know she understands and you can proceed. 2) Next comes the ear pinch. Nearly a book could be written on this, but the best I can tell you is to pinch the ear against the buckle of the collar until she reaches out for the dummy. It's really very involved and if you do a search of previous threads you'll find a lot of info on it. If you don't want to do that, contact Labman and buy Evan Grahams "Smart Fetch" book.

[Lab Man]

I would also consider getting Evan Grahams Smartfetch dvd. Its a 2 dvd set and they force fetch a dog from start to finish. You can learn from the book and then watch it on the dvd. I have them in stock. Good luck

[Doubletuffsetters]

I'm learning as I go. Trying to read the dog a bit not be to hard on him

I usually take mine to the trainer at 7-8 months, but im doing some my own............and the best that you could have done was learn all you could before you started. FF is not something you use the "wing it" method with. I have watched it done to several dogs, studied countless methods from countless trainers, and really did my homework before I even put a dog on the table.

And FF is about putting pressure on the dog......sometimes you have to be hard on it....

[Willie Hunter]

You need to purchase Smartfetch.

[Grange]

As a novice trainer that force fetched my female lab almost 2 years ago now I can say that I learned as much as my dog did. I can also say I took the training harder than she did.

Lessons were never more than 15 minutes long and shorter in the beginning. I had a friends FF journal to look at when I needed to put things in perspective. From the videos I watched I didn't expect to see regression during the training process. There were days when the dog was "fetching" very well and the next session she was like she never had an ear pinch before.

When the process was over it was like I got a new dog. Her retrieving instinct was stronger than ever and her obedience grew by leaps and bounds. She would rather retrieve than eat. One big piece of information I learned was that when I was getting angry it was time to quit. If I tried to continue no matter how in control my dog knew I was upset and that hurt her confidence. Another thing I learned is fun bumpers can be a great stress reliever for both of us.

Good luck and be prepared for set backs.

[zdiddy]

thank you for the last post, I have stopped the process and ordered the dvd.