Force Fetch, Which way is easier/better

[Two Bears]

Is the ear pinch easier to train FF to the dog? OR is the toe pinch?

[Dave Quindt]

For effectiveness, they are all about the same.

For efficiency, if this is your first dog to FF go with the ear pinch. Less stuff to mess around with, and you always have the "tools" with you for an impromptu refresher course.

The toe hitch was designed for the pro who's doing a dozen dogs at a crack. Most of the toe hitch guys eventually transfer the dog to the ear pinch anyway.

The one method I would strongly discourage the newbie trainer from using is the e-collar; much too easy to over-do it and really screw the dog up.

JMO,
Dave

[Two Bears]

I started with the ear pinch but just saw the Hickock video and he showed in detail how to do the toe hitch.
The ear pinch is working fine so I will stick with it, was just curious if one was better than the other.

[gonehuntin']

The ear pinch is the only way to go. The toe hitch is cumbersom and hard to reinforce in the field. You can always just grab an ear if you get a refusal.

[BDBUzi]

I mainly used the ear pinch with my dog.
But I found that when it came time for him to reach forward to grab the buck, the toe hitch worked better for us and I got almost immediate compliance as he reached towards the foot had the string attached.
I really only had to give him a few toe pinches before he got the idea about moving forward and we went back to the ear pinch.

Good luck with the process.