newbie question

[ffjoel7]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and i would be grateful for advice from people who have experience w/ bird training. I have an approximately 3 yr old lab mix, and i've been working on force fetching w/ him for about 3 weeks. Id like to teach him to be a great gun dog, but i want to make sure i'm doing it the correct way. I've been using training from Freddy Kings you tube videos, and the dog is making great progress so far. Ive used the ear pinch to encourage him to "fetch", and he responds well. I've been keeping sessions short, and giving him praise when finishing. I'm having trouble progressing from the table to the ground. I have tried to transition from ear pinch to a very low stimulation on his E colllar, but he doesn't have much of a "drive" to retrieve the dummy. I'm not sure what the best way to go about training from this point. He has a great hold on the table and will respond if i use the ear pinch on the ground, but how do i get to where i can throw a dummy and tell him to "fetch" it w/ success?

Thanks so much for the help

[Del Lolo]

Forget youtube and get on a good modern program.

[DonF]

Did you have him move on the table to get the object? If you didn't, why do you think he would on the ground? The only FF tape I've ever seem was delmar Smith's years ago. I have no idea what they say today. But with Delmars method everything had to be finished on the table before going to the ground and then you start all over again on the ground.

[EvanG]

Forget youtube and get on a good modern program.

THIS! You Tube videos can be somewhat helpful. I have around 40 of them. But they are not programs in and of themselves. They are snapshots of training techniques at best. They are meant to provide insight, not replace a program. Do yourself and your dog a favor.

Click image for video

While you're at it, get the best. http://www.evan-graham.net

EvanG

[ffjoel7]

I worked on the table for about two weeks, and I'm continuing to work there. I was under the impression that the transition would only take 4-5 days. I went ahead and purchased Evan FF, so thanks for the advice

[SpringerDude]

Glad you got the video series. The bad part of reading books with time perspectives is that not all dogs are going to progress at the same pace. The progression is usually very good. The steps in each progression is in the right order. But the dogs move at different paces. Keep the steps in order and the time line will take care of itself.