Natural Retrieve Training Using a "Here" Command

[Higgins]

Here is a 6 month old pup just finishing up his steadiness training. Here he demonstrates a natural retrieve with a pheasant.

http://youtu.be/mcCRR10Hy3A

In reality, this was really just a "here" command. He decided to turn it into a retrieve when he chose to pick up and bring the pheasant.

No pressure, no fetch command and what I got looked like (from a human perspective) a retrieve. What I really got, from the dog's perspective, was not a commanded retrieve but simply a "here" command and a choice not to leave the bird behind.

This method of using the "here" command to teach the retrieve, works well with the dogs that demonstrate above average prey aggression. I sometimes use it as a psychological approach to separate the bird from the retrieve. Really helps these dogs learn to manage their prey drive more efficiently.

The best retrieve you'll ever see, is the one you didn't ask for.

Enjoy,

Brad Higgins
Higgins Gundogs

[DonF]

I've been doing that with Stormy and it work's pretty well. One thing though, if a dog hasn't got natural retrieve in it, it will usually leave the bird. That look's like a shorthair. I've never seen one that wasn't a natural. Squirt and Bodie were tuff and should have been forced. If I have a wing clipped bird, they will run it down and get it back near me, Squirt a lot better than Bodie. But in the water, Bodie will go out, even on a blind and bring back a bird to shore and out of the heavy cover, he figure's if I really want it I can pick it up. Squirt and Bodie are the two worst retriever's I've ever had. But I'm old now and never liked forcing in the first place so I take what they give me. They'll never run comp where a retrieve is require any way. Stormy like's picking things up. Worked with him on a check cord with a retrieving buck some and held him back till he settled down then said his name and off he'd go. Pick it up every time and then "here' and reel him in. His first two shot birds were this week and he did them both pretty well but not finished by any stretch of the imagination.

[Trekmoor]

That sort of retrieve does work well if the pup fancies picking things up. I start pups in that way if a pup shows willing, most do show willing, it's the one's that don't that make a trainer work and think.
Then there are the pups that will pick up cold game and happily bring it to you but not be keen to bring back things like dummies. I don't give that sort of pup any more cold game until they do retrieve dummies happily and keenly because I do not have an all year round supply of cold game.
My present Brittany retrieved cold partridge, woodpigeon and hen pheasants from an early age but my work became difficult when I tried to persuade her to retrieve dummies .....or anything other than cold game.

Bill T.

[Doc E]

Might work well ----- sometimes.
Like when the dog is distracted -- when the dog doesn't want to bring the bird and a myriad of other reasons when a well done FF program would have prevented it in the first place.

I have always had Labs with great "natural retrieve" -- but I guarantee you that all have been and will continue to be FF.

.

[crackerd]

No pressure, no fetch command and what I got looked like (from a human perspective) a retrieve. What I really got, from the dog's perspective, was not a commanded retrieve but simply a "here" command and a choice not to leave the bird behind.

This method of using the "here" command to teach the retrieve, works well with the dogs that demonstrate above average prey aggression. I sometimes use it as a psychological approach to separate the bird from the retrieve. Really helps these dogs learn to manage their prey drive more efficiently.

The best retrieve you'll ever see, is the one you didn't ask for.

Puff the Magic Dragon, retrieved by the sea...

MG

[polmaise]

Here is a 6 month old pup just finishing up his steadiness training. Here he demonstrates a natural retrieve with a pheasant.

http://youtu.be/mcCRR10Hy3A

In reality, this was really just a "here" command. He decided to turn it into a retrieve when he chose to pick up and bring the pheasant.

No pressure, no fetch command and what I got looked like (from a human perspective) a retrieve. What I really got, from the dog's perspective, was not a commanded retrieve but simply a "here" command and a choice not to leave the bird behind.

This method of using the "here" command to teach the retrieve, works well with the dogs that demonstrate above average prey aggression. I sometimes use it as a psychological approach to separate the bird from the retrieve. Really helps these dogs learn to manage their prey drive more efficiently.

The best retrieve you'll ever see, is the one you didn't ask for.

Enjoy,

I am personally not having a dig 'Here' !..Perplexed at your comments however as to what the heck you are saying!...'prey aggression' ,and psychological approach!..''Prey drive'' ?....No pressure or fetch command?.....Honestly the 9 seconds of film just ''blew me away'' :roll:


Brad Higgins
Higgins Gundogs

[MJB64]

No pressure, no fetch command and what I got looked like (from a human perspective) a retrieve. What I really got, from the dog's perspective, was not a commanded retrieve but simply a "here" command and a choice not to leave the bird behind.

This method of using the "here" command to teach the retrieve, works well with the dogs that demonstrate above average prey aggression. I sometimes use it as a psychological approach to separate the bird from the retrieve. Really helps these dogs learn to manage their prey drive more efficiently.

The best retrieve you'll ever see, is the one you didn't ask for.

Puff the Magic Dragon, retrieved by the sea...

MG

You give a lot of very good advice on this forum but this was probably not necessary.

Mike

[crackerd]

Maybe, MJB, maybe not. Just hate it for newcomers to gundog training to happen upon pollyanna notions about "thinking like a dog" and anthropomorphism run amok. What's posited about the "here" command generating a retrieve is the equivalent of a first-baseman generating a 6-4-3 double-play by pounding his mitt before the next pitch as instrumental in having gotten a batter to hit a tailor-made ground ball to short. It's barely, if at all, even ancillary to the action itself.

For how it's really done, read gunndogguy's assertion about training in another of these la-la land disquisitions -

The training and conditioning process leads a dog to the correct behavior through Incrementalism and repetition. Incrementalism, small bits of energy of that do not overwhelm the dog at where ever he is on the training curve. Understanding where a dog is at on the developmental training curve is what 'reading' a dog is all about. Stress both internal and external can hinder a dogs development, developing the confidence of overcoming stress is really what each training session is about.
There are other factors here that are involved.

- that's textbook stuff for how a gundog is trained, through repetition and what he calls incrementalism. Which can be taken to mean advancing a dog little by little for what it's going to face either afield or afield in competition. Especially so in retriever competitions. 99% of the time in field trials, for example, we don't even give the "Here" command (verbally or with a whistle) when the dog picks up one of the three or four birds it will successively retrieve in a typical series. The dog knows its business, it's been trained; why would it need to be reminded either to retrieve or to return with the retrieve to you, the handler? - where else is it going to go, and who else is it going to, with the retrieve?

But have to admit that all this gundog est - remember est and ol' Werner Erhard? - can be amusing as all get out. Unless someone new to training tries it at home and has a predictably deleterious outcome...

MG