Retrieving Issue

jroetz · Post by **jroetz** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:33 pm

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster. It appears that I have a retrieving issue with my 6mo GSP. First, some background - Emma has been naturally retrieving dummies and birds (quail & chukar) for a couple of months with no issues. I had progressed to shooting birds over her and she would retrieve them with me back pedalling to encourage her to keep coming to me with the bird and using lots of praise for her.

Yesterday is where the trouble began. For the couple of months, I was using chukar for training, but switched back to quail since they were available again from my bird source. After rock solid points on these quail, I didn't get one retrieve - she would pick them up, drop them, then basically stand over them, with no attempt to retrieve. In my attempt to diagnose the problem, I've come up with several ideas:

1. The switch from chukar to quail has her confused (although she's retrieved quail in the past, but not within the last two months or so).

2. Between my last training session and this one, I was in South Dakota for a last pheasant hunt (Emma was home with my wife). My wife mentioned that she ended up chasing her around the house because she picked up something she wasn't supposed to have.

3. Numbers 1 & 2 put together?

Anyone care to comment? Obviously, I'd like to get her back on track ASAP.

Thanks,

Jason

snips · Post by **snips** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:53 pm

This is a DOG, a young dog at that. They are not robots. Any dog that is naturally retrieving can stop at anytime, who knows why. It happens. Not much you can do about it but encourage them any way you can. If it does not happen they can be FF at some point in time. Maybe she liked Chuker better than quail. Are the quail dusted with any powder? As in 7 dust? Sometimes there is something they just don't like on them. Give her some time and she may get back with it, just be encouraging.

Post by **ezzy333** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:50 pm

I think Brenda is giving you some good info but I would go even farther. This is a 6 mo old puppy that I'm not sure should even be in training at that age. Also, you say this happened yesterday. How can you decide this is a problem after one day? Maybe she bit her tonge or has a sore mouth. Or maybe she decided she just didn't want to. All I'm trying to say is if you make a mistake one day does that tell me you can't or won't ever do it right again? I think puppies get tired of doing the same thing every day for no good reason. Thats why we let puppies and kids grow up before putting them to work. Remember your pup is 3 1/2 years old in human terms. Just a little young to be dependable, problem or not. Let her be a puppy and grow up. Walks in the field and an occasional bird planted you could shoot over her if there are no wild birds would be find, but not repetions every day.

Ezzy

EWSIV · Post by **EWSIV** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:56 pm

Maybe she is teething. . .

Anyway, slow down, chill out, drink a beer, and don't worry about your six month old not retrieveing. If she is pointing and holding, that is all she needs to do (and more than many dogs do at that age). FF when she is two if you have a problem.

Will

jroetz · Post by **jroetz** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:21 am

Not sure about the dust. I'm taking her back out next weekend - we'll try Chukar and see what happens. Also, to answer Ezzy, no, this isn't daily repeptitions. I try to get her on birds about every other weekend or so right now.

Thanks for the advice everyone!!

Jason

Post by **ezzy333** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:16 am

Listen to what people are saying. She is a puppy and if you get her out on birds in several months would be soon enough. Let her play and run and do her thing instead of following what you want to do. SLOW DOWN OR YOU WILL MAKE A PROBLEM.

Ezzy

Post by **kninebirddog** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:32 am

Make sure at this age your making everything fun games helping to get a foundation on her for when she is mature for training

As for not retrieving...Next time when she goes to the bird and is just about to the bird and ready to pick it up turn around and start to walk away slowly ....many times the pup will pick up the bird and try and hurry to figure out where your going with out them

I would not make any issues of retrieving at this stage in her life is a good way to sour a young dog on birds

also when a young dog does have something in theri mouth best thing to do is to get them to come to you and then reward them with a stroke down teh back let them stand there for a second then ask them for the item by gentle rolling it toward the back of the mouth...This will also help letting them know they have dome good and that your not just going to reach down and take away what they have which leads to turning head to play a kind keep away game

mountaindogs · Post by **mountaindogs** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 9:54 am

Well first off I agree pretty much with what everyone else has said. It's fun and games now.
On dog age, I try to remember a few things to help me. A dog is sexually mature usually within the first year. The seven year tool is an average, but your dog ages a little quicker the first year than seven. That said humans sexually mature around 13-14 ( sometimes earlier, which we tend to forget due to culture) and at 6 months you're still looking at a 7-10 year old with tons of variables relating to breed personality etc.... So I have a seven year old Human child whom I find to be pretty smart. Sometime he does things that surprize the heck out of me - good and BAD. I have to remind myself frequently that he's seven. Just becuase he knows something does not mean he remembers it ir does it when I expect. And leaps of intellect sometimes seem to drift away. It's part of being young and disractable and learning. Heck when you age you get the memory loss excuse

but let's try to forget that ...

So play your retrieving games and keep 'em fun. If I expected a game winning goal every time my son played soccer I would be very disapointed, but he tries hard and makes mistakes. Some days he just doesn't play well, or pay attention....

My word of caution is don't overdue the birds when retrieving. Don't use them for yard retrieving much if at all. I play with dummies and toys and such, and will use birds for retrieving when the rules of the game are understood and things go mostly right. Even then IF I use a bird in the yard it's rare usually at the end of the conditioned retrieve training.. Birds are like CANDY. Really good stuff, that i want the dogs to love but not get bored with.

Then again you want to put a young dog on lots of birds in pointing situations. But the retieve is contact. This is the HAVE part and a reward for finding and pointing the bird for you and such. I suppose you have to read your dog to tell.

rds7015 · Post by **rds7015** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:25 pm

Hello all, a newbe to the site. My question would be, has the dog had the basic training? Sit, here ,heel ,whoa ,whistle, hand signal. Why, control. If you cannot enforce a command dont give it.

Jim S

GoldenGirl · Post by **GoldenGirl** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:21 pm

I probably shouldn't jump in here because I am not a field person...I'm just learning alot from these people!

But I am a Behaviorist and a trainer.....obedience and so forth. And I've got Goldens. Anyway...

All dogs go through growing stages...and your dog is in an important one right now. Between 5 - 6 months old is when dogs of this breed size start to "spread their wings" and test the waters, so to speak. It's a totally normal growing stage and her behaviors - although not wanted from you from a training standpoint - are normal.

Just like everyone has said, now it the time to make her retrieving tons of fun! Make her WANT to bring whatever she has back to you. I always tell my clients in Basic Obedience, when training a young dog through normal puppy growing stages, you have to make YOU way more interesting than whatever else they think they may want to do. So making it extremely rewarding to make the retrieve will get you the behavior that you're looking for.

Just my two cents....for whatever it's worth!