How To Introduce More Complex Retrieving And Handling Skills Into Your Regular Training Schedule.
Ian Clinton · 14 Aug 2012 · 5 min read
By now your dog is becoming used to being steady to the thrown dummy and waiting to be sent before retrieving. Once it is comfortable with the distance you can throw a dummy it is time to stretch the distance and develop the dogs memory at the same time. I do this by walking the dog at heel and then sitting it up. I then throw a dummy a few paces away, about turn the dog and heel it away to the distance I require it to retrieve from.
Over time I repeat the exercise and stretch the distance in stages of 5 paces each time. After a while your dog should be used to running out in a straight line in ever increasing distances to retrieve and develop its trust and confidence in you as its handler. I often use a natural straight line to aid this exercise such as a fence, hedge or path through a wood etc. It is also a good idea to use this way to introduce blind retrieves.
I give the dog a seen retrieve as already set out but also introduce an unseen dummy. By association with successful retrieves from this location the dog should readily run out to complete another retrieve. If it stops short and starts to hunt and run off line take it as an indication that it is lacking the confidence to keep going until it locates the dummy.
Remember, go back a stage or two if it starts to go wrong and do not rehearse failure, success follows success so make sure you set up exercises that are completed well.
Another exercise to start introducing is directional commands. More often than not when working your dog in the field you will need to be able to stop your dog hunting and direct it with a series of hand signals into an area of fall containing a bird. Therefore you need to be able to control and direct your dog when it is away from your side. The method I use to teach this discipline is as follows.
Walk the dog at heel and position it in a sit and stay. Walk back at least 10 paces and turn to face your dog. Reinforce the whistle sit and hand signal, this time we are going to teach the dog to retrieve out to its left and your right. Raise your right hand with the dummy clearly on show and give a whistle sit command, the dog will learn to look at the dummy and therefore your hand signal for an extended distance whistle sit. Once the dog is focussed but relaxed in position toss the dummy out to your right and the dogs left to land approximately 10 paces to its left and at 90° to its side. Hold the dog in this position with your right hand raised in the sit stay hand position. When ready to release the dog give a verbal ‘get on’ command and extend your right arm out to your right and take an exaggerated sideways step.
The dog is adept at responding to body language so will quickly learn that these combined hand and body movements mean get out to your left. With the dummy being marked it should readily follow the hand signal and move towards the dummy. Keep the retrieves short and simple and as soon as the dog picks the dummy use the recall to ensure a prompt return. Keep practicing this move until the dog has learnt the hand signal reliably. Once this is established you can start to introduce the retrieve from the opposite side.
Always do this exercise from the extended sit and stay position, after each retrieve heel the dog back to its start place. In time and once the commands are established with 100% compliance you can toss a dummy out to either side and send the dog for a retrieve of your choosing. Sometimes the dog will choose to fetch the last dummy it saw thrown, be careful and try and anticipate this wilfulness, I always get the dog to fetch the first dummy thrown. When it is retrieved I place the dog back in the starting position, toss the retrieved dummy back where it came from and send the dog for the original dummy. On completion of this exercise I sit the dog up and walk out to pick the last dummy thrown myself and therefore remind the dog that not every dummy put out is for it to retrieve.
Add this drill into your training schedule and vary the order in which you complete them, this will keep the dog interested and thinking about what is coming next. Remember to praise the right response and correct a wrong one by going back to the drills the dog understands and knows without fault.
In time and with practice you will have a dog that is steady to the thrown dummy, run out in a straight line and will readily take directions to retrieve, return and deliver to hand. In the meantime if you wish to discuss any matter regarding your dogs training or require new training equipment please take time to visit www.workingdogcompany.co.uk or give Ian a call on 01462 450830.
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