blind retrieves

[davie mac]

I have a young lab that I'm training,what i would like to know is, what is the best way to start blind retrieves.

[Al Downie]

Easy - when you're walking with the dog and its attention is elsewhere, drop something out of your pocket into long grass, walk on a few paces and then stop the dog, bring it to heel, then send it back. Once you start to increase the range very gradually, it might also be helpful to send the dog in a direction where wind will blow scent over the dummy to the dog.

[monkeyboots]

davie the way i do it is have your dog walking to heel sit him down let him see you throw a dummy then walk away with him at heel about 20 yards sit him down then tell him back usualy he will remember the dummy and will go back for it i do this along side a fence which helps them run back in a straight line, i keep doing this until i can get the dog going back further and further once he is doing this 100% then i start by dropping a dummy that he hasnt seen while he is walking at heel then walk on about 20 yards then tell him to sit and saying back and as he is now used to the word back he should start going back looking for the dummy

[butcherboy]

Very similar to monkeyboots...

 

Next....Once I have then doing the memory retrieves I then put some dummies in same area that the dog hasn't seen. Then I bring out the dog & let it see another dummy being thrown to the same area. Again, walk away & send it for the memory. Once it comes back send it back to the exact same area and it will find one of the other dummies.

 

I always place several dummies out there as I want the dog to succeed every time at this stage.

 

Next.... just do the same again with no memory retrieve but still in the same area you have practised on so far. Once the dog is doing this confidently you can then do it all over on another area. Don't worry if you have to go back a step in a new area the dog with soon get the hang of it.

[Malc]

davie the way i do it is have your dog walking to heel sit him down let him see you throw a dummy then walk away with him at heel about 20 yards sit him down then tell him back usualy he will remember the dummy and will go back for it i do this along side a fence which helps them run back in a straight line, i keep doing this until i can get the dog going back further and further once he is doing this 100% then i start by dropping a dummy that he hasnt seen while he is walking at heel then walk on about 20 yards then tell him to sit and saying back and as he is now used to the word back he should start going back looking for the dummy

 

That's the way

[davie mac]

Thanks for the help lads

[casts_by_fly]

look up the baseball drill for retrievers. It will give you the fundamentals for casting. Once the dog is casting regularly, then you will be able to handle her/him to the bumper/bird. Plus, a dog that casts regularly is a lot easier to direct in the field when you want it to hunt a specific patch or do something a certain way. For instance, I've had Roxy start ~200 ish yard from me and cast her to the other side of a hedgerow so that on her way back she pushed any game directly to me. Works the same if you're in a big field and want to pin some birds between you and the dog.

 

Thanks

Rick