to hand

[rubyred]

Hi lads my two year old springer will not return game to hand but drops it about two foot away how do i learner to give to hand.

Edited July 17, 2011 by rubyred

[pegleg31]

Will she sit and hold it?

 

Or is it just a delivery problem?

[kent]

You have perhaps been taking it too quickly? do not except dropped retrieves period. Kick it encourage it to pick it up use an extra command like "fetch it up" as it picks it encourage and praise if it drops again "no, bad dog" etc., soon it will get the idea. The whole reason for the extra command is i suspect you have been taking these retrieves a while now and praising the dog, just doing different might confuse it so try and get it to think this as a new adition to the game. Walking backwards as it picks helps, Do you have a command for get in close? if so use it if not teach it one

[rubyred]

Will she sit and hold it?

 

Or is it just a delivery problem?

she want to play with it she wil sit but still wants to play

[pegleg31]

You have perhaps been taking it too quickly? do not except dropped retrieves period. Kick it encourage it to pick it up use an extra command like "fetch it up" as it picks it encourage and praise if it drops again "no, bad dog" etc., soon it will get the idea. The whole reason for the extra command is i suspect you have been taking these retrieves a while now and praising the dog, just doing different might confuse it so try and get it to think this as a new adition to the game. Walking backwards as it picks helps, Do you have a command for get in close? if so use it if not teach it one

 

 

Spot on.

 

Another thing i would try and this is why i asked if she would sit and hold, is to sit her up and place a dummy/game into her mouth and make her sit still holding it.If she spits it out make her hold onto it again if she refuses open her mouth and make her hold it.This can be very trying at first and you'll need a little petience and not give up, but once she starts to hold onto even if briefly praise her.stroke her under her chin without taking the dummy/game off of her so she gets used to your hands being around her and the fact that you're not going to take it straight from her

 

 

Edited to say: once you've placed the dummy/game into her mouth use a command like 'hold him' or something just so she can relate it to something

Edited July 17, 2011 by pegleg31

[cracker]

Do you have a command for get in close?

 

Surely you're joking? A command for "get in close?" "Here!" would pretty much cut to that chase, as the Yanks say, aye? "Here!" which is one of the first three commands a pup learns, along with sit and heel. And it means just what it says - "Here!" - superseding anything else, and also means "Here!" with whatever's in the dog's mouth on top of that.

 

The "conditioned" hold is actually easier than peg's described

 

Edited to say: once you've placed the dummy/game into her mouth use a command like 'hold him' or something just so she can relate it to something

 

You begin a little refrain of "hold" as the dog approaches whilst holding game or any object. That gives the dog a frame of reference for the command, as peg noted. If it drops the dummy or game, you replace and (lightly) tap the dog beneath the chin with another reminder of "Hold!" until it gets the concept.

 

Helps a great deal when you impart "hold" to them v. early on -

 

 

and even better, v. early (12 weeks here) on when they're in the water

 

 

and thus have no choice than to hold if they're returning with a retrieve.

 

MG

[arwen3513]

i agre, teach the dog a hold command, it can be taught with dummy and or game, it doesn't need to follow a retrieve at this stage. just sit in the garden with the dog infront of you and ask the dog to hold giving it a dummy, if he doesn't take it, place it gently in the mouth and give praise and encouragement when they hold and don't resist. this can be lengthened and then tagged onto retrieves.

it all takes time and patience and must never be scolded, for holding anything just taken gently with a release command. this is especially important for anyone with new puppies stealing items to chew.

[kent]

Surely you're joking? A command for "get in close?" "Here!" would pretty much cut to that chase, as the Yanks say, aye? "Here!" which is one of the first three commands a pup learns, along with sit and heel. And it means just what it says - "Here!" - superseding anything else, and also means "Here!" with whatever's in the dog's mouth on top of that.

 

 

It doesn't matter what you say, dogs only associate sounds with actions. The point i was making is many dogs only have what you might call "range recall" ie come into my gereral wereabouts "here" which is what i use means get yourelf in close to my shins and sit, not six feet to one side and have a sniff about etc. Think its the first thing everyone teaches a pup still? If this dog understands the Here command exactly as i descibe rather than "range recall" as i term it it makes things a whole heap easier thats all