Problem retrieving 12 month spaniel

[Sprocker101]

Hi all,

This is my first gundog/ pet. He's great on the whistle. Stop and recall. However when it come to retrieving the dummy he nearly always lays with it for a few seconds before coming in to me. What can I do to stop this or will he grow out of it? Many thanks

[bi9johnny]

dogs very rarely grow out of things they need repetative training to get it out of them.....when it is about to lay down or stop with the retrieve make a fuss and encourage the dog to keep coming to you....also make sure you dont let your dog pick every retrieve, go pick some up yourself, i always have mine thinking is it my turn or will he pick it himself... you want them at a stage where it is ,pick it bring it back where's the next one keen

good luck

john

[kent]

How long has it been doing this and how long have you been training him on retrieves? If the behavour is not very well established -don't fret, if the period is only a few seconds and doesn't happen every time as you suggest you might need to establish the why and when before you act. Is it the first retrieves or the later ones? could be as simple as predicting it and preventing it by avoiding throwing too many, too long, too short, too soon in the sesion.

One answer is to correct the dog for it, a better one might be avoiding it happening in the first place by out thinking the dog.

[Sprocker101]

Thanks for the replies. He does it when we start, so is prob a bit over excited, I shall try and tire him out a bit before starting. Also I have found that if I go into some cover ie hide behind a bush he normally comes straight in, but if I'm out in the clear he is much worse.

I will take the advise and not give him an opportunity.

Many thanks

[Sprocker101]

Update: just finished a little training. He's definitely great if I 'hide'. My question now is when shall I start being out in the open? Just try it every now and then until he's does it right and if not back to 'hiding'?

Cheers