Lab doesn't seem to want to pick up duck etc

[WinchesterDave]

My Red lab is about 16 months old, he is our first dog and is probably a bit behind. However he can sit, wait, heel, lie down and retrieve dummies well.

Introduced him to a duck this morning and didn't want to know! Just sniffed at it when I sent him to retrieve it.... Any ideas what I can do?

[brettguise]

Have you gone from dummies to duck? Always start from dummies and slowly introduce game.

 

Approx order

 

-Rabbit skin dummy

-Winged dummy

-Cold pigeon in stocking (avoids feather spitting)

-Pheasant/duck

-Warm rabbit or pheasant or duck

-Warm pigeon (feathery)

 

Some dogs will transition quickly, others will need a bit of encouraging. Take the ducks wings off and strap them to your dummy. Then casually play with the dummy whizz it around making a noise hyping her up then throw it out. Forget steadiness let her think its absolutely amazing to retrieve that dummy with the wings. Once she has done it a few times back to serious and go from there moving on to cold game.

Edited September 3, 2013 by brettguise

[WinchesterDave]

Thank you very much for that advice I will try it out!

Dave.

[Paul@Ribchester]

That's very good advice, stick with that and make it fun.....!!

[rimfire4969]

Good advise above, putting a bird in a stocking worked with one of mine, when she was retrieving it no problems i cut a hole and pulled one wing out to get her used to the feathers then the other wing and finally removed the stocking altogether. She continued retrieving without any further problems.

 

You have to make it fun.

[kent]

Another tip, if the dog hesitates and sniffs on cold game next first time round after doing the wrapped dummies thing blow recall straight away and it should stop thinking about it and pick the thing! Its also good to Engineer a good fast return (whatever floats your dogs boat on that one)

[-Mongrel-]

Bird wings strapped around a favourite dummy worked well for me as part of the transition. We went dummies, rabbit skin, wings round a dummy, cold bird in a stocking, cold bird, warm bird, RUNNER!

 

The last one was unintentional, it was dead when I sent her for it, but it didn't realise it! It scooted, she just looked at it, looked at me in astonishment and then responded to my urges to get on and nailed it. That was the final hurdle, she will now retrieve anything!

[mudpatten]

All good advice. Consider doing the above with a second, trained, dog in attendance.

 

Sometimes the element of jelousy/competition will help your dog over this small pschological hurdle.

[WinchesterDave]

Thank you all for the sound advice that's much appreciated!

[The Ghost]

Always nice to have another older dog with you if you meet any problems in training, once you get the older dog to bring back three or four times after you throw it....your dog should be going daft to have a go to get a reward.

I have known Labs trying to retrieve a deer for it's owner just to get a 'thank you' as said above stockings are great for birds like pigeon and more so crows.

[kent]

Always nice to have another older dog with you if you meet any problems in training, once you get the older dog to bring back three or four times after you throw it....your dog should be going daft to have a go to get a reward.

I have known Labs trying to retrieve a deer for it's owner just to get a 'thank you' as said above stockings are great for birds like pigeon and more so crows.

my lab will not retrieve any corvid, yet I have used them many times on others. when I pushed the issue he took to putting them down and peeing on them to get his point across. On the other hand he will even have a go at a 1/4 full bulk bag of sand and large branches etc. its not unkown by any stretch that a dog refuses its first few dead things, in deed I might expect it if it wasn't brought up with the smell, sight and feel of such things

[-Mongrel-]

I won't use my dog on crows. Not prepared to risk her sight if it turns out to be less dead than it initially appears.

 

I do have to say that I have never tried or seen anybody who has, I can't confirm it to be a definite risk, but, they do go for the eyes, and they do attack big lumbering oafs trying to pick them up, so I have no doubt they'll peck at the dog.

[kent]

I won't use my dog on crows. Not prepared to risk her sight if it turns out to be less dead than it initially appears.

 

I do have to say that I have never tried or seen anybody who has, I can't confirm it to be a definite risk, but, they do go for the eyes, and they do attack big lumbering oafs trying to pick them up, so I have no doubt they'll peck at the dog.

 

I only use confirmed dead, mainly used cold. The stories I believe coz although I haven't seen it done to a dog, its happened to me on the hands a few times- they play dead. I did once keep a crow for a while that the dog brought back very much alive, it was pure nasty

[brettguise]

Very good point about the crows, they are nasty and most certainly never send a dog in unless you know 100% that the bird is dead. The same for squirrels. They can give a nasty bite if they aren't dead.