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puppy dropping ball


babs2020
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I agree with snow white. 

Don’t give any attention to the dummy/ball just for him coming back with it. Stroking and cuddling him for bringing it back. Never try and grab the dummy/ball or chase the pup. If it drops it ignore the pup, kick the dummy a little and when it is picked up more fuss and praise. 

If you have your back to a fence line, crouch down arms spread and welcome the dog for a cuddle there is no way around and it wants to come in. 

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Stop his retrieving for now, too much pressure too young. You know he will pick up, carry and retrieve so leave it at that for the time being. If he picks anything up and brings it to you give him loads of praise and don’t try and take it off him.

just let him play and be a pup. The minute you make an issue he will play you up. If you must take it off him, walk away and wait until the dog is trotting beside you. Had the same issue with my 7 month lab tonight. Grabbed a pot plant and decided to run around and be silly with it. Just walked away and he popped in beside me, problem solved.

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Funny this but I have always played etch with my puppies from the day they arrive. BUT, initially under controlled conditions and only one or maximum two times. Too late for you I know .    If later on I had a pup 'hang up' and not come straight in I would do as Dave says, walk away and invariably they will come in alongside thinking your leaving them. Then you can make a fuss of them and gently take the dummy. Use whatver verbals you want, they don't speak English but do recognise words, so Good boy/girl, thankyou along with further praise and things should start to get better BUT you have to accept you have slipped up somewhere along the line for it to get to this stage.

Too much too early or just too much.  A couple of retrieves was all I would give my pups and after that they had what freedom I let them have.

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The problem with leaving it now is that your pup has started spitting out the retrieves, so unless you show it the correct way of doing it, it might continue to do it the wrong way. 

What I would do it stop doing retrieves out in the country, and start in your hallway or corridor thats very narrow. Lie down on the floor, get the dog to run out 1-2 times and come back and if you lie down on your back the pup should jump all over you. Get the pup excited and love coming back. Don't take anything of it at first and see if this works. 

 

My pup is about 5 1/2 months sort of (I forget to be honest). He became a ****** for spitting out stuff he brought back. I wasn't worried about it was he is very young, but I didn't let it continue as any behaviour you let go on and on and on can become habit.

 

I went and saw a top trialling lad and judge I know and discussed it with him and he said he gets even his young pups to just sit on a place board in front of him, once it will sit steady on the board, he will teach it to hold something and just sit on the board. He will then get it to step just 1-2 steps onto the board holding something. 

 

I gave the place boards a go and they worked pretty well, mine will now come into a board and sit head up holding onto a ball or small dummy no problem (before he would sit on the board and spit it out over and over), and now without the board will come back and sit by me holding a ball.

He does on times still circle about me in a state of pure joy. I just take this as immaturity and laugh at time, ignoring when he is messing about but giving him lots of praise and positive attention when he does it right. 

I must stress that I did this very infrequently however, maybe doing little exercises on the board for 5-6 repetitions which took less than 2-3 minutes, then I would put the board away for 2-3 days. 

 

At that age I am not training, I am just moulding the behaviour that I want to see. If the dog isn't doing it right or doing what you want, MAKE IT EASIER. Break it down into steps that are so stupidly easy that the dog cannot do it wrong, then slowly creep forward, over a matter of time you'll be doing it no problem :) 

 

 

 

As above however I have done very little and found this pup to be much bolder and jollier than my older dog was. Lots of his exercise I will just take him up a big field and let him run around, or up the woods, let him run with the older dog to build his confidence or other times just with me. He has only just learned to sit and wait for his dinner which he picked up very quickly, and general manners, he will sit in the back of the car after I open it up as I do not allow them to jump out unless told to, as stops them getting run over. Same as when I open the door to go outside, wait until your told to go out. 

 

I am trying to hold off any more formal training for another couple of months :)

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13 minutes ago, babs2020 said:

great will give this a go  llyod thanks its hard with your 1st dog   to see were your going wrong 

 

One of the worst things I found mate, was even know if what you are doing is right. Have no idea if you done it right or if what your doing will cause problems later on. We all live and learn mate. 

 

I found the Dave Lissett's DVD's excellent mostly for training my first one, but he don't really show you how to get back on his track if things don't go right for you like they did for him lol. 

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hell  slow  down  you have two to two and a half years to refine training    bond first      play and trust        5 or 10 min a day once or twice a day training    using the wind   refreshing last weeks training      keep them guessing  5 min or 10 min  from home  turn right or left get in the car going left ot right  sometimes basic training the most important        obedience   a no go   go home         and your dog trust in you as a handler cant fail using the wind  ever it must find  one dummy out of ten hence you told it its there   its a win for you       search an area found nothing  then throw a dummy in   you were right   i found one a confidence booster     they must never fail on your instruction or command        its a trust thing your dog must trust you      hence takes direction rather than self employed      the genetics bread in hunt retrieve       you breed in obedience slowly    go slowly  even slower  you will be proud    obedience  is key         hunt and retrieve they do from birth     you train obedience       but also watch your dog and know when to shut up and let them work  its your job to put them in the right place using the wind they turn in and you  shut up  every time        their nose is on sent      when they go on scent and if you watch you will know say      there     there     there    there     there    there         they will search an area to retrieve a kill       keep them guessing you are gaffer  play tricks like hide and seek  send them on a given retreive while you run as fast as you can away  lie down in the grass they retrieve  and gets a ton  of fuss they will bring anything back         they can find and retrieve     you have to nurture  obedience 

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I must be extremly lucky - my (rescue) Springer was barely 6 months old when we first got him, as soon as we got him home I let him out in the garden after the car journey home. My eldest daughter rolled a ball passed him as he was looking nervous, in the hope of distracting him, and he duly ran to it, picked it up then returned it to her hand. He has done the same now for 6 years - hold out your hand and he will place the ball in it, even a stranger.  

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10 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

I must be extremly lucky - my (rescue) Springer was barely 6 months old when we first got him, as soon as we got him home I let him out in the garden after the car journey home. My eldest daughter rolled a ball passed him as he was looking nervous, in the hope of distracting him, and he duly ran to it, picked it up then returned it to her hand. He has done the same now for 6 years - hold out your hand and he will place the ball in it, even a stranger.  

 

'Lots do it naturally but people often train the dog to have bad habits without even realising. Every experience a dog has is learning and training it, without us even thinking. People telling off dogs for stealing shoes, snatching things off it that it's not supposed to have and then wonder at times why it won't retrieve.

 

What's worse is, your wife and kids might spend all day telling off a pup for the above, and you don't even know it's happened, then can't account for why it does something a certain way ... 

 

Sometimes a pup just drops it without any of the above having taken place, it just needs a bit of encouragement or moulding.

Often dogs that will drop dummies or balls won't drop birds when they're on to game, so wouldn't worry about it too much. 

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