Springer trouble

[joeshaw08]

My springer is a two year old male and im trying to train him to retrieve in the garden before taking him out (worried that he might become a liability!)

 

He's a very obedient dog and listens to commands brilliantly. My only trouble is getting him to bring back pigeons/rabbits to me. He'll find them alright, but instead of picking it up he'll give it a good sniff and then carry on looking for something else, nose to the ground wagging his tail like mad. When i say 'Fetch it' he just gets confused and will either sit next to it, looking at me blankly, or if i call him to me when hes next to the bird he'll come running over without it.

 

He'll retrieve dummies/balls perfectly its just the dead pigeons/rabbits.

 

Anyone have any ideas on how to sort it??

[WGD]

Have you tried going from an ordinary dummy to a dummy with rabbit skin and/or wings tied to it and then progressing to cold game before asking him to pick shot game? That's what I would be trying, gradually too.

 

Someone with more experience than me will be along shortly any may be able to give you a few tricks to try along with this.

 

Good luck.

 

William

[nicholiath]

Whenever you take him out do some retrieves with him before he is allowed to hunt. I had a similar problem with my springer bitch, i also put wings on normal dummies. Good luck it took me a while with my girl.

[ziplex]

I'd be interested to hear on this too, my two Springers were fantastic retrievers, in fact they enjoyed it more than anything, relentless at it they were and my last remaining one will retrieve all day/night if you've the energy to accomodate her!, my GSP on the other hand is first rate at home with anything, ball, dummy, dead pigeon/duck, whatever. Take her out though and she is nigh on hopeless. She'll get after it if thrown whilst walking or made to sit/wait and then given the command but once she's on it she either ignores it, giving it a brief sniff, or she'll pick it up and promptly drop it and carry on about her business. She seems far too interested in other smells/sights when out.