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Lack of interest in dummy when out


ziplex
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Anyone care to advise on this?........my GSP is fine at retrieving a dummy at home, both indoors and out from the garden, (about 150ft approx), whether it be by sight or blind. Problem occurs when out and about as she shows little interest in dummy/ball?! I know being a youngster she tends to get easily distracted but i've tried various without too much success. Her recall and sit/stay/heel are coming on well but the retrieves only seem to work well at home. If, at home, I use a dummy with pigeon wings wrapped onto it she enjoys it to the point that she salivates while waiting to be sent, take her out with the very same dummy, throw it and she runs up to it and more often than not carries straight on past, giving the dummy just a cursory sniff. She has been an enigma to me for sometime, what with having Springers before, but this just doesn't make sense.

 

Your thoughts appreciated...... :thumbs:

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Seems daft but works.

 

Get her to sit and stay

through the dummy

walk up and get it yourself

walk back with it so she can see it

repeat 2 or 3 times

then let her have ago. (sit her, throw, retrieve)

 

This was a carbon copy example of my lab at 6 months.

 

Always best to let them have 15 to 20 mins at the start of any training session to have a quick play and relief themselves.

 

Keep us posted

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Guest stiv24

It sounds to me like there are lots of new smells on the ground when your out. Remember to let the dog have 5 mins to have a sniff around and do his business before you start the training.

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to an extent I think its a pointer thing, they aren't as natural retrievers as Labs and springers etc, (personally I think its because they're more intelligent) so if there is anything else to take their mind off it then they will ignore the dummy. Mine has a limited boredom threshold dummy wise the first few will be retrieved nicely then ignored or run round with. Perseverance i think is the key as well as making it fun and to an extent doing more in the garden and house before going elsewhere

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Ziplex,

 

Did you start this puppy as soon as you got her in the hallway with a balled up sock or ball. What I mean is did you sit in a hallway and get her fired up over an item, then toss it forward for her to case and retrieve?

 

Pointers very seldom have a natural retrieve and the best way to make one is to start them as puppies, giving them as many as they like. With pointers they have to decide that they like it and it is fun. Out of all the pointers I bred and trained only the ones started in this manner were retrieve crazy.

 

If you did not start her in this manner and are having problems with the retrieve then you need to step back and try to increase her desire.

 

Let me know what a typical training session is and I will see if i can help.

 

NTTF

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Thank you for the replies, with respect to some of the points made she always has some excercise before trying retrieves and was taught to retrieve whilst a pup,(NTTF: not as you describe though, not fired up for it). She is fairly well faultless whilst home but too pre-occupied it seems when out. I'll throw the dummy, (tryed sitting her first aswell), but when told to get after it she runs up, quick sniff and carries on. I've tryed throwing it over her bonce whilst going away and coming back but she shows little interest....i'm quite sure if she could utter a word she'd call me a ****, the look and body language I get gives me the impression she is utterly uninterested. I have stuck with a canvas dummy complete with pigeon wings which she is mad for at home, in fact she'll retieve anything at home, old glove, old boat bouy, various balls, old slipper, brush head, etc. She will often bring in the most obscure object from outside too and insist you throw it for her, (a miniscule piece of stick for example, last thing was a frog skeleton),...she literally throws it in my lap and is very keen to retrieve it and return to hand.

 

Lovely dog but very strange is Bree :lol:

Edited by ziplex
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Ziplex,

 

First off sorry I have been awhile getting back to you, I have been tied up with Doctor appointments this past two weeks and running way behind.

 

When she is ignoring the dummy, does this happen on the way out , or the way home on the walk?

 

Are the wings on your dummy old, or fresh?

 

Do you have different kinds of wings available to you .... pheasant, quail, chucker?

 

NTTF

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Ziplex,

 

First off sorry I have been awhile getting back to you, I have been tied up with Doctor appointments this past two weeks and running way behind.

 

When she is ignoring the dummy, does this happen on the way out , or the way home on the walk?

 

Are the wings on your dummy old, or fresh?

 

Do you have different kinds of wings available to you .... pheasant, quail, chucker?

 

NTTF

 

Don't apologise, you're help is always appreciated, however late....it's helped previously. She is more interested in getting her nose down and ignoring it generally, she's always been difficult to recall because of this habit, however that is more or less sorted now. The wings are quite old I must admit so I imagine i've been a little ignorant in that respect and should get some fresh ones! Just this last few nights i've been 'winding her up' a little before sending her out....'fired up' was how you described it I think and this has helped, she's been more interested and is less inclined to ignore it, but how much stimulating her interset is safe before she wants to tear it up? On the issue of way out or way home i've tended to let her let off some steam before attempting retrieves so neither really, if that makes an ounce of sense :good:

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ziplex

another method you could try is take another dog with you , that does pick up , this inturn will hopefully make her a bit jealous so causing the reaction that she needs to get there and pick the dummy up , if that works then slowly as she gets more interested in picking up away from home you can start to steady her up and take the other dog away, if this does not suffice you may just hav to resort to using dead game either rabbit or pigeon

if using pigeon then you must put a string around it or elastic band as this keeps the wings folded in and stops her getting a mouthfull of feathers , pigeons are best used frozen as this will get her used to cold game before you try her on warm and also means you can put it back in the freezer for the next session , and further sessions after that,

some dogs never take to dummys that well in a strange enviroment (ie away from home)

ATB

th

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ziplex

another method you could try is take another dog with you , that does pick up , this inturn will hopefully make her a bit jealous so causing the reaction that she needs to get there and pick the dummy up , if that works then slowly as she gets more interested in picking up away from home you can start to steady her up and take the other dog away, if this does not suffice you may just hav to resort to using dead game either rabbit or pigeon

if using pigeon then you must put a string around it or elastic band as this keeps the wings folded in and stops her getting a mouthfull of feathers , pigeons are best used frozen as this will get her used to cold game before you try her on warm and also means you can put it back in the freezer for the next session , and further sessions after that,

some dogs never take to dummys that well in a strange enviroment (ie away from home)

ATB

th

 

Thanks TH, i've tried the above as I still have one Springer who is an absolute demon at retrieves.........it's like she lives to retrieve, (in fact i'm sat here now like an idiot throwing a ball that she'll still be after 'til 3 in the morning if I had the stamina) When out the GSP will go after it to prove a point that she's much quicker but loses interest quickly and gets back on to something else. The dummy always has wings strapped on with laccy bands as you suggest.

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Why dont you take her to place where there is nothing interesting to sniff at like a huge car park. The only thing she will find interesting is the movement of the dummy hopefully.

 

Another thing is you can get Some of this, theres a hole range of scents out there if you look, she might find different scents more interesting.

 

Df

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Ziplex,

 

Do you have any frozen birds, or access to any? Pigeons will do redleg or pheasant would be better.

 

NTTF

 

NTTF........not any in the freezer at present, will be able to get some pigeons soon enough, pheasant doubtful to be honest...care to enlighten me?

 

As an aside, she does show a great deal of interest in birds, be it duck or pigeon that have been freshly shot when i've returned home with them after a shoot...been a while since i've been out though.

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Ziplex,

 

Do you have any frozen birds, or access to any? Pigeons will do redleg or pheasant would be better.

 

NTTF

 

NTTF........not any in the freezer at present, will be able to get some pigeons soon enough, pheasant doubtful to be honest...care to enlighten me?

 

As an aside, she does show a great deal of interest in birds, be it duck or pigeon that have been freshly shot when i've returned home with them after a shoot...been a while since i've been out though.

 

Part of what you are facing is a lack of interest in retrieving.....not uncommon in pointers........part of the problem may or may not be how you introduced her to retrieving. To regain some interest when out in the field......where there is so much more going on then just a dummy.......I would try doing a few retrieves with dead birds.

 

If using pigeons start off with then in a body sock .....get some cheap nylons.....to keep her getting a mouth full of feathers as they pull easy. Keep the birds in a freezer between training sessions, but thaw completely for sessions, so pull the night before. Also when transporting to and from keep in a cooler with cold packs.

 

If this works and she readily retrieves the birds you will be able to reintroduce the dummy by mixing it in with the retrieves say 3rd or 4th session and gradually phasing out the birds.

 

NTTF

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Why dont you take her to place where there is nothing interesting to sniff at like a huge car park. The only thing she will find interesting is the movement of the dummy hopefully.

 

Another thing is you can get Some of this, theres a hole range of scents out there if you look, she might find different scents more interesting.

 

Df

 

To be honest DF she'll find something interesting!....little mare she is, but I may well give it a try.

 

Ziplex,

 

Do you have any frozen birds, or access to any? Pigeons will do redleg or pheasant would be better.

 

NTTF

 

NTTF........not any in the freezer at present, will be able to get some pigeons soon enough, pheasant doubtful to be honest...care to enlighten me?

 

As an aside, she does show a great deal of interest in birds, be it duck or pigeon that have been freshly shot when i've returned home with them after a shoot...been a while since i've been out though.

 

Part of what you are facing is a lack of interest in retrieving.....not uncommon in pointers........part of the problem may or may not be how you introduced her to retrieving. To regain some interest when out in the field......where there is so much more going on then just a dummy.......I would try doing a few retrieves with dead birds.

 

If using pigeons start off with then in a body sock .....get some cheap nylons.....to keep her getting a mouth full of feathers as they pull easy. Keep the birds in a freezer between training sessions, but thaw completely for sessions, so pull the night before. Also when transporting to and from keep in a cooler with cold packs.

 

If this works and she readily retrieves the birds you will be able to reintroduce the dummy by mixing it in with the retrieves say 3rd or 4th session and gradually phasing out the birds.

 

NTTF

 

Will try this NTTF, I have encouraged her to retrieve pretty well since I got her home as a pup and she's always done well but perhaps I should of gee'd her up a little more. It's plainly obvious she isn't as mad/keen interested in retrieving as the little springer is, she is utterly obsessed with it...horses for courses I suppose.

 

Thanks for the input gents. :good:

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