how to retrieve

[roadkill]

I seem to have come to a stopping point , My dog finds it hard to retrieve once the ball goes out of site , even if the grass is just a tad long then it never finds it and is looking at me as if i still have the ball , i dont want to move onto the dummy until i have sorted this but out . I have tried to sent the ball with my spit and let her smell it but still no joy. How do i move on from this stage ?

 

The dog is a lab bitch just over 6 months old

 

cheers roadkill

[Sprocket]

Have you tried teaching her the "lost" command? At 6 months everything should be a game for her, try rolling the ball a short distance into the long grass so that she can see the entrance point, when she is actually on the spot, give her chance to hunt for it and use the"lost,lost,lost" command, if she still has trouble, hover your hand over the ball and repeat the lost command again until she finds it - at which point give her loads of praise. It is vital that she finds the ball when given this command so if necessary,Descretely drop it in a spot that she can find it -But make sure she doesn't see you place it there. She will soon learn that when told "Lost" she needs to use her nose to find an object.