Post
by DonF » Thu Feb 20, 2020 12:50 pm
When I tarted Stormy retrieving I just used a training buck with scent on it. Down the road I decided to turn him over to frozen birds and it didn't go bad but, when I tried a fresh killed bird, he wouldn't pick them up and bring them back. He liked pulling feather's but didn't care for holding them in his mouth. Should have forced him but have never enjoyed doing that. Well went to wings off chukar taped to the retrieving dummy. Wasn't to good early on as they were still feather's. So put him on a 20' check cord and did short retrieves with him and pulled him off the dummy pretty quick and back to me. Early retrieves were under ten feet. Well he got to where I could sling that dummy with wings on it far as I wanted into heavy cover and he'd get right to it and bring it back everytime without hesitation. Before Stormy most of my dog's I force broke even though I hated doing it. I'd forgot teaching retrieving doesn't have to be a chore as in forcing, been a hoot going backward with Stormy. One of my excuse's for force was a forced dog never refuse's to retrieve well, neither does Stormy! In fact my first pointing dog, GSP called Hannah was also play trained as was her son Drifter. Neither of them ever refused a retrieve!
Keep the wing's and tape them to a retrieving dummy. Actually, my retrieving dummy's are all home made. I use old shot bags and make some from the leg's of worn out jeans. Use the right filler and they float like a cork!
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!