Force training. Here is a question.

[Steve007]

Here's the story. I have a very nice new 3 1/2-year-old female GWP . Have had her for four months as a house dog, and we have been working away at basic obedience stuff. She is very mentally stable and well socialized, but knew pretty close to nothing. She does not retrieve. So a month or so ago, we started force training.

We do this a little differently than a professional would, but I'm not a professional. Every time we go outside to hit the backyard, we do about 30 -second exercises. We went through a couple of weeks just to get her to hold, and now we're into ear pinch for the last few weeks. I do not use a table, but just work on the ground in the garage before going to the backyard. This means about four brief sessions a day. I have done this with two dogs previously, and both turned into excellent retrievers. But it has been a while!

Right now she is reaching out for the dummy -- actually, a good sized dumbbell-- for about a foot if I am holding it. However, she does not lunge or grab for it, but just reaches out and takes it in her mouth. I will admit that my last dog was brilliantly trained to retrieve and would leap forward at a command. But frankly, I forgot what it was like in the early stages, and he was a hard-driving male of a very different personality . Is this -- a careful reaching out to take the dummy-- a standard step at this stage? I don't care how long this will take, as I'm not a fanatic. But it will get done. I just want to ask for an opinion as to whether this is a reasonable step (not time) in our transition.

[slistoe]

Can’t add much for you having not force fetched any of mine.


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