fetch

jbr03 · Post by **jbr03** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:58 pm

hey everybody

my 11 week old pointer female is pretty good. i play fetch with her all the time and she brings the ball back 99% of the time. my problem is everytime she comes to me with the ball shes shaking the heck out of it! i mean REALLY shaking it. sometimes it makes it really hard to even grab the ball. shes not running away from me but shes shaking so much i can barely even grab it. i know shes young but i could see how this could be a potential problem in the future. what should i do?

Brian

Pryor Creek Okie · Post by **Pryor Creek Okie** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:04 pm

If she was older I would suggest using one of the Dokken Dead Fowl trainers. They are soft bodied with a hard head and when shaken they basically pop the dog in the face. I used one on my GSP and it worked wonders. I don't know if they make one small enough for an 11 week old pup, though. Something else you might try is simply ending the game of fetch when she starts shaking. Eventually she will put two and two together and her desire to play will outweigh her desire to shake. I would avoid scolding her, because she may think that she's being scolded for retrieving.

birdogg42 · Post by **birdogg42** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:12 pm

I wouldnt worry too much about it. Keep playing fetch with her but i would not chase her or play tug of war (so to speak) with her.

Post by **ezzy333** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:00 pm

Don't worry about it but something I would suggest is do not try to take it from her. Make her hold it while you pet and make over her for a couple of mins and then ask for the ball. Usually by that time they are ready to drop it.

Ezzy

jbr03 · Post by **jbr03** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 10:32 pm

i never scold her or anything like that. i usually wait for her to bring the ball basically to my hand before i even take a step. when i grab the ball ill tell her to drop it. if she doesnt drop it i just take it out of her mouth, sometimes it can be a task to get the ball out. is this pressuring her too much?

birdshot · Post by **birdshot** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:13 am

one thing to look out for on the near horizon, will be your pup losing teeth. i usually suspend fetch play, while they are teething. i had a sled dog puppy that loved to fetch. i thought it was neat to make him carry large chunks of firewood. he broke a tooth carrying a chunk i threw for him one day. he never would fetch again. i was really disappointed because i had dreams of him bringing stove wood in on those three dog nights.

once his permenant teeth are in get one of those dolken dead fowl birds. the dolken dummies discourage shaking.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:42 am

It's not hurting her a bit, she's a baby playing and enjoying what she's doing. Sounds like you're standing up when you throw the ball for her? Try sitting or laying down so the pup will more readily come to you. Don't be in a hurry to take the ball. Let her know that when she brings it to you, she'll get a lot of praise and petting while she prances around with it. When you take the ball to it quickly by putting your fingers behind the ball in her mouth and twisting and pulling it quickly out. Never make a big deal of this and scare her. Later on, force and obedience will take care of any problems that may arise.