I have been working all 5 dogs on retrieving this week. The 3 young ones, Boss, Abby and Bodie, I have started force breaking them on the retrieving bench. For Sally and Mann I have been throwing dummies, actually Dokken quail, dove and chukar retrieving dummies. Yesterday, I worked Abby, Boss and Bodie on pigeons hidden in release traps after I worked them on the retrieving bench.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby on point.
Usually, I take Bodie first. Monday I heeled him with a roading harness pulling some chains to the front of my yard. On December the 14th 2021 he leaped into the air trying to catch a pigeon and landed wrong, breaking his left rear leg. He was in a cast for 31 days. I think pulling the chains will strengthen his rear legs. We also work on heeling and whoaing as we traverse the yard.
After he pulls the chains for about a quarter mile we take them off. I heel him to some place boards that I have in the yard. When I’m heeling him and say, “whoa” I keep walking and expect him to whoa. Usually, he does. In the last couple of weeks I can only remember one time that he kept walking with me. I set him back. When he walks onto the place boards I say, “whoa” as soon as he gets all 4 feet on them. I drop the Wonder Lead and keep walking. I return and grasp the Wonder Lead, tug and say, “whoa”. He pulls back without moving his feet. I work him on all three place boards.
After we leave the place boards I have him jump onto the retrieving bench. I pet him and give him a couple of treats. I walk both sides of the bench petting the dogs. When I got back to the start I gave him more treats. I pinched his lips against his teeth and inserted my fingers into his mouth. I’m following the force breaking routine from Tom Dokken’s book, “Retriever Training”. I keep checking the book and noticed that I have been putting my fingers in the opposite side of their mouth than what Tom does in the book. Probably not a big deal but when I changed to what he was doing all 3 dogs fought me.
Bodie jerked his head to the side trying to get rid of my fingers. I held on saying over and over, “hold, hold, hold”. He fought the first three times then he was okay for the next three. That is the reason I walk both sides of the retrieving bench. Just to get them used to being petted on both sides of the bench. When I whoa them I walk out front, to the sides and even behind them.
After Bodie finished the 6 times of holding my fingers I fed him a few treats then set him on the ground. I let him run for a few minutes before putting him back in his kennel.
Bodie on the retrieving bench.
I brought Abby out with the Wonder Lead whoaing her a couple of times before we got to the place boards. I whoaed her on the place boards and tugged on the Wonder Lead saying, “whoa”. She pulled back without moving her feet. I pulled on the Wonder lead and said, “here”. She came to me and we went to the next place board and did it all over again.
After the last place board I heeled her close to the retrieving bench and whoaed her. I petted her then took the Wonder Lead off waved my hand toward the retrieving bench and said, “up”. Abby just started jumping onto the bench last week, without help from me, but she loves it. She jumped onto the bench.
Mann after the pigeon had flown.
I gave her some treats as I petted her. I walked both sides of the bench petting her. I gave a few treats then squeezed her lips against her teeth and when she opened her mouth I placed my fingers behind her canine teeth but on the opposite side than ever before. She tried to move her head away from my hand. I held on saying, “hold, hold, hold”. After a few times she quit fighting and held my fingers. Animals like the same routine. Even small changes are hard for them.
After she held my fingers 6 times I gave her some more treats then set her on the ground. I let her run for a few minutes then put her back in her kennel.
I heeled Boss out with the Wonder Lead. He knows whoa real well but the dogs seem to enjoy doing anything they have been trained to do so I always whoa a time or two before we get to the place boards. On the place boards I tug on the Wonder Lead a few times while saying, “whoa” then say, “here” and have them come to me.
Abby really concentrating on this honor.
When we got close, about 10 yards, from the retrieving bench I whoaed him and took the Wonder Lead off. I petted him for a few seconds then waved my hand in the direction of the retrieving bench and said, “up”, loudly. Boss ran to the bench and jumped on. He seems really proud to do this.
I gave him a couple of treats then petted him as we walked both sides of the retrieving bench. I squeezed his lips against his teeth and when he opened his mouth I inserted my fingers into the opposite side of his mouth than usual. He tried to move his head away. I held on saying, “hold, hold, hold” until he settled down and held my fingers. After a few times he accepted me putting my fingers in his mouth. After the 6 times I petted him and gave him some more treats.
Sally honoring.
I set him on the ground and let him run for a few minutes but he took more. He went off of my place to the west. There is a large farm there where he can run a long way. I toned him and called. I have a chair I usually pet the dogs at near the kennels. I sat for a while but he didn’t come right back.
After a while I got Sally out and heeled her just out of the kennel to retrieve the Dokken quail, dove and chukar. Before I could throw the first one I saw Boss coming back. I told Sally to whoa and put Boss back in his kennel. When I went back to Sally she had not moved. I threw a dummy about 20 yards and Sally started after it. I tossed one of the others to my right and one to my left. When she got back to me with the dummy I had her hold for a few seconds then said, “give”. When she dropped the dummy I gave her a treat. I waved at the dummy on my side and she grabbed it and held until I said, “give”. I sent her for the one on the other side. Sally loves the treats and she works hard for them.
Boss pointing a pigeon in the tree above him.
After she retrieved 3 dummies that I threw long and the two short ones three times I let her run for a while. I have a chair near the kennel that I pet the dogs most of the time when we get back to the kennel. I feed them a couple of treats as I pet them. I want each dog to think they are my favorite. I put Sally back in her kennel.
I brought Mann out and threw the long dummy and one on each side of me. Mann is stressed by the retrieving because he was forced with a heavy hand. I paid to have him force broke thinking it would be quicker than what I could do. He retrieves quail that he sees fall really quickly but he doesn’t enjoy retrieving. I’m trying to change that. When I first started on this exercise his tail was always down. Now after the first series he’s wagging. He doesn’t really care whether he gets the treats or not as long as I pet him.
I threw one dummy about 25 yards and then one to each side and he retrieved them all, 3 times. Some of the time he ate the treats and a few times he just leaned against me while I petted him. By the third time his tail was up and wagging but when I released him to run I could see the tension leave. He’s a happy dog when he can run. After a good run I put him back in the kennel.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
I put 3 pigeons, in release traps, out on the training grounds. After working the dogs on retrieving I let them run for a few minutes and they run but not as hard or animated as when I have birds out. I heeled Bodie out and whoaed him near the 4-wheeler. He stayed on whoa until I got the 4-wheeler started and then he was gone. I followed.
Our wind was swirling around and he missed the first bird on the first pass but seemed surprised by it as he came back from the west. He slammed into a point. I have been trying to get in front of him without him moving. I approached from well off to his side and when I got close he moved. I flushed the pigeon. He doesn’t chase much. After investigating the release trap he went back to hunting.
Since he doesn’t chase much the only fun he gets is from finding the bird and pointing. He should quit moving on his birds as I approach. His second and third birds I got closer but he still moved and when he made the first movement I flushed the pigeon. He will learn. I let him run back to the kennel.
Mann on point with Sally honoring.
Abby and Boss did a good job on their birds. They both are staunch until the bird is flushed. Earlier Abby decided she would get closer to her birds. She pointed then took a step or two. The first time she did this it surprised me because she had been so good for so long. But I kept an eye on her and flushed a few pigeons when she moved. Sometimes, if she pointed with a foot up and then set it down, I flushed the pigeon. It only took a couple of sessions and she’s back to holding her birds.
I have until October to force break these young dogs to retrieve so I have been going really slow. Maybe I will step it up some the middle of next week. They all 3 know to open their mouth before I pinch their lip against their teeth. This is the way they turn the pressure off. The longer I do this the shorter time I will have to do the ear pinch, I hope.