The weather cooperated this week and I was able to work the dogs every day. I’m still throwing a few retrieves for Sally and Mann before I work the young dogs on the force retrieve. Sally likes the treats but Mann is happy to be petted. After a few, usually about 5 retrieves, I whoa them, get on the 4-wheeler, start it and release them to run. We go all the way to the back, turn and come back to the front yard then to the back then to the kennel.
Boss, not happy, but holding the dowel.
Abby, also not happy, but holding the dowel.
Sally racing back with a retrieve. She gets a treat when she does it correctly.
I run all 4 dogs this way when I’m through with their training. When we get to the kennel I sit on a stump that is close and pet the dogs and feed some of them treats. I want each one of them to think they are my favorite.
A friend and I were talking about dogs and how we neither one let them jump from the tail gate to the ground. I, also, don’t let the dogs jump off the retrieving bench. The only place I let them jump from is their dog houses. I can’t keep them from jumping off all day when I’m not there.
My retrieving bench and the tail gate on the truck are higher than their house. When they jump from anything they land on their front legs with a lot of force. For puppies this is especially hard on them since their bones are not fully attached.
Another benefit from always setting them on the ground; years ago I parked on the street in front of a country grocery store as I went in to find something for lunch. I was in the store, probably about 15 minutes. When I came back out one of my dogs was walking around in the back of my truck. The door to his box had come open and he got out.
I put him back in his box with no bad results but if he had of jumped out and ran off I wouldn’t have noticed that he was gone until I got to the next place I wanted to hunt. Then I wouldn’t have known where he got out. But I really believe if he had of been used to jumping down he would have jumped and every thing wouldn’t have been as easy as it was.
Back to the force fetch that I’m doing with Abby and Boss. This week I have started using the e-collar along with the toe hitch. I put the half hitch around their toes as normal but I wrap the string around the transmitter and when I pull the string I push the button on the transmitter. I only use a light stimulation with the e-collar but if they drop the dummy or fail to pick it up I hold the button down, while I pull on the string, until they pick up.
The string around the toes of Boss.
I have six different dummies that I have them pick up from the retrieving bench two times, each session. Working two dogs just reaffirms what I already knew. Each dog is different although they are raised the same and treated exactly the same in each training session.
Abby is tougher and will try me more than Boss does. She will drop a dummy occasionally, knowing that I will pull on the string until the dummy is back in her mouth. When Boss drops a dummy it’s an honest mistake. But I pull on the string and hold the transmitter button down until it’s back in his mouth, too.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Also, we are starting to walk and hold a dummy at the same time. I first tried to get Abby to walk with the dummy and she didn’t want to move her legs. I could drag her and she would finally take a tentative step or two. She didn’t try to drop the dummy. Her mind was on me asking her to move. I had her about half way down the bench when I asked her to move. I turned her around and she was more willing to go back toward the starting place.
Boss was another story. Even the first time I asked him to move he came right with me and almost looked proud to be walking with the retrieving dummy. Any time I change something or introduce something new I start with the dowel. It’s the first thing I had them hold, so it’s familiar to them.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I could, probably, go faster on the force retrieve but I don’t want to put a lot of stress on them. We work on something until they really understand it before going on to the next. With enough repetition you can teach almost anything.