I have started the English setter puppies, Mann and Babe, on the retrieving bench. I use the retrieving bench mainly for a loving bench and get all of my dogs on it, occasionally. They all really like the bench. The older dogs I have force broke but I have never had quail to finish them. All of the older dogs hunt dead real well but don’t, necessarily, bring the bird to me. Sometimes they do
Babe with a dowel in her mouth.
Tur Bo retrieving a buck.
Tur Bo with a frozen quail.
Each year I say that I will finish them on the retrieve. This is a new year and I will finish all of the dogs on the force retrieve. Maybe.
The last time I ran Babe she went deer hunting for a while. So I haven’t let her off the long check cord since. The last few days I have been working both pups on “here” as well as “whoa” then I put them on the retrieving bench.
I brought Babe out of her kennel with an e-collar around her neck and she was pulling a 50′ check cord. I whoaed her a few times and walked around her and out front. I heeled her farther and whoaed her. I took the check cord and pulled it out to it’s end. I hit the tone button on the e-collar and pulled her to me. She learned the routine quickly and wanted to come before I called her. She wanted to self release from the whoa command. I quit pulling the check cord.
I whoaed her and walked about 50 feet in front of her and when I turned she started to me. I raised my hand, palm toward her and said, “whoa”. She stopped. I hit the tone on the e-collar and called her to me. She hesitated for just a second then came in a dead run.
I started whoaing her, walking out front and raising my hand saying, “whoa” as I turned around. This worked better. She waited for me to hit the tone as I dropped my hand to my side. She came in a dead run.
After a few times I put her on the retrieving bench. I walked her back and forth, petting her. While I pet them I let them smell my breathe, when I’m happy. They enjoy that. They don’t like to smell your breathe when you are unhappy.
I clipped her to the chain that is on a wire that runs the length of the retrieving bench. I opened her mouth, placed a one inch dowel behind her canine teeth, closed her mouth on it, holding my hand under her chin and said, “hold, hold”. When she quit fighting the dowel I said, “give” and held the end of the dowel until she removed her mouth from it.
The first time I only had her hold the dowel three times. She has now been on the bench 4 times. It’s easier to open her mouth and she holds the dowel without fighting, most of the time. The last time she was on the bench I put the dowel in her mouth 6 times.
I set her on the ground. She usually doesn’t get very far away from me when she’s pulling the long check cord. I turned her loose to run. She stayed close for a little while then started toward her favorite deer woods. She was about 50 yards away when I hit the tone on the e-collar, knelt down and called her to me. She turned and when she saw me kneeling down, she came in a dead run. I held the check cord and heeled her back to the kennel.
I heeled Mann out pulling the long check cord with an e-collar around his neck. I whoaed him a few times and walked around him. I whoaed him and walked about 50 yards ahead of him. I raised my hand like a traffic cop and told him to whoa. I hit the tone on the e-collar, dropped my hand and said, “here” as I knelt. He ran to me.
Mann pointinmg a chukar.
I heeled him around the yard repeating the here command 4 or 5 times. When we got close to the retrieving bench I had him jump on. I always use the “up” command when they jump onto the bench. I walked him back and forth petting him.
This is also his fourth time of having a dowel placed in his mouth and me expecting him to hold it, with my help. I opened his mouth and placed the dowel right behind his canine teeth, making sure that his lip wasn’t between the dowel and his teeth. I kept my hand under his chin telling him, “hold, hold”. After a few seconds I said, “give” and held the end of the dowel until he moved his mouth off the dowel. They learn “give” quicker than “hold”, it seems. After 6 times I put him on the ground.
Mann stays with me but I need to use the “here” command in a lot of different places. We went toward the back. When he got about 50 yards from me I hit the tone on his e-collar, said “here”, and knelt down. He wheeled around and came to me. I petted him a lot. On the way back to the kennel I repeated the here command a couple more times. I put him in the kennel.
I put 7 retrieving dummies, of assorted sizes and textures, in a line in front of the kennels, so all of the dogs could watch the others doing this exercise. I heeled Luke out with an e-collar around his neck. Luke will be 9 years old soon and he’s been through my force breaking to retrieve class. He’s like the rest, it shocks me when one of them retrieves. I’m going to change that this year.
Sally pointing a pigeon.
I heeled him to the first retrieving dummy and said, “fetch”. He picked up all of the retrieving dummies and carried them until I took them from him. I don’t walk right down the line picking the dummies up. I heel the dogs at a right angle, say “fetch” when we get to the dummy and walk away from the line. I stop and have them hold for a few seconds before saying, “give”.
When we got through with the retrieving dummies I whoaed him. I had a frozen quail. I tossed it and said, “fetch”. He ran out and picked it up and brought it to me. He dropped it as soon as he got to me. I told him to fetch and he picked it up. I said, “hold” and he held it until I said, “give”. I tossed it for him 4 or 5 times and after the first time he held it until I said, “give”. I let him run for a few minutes then put him back in the kennel.
I brought Tur Bo out next. Tur Bo never does anything slow, except heel. If he was in charge, he would heel really fast. When he’s about 10 feet from the dummies I say, “fetch” and he grabs them and sometimes runs a circle around me then sits in front of me holding the dummy. He holds until I say, “give” then drops the dummy in my hand.
I only tossed the frozen quail for Luke but I threw it as far as I could for Tur Bo. He is fast enough that he can almost catch the quail before it hits the ground, but not quite. I threw the frozen quail 5 or 6 times then let him run for a few minutes before putting him back in the kennel.
4 quail and my W. R. Pape side by side..
Sally was next. She is probably closer to being a retrieving English setter than the others. When I have her pick up the retrieving dummies she holds them better as we walk around until I tell her to “give”. She, occasionally, will retrieve a bird when we are hunting. Especially, when another dog tries to get a bird that she has picked up. She would rather I had it than another dog.
After the retrieving dummies I threw the frozen quail for her. She likes this game better than the dummies. I can throw it as far for her as I throw for Tur Bo. She’s not as fast as he is but she gets there quickly and sits in front of me until I take the frozen quail. After 5 or 6 retrieves I let her run for a few minutes then put her in the kennel.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to do what I’m doing with the older dogs and they enjoy doing it. I enjoy doing it as well. So maybe this is the year when I will get all of my dogs to retrieving. Time will tell.
Babe on whoa, waiting to come to me.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Babe pointing a pigeon.