Force Breaking To Retrieve

I have had Mann at Lion’s Den Kennels in Kingsville Missouri for almost two months, having him force broke to retrieve. I have done the force breaking on some of my dogs but because I can’t shoot birds at my house I was never able to finish them on retrieving the birds I shoot. They will retrieve frozen birds and retrieving dummies yet don’t make the change over to just shot birds.

After I had been as far as I could go with Sally and Tur Bo on the force breaking to retrieve I started working them on a large circle of dummies. I would drop 7 or 8 dummies in a circle then heel each of the dogs around this circle and just before we got to a dummy I would tell them to fetch. When they grabbed the dummy I would get really excited and make a game of it. They had to hold until I said, “give”. I even worked Luke on this exercise. He has been force broke but he’s like the others, he doesn’t retrieve just shot birds.

After we did this exercise for a while I started taking a frozen quail and after they had retrieved each of the dummies I threw the frozen bird. All three of the dogs liked the frozen quail better than the dummies. I did this for quite a while but the dogs still didn’t retrieve just shot quail.

A little while before I sent Mann to Lion’s Den Kennel to be force broke I decided to start working Sally and Tur Bo on a frozen quail each time they pointed a pigeon. I started putting the frozen bird in the release trap with the pigeon but the trap wouldn’t throw the bird very far. A couple of times the frozen bird even landed on top of the release trap.

But I had the dogs hunt dead. After they found the frozen quail I threw it for them several times. We made a game out of it. Then I started dropping the frozen bird as I went in front of the dogs to kick the cover close to the bird in the trap. This worked better.

When the dog pointed I would drop the pigeon, walk in front of them, flush the pigeon and shoot the blank pistol. The dogs would stay steady, mostly. Tur Bo always has to take a step. Then I would tell them to hunt dead. Real quick, they learned to look for a frozen quail. When they brought it to me I would make them hold it for a few seconds then give. I would then throw it for them 3 times. I thought I had invented something.

Each week that Mann is at Lion’s Den, Jim Lyon has me come down and work with Mann as he has been doing. His retrieving bench is similar to mine. It’s built a little stronger and has a lot more use. He has them where they can’t get away. After they get good on the bench he increases the length of the chain and has them right beside the bench where they can’t get away. He does the same thing beside the bench as they were doing on the bench.

When they are doing exactly the same on the ground as they did on the bench he drives a stake in the ground with a pulley that has a rope run through it. He hooks this to the dog and has another rope attached to the dogs collar. He tosses a dead bird near the stake and says, “fetch”. He only says, “fetch” one time. If the dog doesn’t go toward the dead bird he can pull one of the ropes and force him to the bird. If he doesn’t come back he can pull the other rope and bring him to him.

When the dog gets this down he takes his stake to several different places in the area and has him retrieve. Usually, three different places each day so the dog realizes that no matter where he is when he’s told to fetch he is to get something in his mouth and bring it back. When the dog is doing this successfully he takes him to the field.

When they go to the field he hides some pigeons in a release trap and turns the dog loose. When he points, he walks in front, flushes the pigeon, shoots a blank pistol and tosses the dead pigeon along the flight path of the pigeon that is flying away and tells the dog to fetch. When the dog retrieves the dead pigeon he throws it a few times for him to retrieve.

That was a real eye opener for me. I thought I had invented this exercise. That just goes to show you, whatever you come up with in dog training, that works, someone has already tried it, and most likely, perfected it.

Austin Farley and I worked Sally and Tur Bo on a couple of birds and Sally retrieved both of hers and one of Tur Bo’s flew toward a barn full of dogs and we couldn’t shoot both of his but he retrieved the one.

Vince Dye and I took the rest of the quail to a farm and I put out one for Sally and one for Tur Bo. They retrieved them with no problem. Well, Tur Bo’s was a small problem. He doesn’t take any prisoners. He’s a little hard mouthed but he gets them there in a hurry, so I can live with that. He may get better.

Last year I had no retrievers but with Mann I should have 3 retrievers. I’m happy with what I’m seeing Jim Lyon do at Lion’s Den with Mann and he’s also teaching me. In working with different people’s dogs and different people it’s as important to train the people as it is the dog. Jim goes out of his way to do just that. He insists that the owner come down each week and do a hands on drill, the same drill he’s doing at that time, with the dog.

I’ve had some good retrievers in the past and it will be good to once again have some dogs that will retrieve.