kruby01 114 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 I took ruby out this morning my staff x whippet, i had a rabbit skin round a water bottle and she was really excited with it, chased it when thrown, ran straight for it, had a quick sniff and walked off i had a think after a few tries and decided to stuff it with treats, threw it again, she sniffed a bit longer and wandered off again i was out for about 2 hours and she didnt once pick it up Quote Link to post
woz 260 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Tie a piece of string to it and when she goes upto it pull it away..........don't do it for very long.....couple of mins a day......I use rubber rings for drive building....throw the rings so they land end on and roll when they fall flat the prey item (rings) are dead and the dog looses interest...same thing with your rabbit skin..... Quote Link to post
kruby01 114 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 thanks mate i will give that a go but if shes just chasing it and not picking it up she will just run any rabbits back into their holes Quote Link to post
woz 260 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 She's a baby....this is just one piece of the puzzle....your dog has a long journey ahead....increase prey drive..then she will mouth it then your onto retreave training......small steps...... Quote Link to post
bandog 52 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Have u ever used a flirt pole mate I use a old peice of fishing rod then tie some rope or strong string to it then your rabbit pelt to the other end of the strung and whip it around the ground next to the dog he will learn to turn quick and strike but make sure u let him catch the bait a few times keep him interested and happy Quote Link to post
Taz-n-Lily 62 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 (edited) My deerhound X pup is over two years and we haven't done any retrieve work yet. Listen to the lads on here - there is a wealth of experience - some bo**ocks too, but mostly it's good. As already said, keep the training sessions really short. I would concentrate on recall until that is 100% from a good distance away. We do five mins or so twice a day - you can interspace it with walks. The pup doesn't get bored, he's still very willing, and now comes in on command (whistle) from 150 yards away. Yours will be less easy to train - I know because my other dog is a staffie/whippet X. Lovely dogs but a bu**er to train. The high prey drive (it will be high) will develop on it's own, and don't worry about the dog not catching....... Get the recall 100% first - then move on. Lily yesterday on a squirrel scent. Edited February 17, 2013 by Taz-n-Lily Quote Link to post
wuyang 513 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 I start by just throwing what ever, down the hall way in the house, so they have to come back past you and there's no other distractions, then move on from there, lots of teasing and tug of war. Quote Link to post
kruby01 114 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 My deerhound X pup is over two years and we haven't done any retrieve work yet. Listen to the lads on here - there is a wealth of experience - some bo**ocks too, but mostly it's good. As already said, keep the training sessions really short. I would concentrate on recall until that is 100% from a good distance away. We do five mins or so twice a day - you can interspace it with walks. The pup doesn't get bored, he's still very willing, and now comes in on command (whistle) from 150 yards away. Yours will be less easy to train - I know because my other dog is a staffie/whippet X. Lovely dogs but a bu**er to train. The high prey drive (it will be high) will develop on it's own, and don't worry about the dog not catching....... Get the recall 100% first - then move on. Lily yesterday on a squirrel scent. recall is 100%, she is whistle trained for recall and comes back straight away I start by just throwing what ever, down the hall way in the house, so they have to come back past you and there's no other distractions, then move on from there, lots of teasing and tug of war. i have thrown things for her in the house and she does the same but never picks it up, when the other dogs play with a toy she just chases them around but never picks up the toy Quote Link to post
skycat 6,173 Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Tease her with a soft toy: don't ever throw it. She needs to find the confidence to want to grab things: you don't say how old she is: and some pups' prey drive don't kick in until much later. Make sure that you play with her on her own: no other dogs around to distract her or to undermine her confidence. Encourage her to grab the soft toy and play tug with you. Be very gentle: sometimes if an owner's voice is too loud, too threatening, that can put them off too. Sit on the ground to begin with so you don't loom over her. Be very gentle at all times .... and patient. Quote Link to post
kruby01 114 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Tease her with a soft toy: don't ever throw it. She needs to find the confidence to want to grab things: you don't say how old she is: and some pups' prey drive don't kick in until much later. Make sure that you play with her on her own: no other dogs around to distract her or to undermine her confidence. Encourage her to grab the soft toy and play tug with you. Be very gentle: sometimes if an owner's voice is too loud, too threatening, that can put them off too. Sit on the ground to begin with so you don't loom over her. Be very gentle at all times .... and patient. she is 18months mate. thats what i put on another topic that her age wont help but she has the breeds so i thought i will never know until i try Quote Link to post
kruby01 114 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 My deerhound X pup is over two years and we haven't done any retrieve work yet. Listen to the lads on here - there is a wealth of experience - some bo**ocks too, but mostly it's good. As already said, keep the training sessions really short. I would concentrate on recall until that is 100% from a good distance away. We do five mins or so twice a day - you can interspace it with walks. The pup doesn't get bored, he's still very willing, and now comes in on command (whistle) from 150 yards away. Yours will be less easy to train - I know because my other dog is a staffie/whippet X. Lovely dogs but a bu**er to train. The high prey drive (it will be high) will develop on it's own, and don't worry about the dog not catching....... Get the recall 100% first - then move on. Lily yesterday on a squirrel scent. i forgot to mention how similar your dog is to ruby except the colour, i think ruby has more of a bull head though Quote Link to post
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