Retrieving Problem

[Bobba_fett 117]

Hello,

 

I have a 4 and a half month old gwp bitch, I've just started doing a bit of retreving and getting it used to walking on a lead.

 

I know she is still young but I am having a problem with her coming back to me with the puppy dummy.

She will Go out and pick it up and just run off and sit and chew it. Iv tryed walking away and she does follow be is very unwilling to bring it anywhere near me. Any tips on this would be greatly apreciated , also what are your thoughts about lead work at this age?

 

Should I just leave the lead work for now or should I just get her used to walking with the lead (as she is like a wild animal when I put her on it for the first time today) or should I carry on with the lead work and go on to walking to heal?

Thanks, Tom

[whitefeet4190 1,728]

I wouldn't be doing any of this for another couple of months

Atb

[dee mac 579]

Try and make it a game a tennis ball bounced down a hall way or entry as someone already said and you ll find she ll take a real zest in running after and trying to catch it as it bouces and rolls once she learns that she can't chase it till she brings it back got you to throw then it's a small way in getting her back to hand with her retrieving but they will test you when my wire haired was 12 months he was retrieving perfect everytime then for no reason he started acting the maggot running about and being a twat so I layers off the retrieving just a couple at end of his exercise few weeks later he was back at himself no probs they will put years on you but worth it in long run when all starts falling into place

[Bobba_fett 117]

cheers, for the replays. i'll try the tennis ball in a confind area and see how i get on. what do you think of doing some heel work?

[dee mac 579]

Time enough very young yet for heel work I would think let her be a pup for time being everything should be fun for her at this stage tennis ball sitting for her food voice recall etc and when she does good loads of praise

[Philluk 181]

I wouldn't use a tennis ball at this stage, its soft and they can bite it, its not that its soft that makes them bite it its the fact its soft but biteable and gives as they bite, some say it by doing the biting motion they could develop jaw muscles as they roll things like that in the mouth and chew, and later in life they say they do it to game.

 

if you go to places like pets at home they do toys they have no stuffing and a squeak in, remove the squeak and "play" with that. I use the word play as that's what it is its educated play, if as mentioned on here thousands of times you have done the basics, ie the dog will sit, stay, and come to you then do the same as a game with the toy. just sit in your lounge and get him to bring it to you, carry it round, and drop all to your command. then get a small dummy and do the same but treat it as a toy and play not a training session.

 

At 4 months the lead should be well advanced but your dog is looking for fun and by taking something and running off is a great game as you chase him, if the basics are in place you call the dog in you shouldn't be in that situation. get the basics done bring ina whistle then retrieving but meanwhile play with toys.

 

educated play is worth the time, in the summer sit in a field, now your lounge where you can sit and not move is where to have bonding play time, its not all about work.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Philluk

[Casso 1,261]

A lot of the answers on this thread are focused on movement (ball,dummy) which may be well intentioned are not I feel in the best interest of some pups

 

One of the first lessons should be some form of impulse control where a pup has to listen to a command , do an action and then get the reward

 

Food is a good one to start with for one it doesn't make a pup hyper sensitive to movement which is only making a rod for your own back because a pup super stimulated in this way is like putting the cart before the horse because your going to have to reel him in to put commands in front of what is now a habit formed behavior

Calmness , command, control then release, get down on the floor with the pup , put a piece of food down , if he goes to eat it cover it , give a command to wait get eye contact , after a few seconds give the release word and let the pup have it, it's training impulse control , it's teaching pups to listen to commands , to listen to you , to control itself to get what it wants , a dog controlling it's own actions which is what we need to instill if we are to get the most out of any pup

And it just builds on from there whatever it is , pup wants to go out , give a command , get an action , hold it , give release command

our commands become deeply ingrained in him expressing himself plus there is no conflict between us

 

So it's not the dummy that should be the biggest excitement in a pups life it should be us