Retrieving and What I’ve learned Along the Way

        I am going to deviate from my theme of puppy training for a while to share some experiences and problem solving that I have been doing with Echo and his retrieving. Retrieving is a very important skill that is needed in both the Open and Utility levels of obedience. As mentioned in my last article, this is tested during puppy testing and this natural instinct is encouraged through puppy retrieves until formal training begins. Over the next couple of months, I will go over what is needed to teach a good hold and retrieve. However, this month, I am going to put the donkey before the cart and focus on some problem solving for the retrieve.    

Echo is a very intense retriever and an intelligent, independent thinker. My first mistake which I am paying dearly for now in Open and Utility is that I did not take into account his maturity level, intelligence or his independent thinking when I did his force retrieve. My goal was to do a better job than I did on Skye, where holes in his force work showed up at the Master level of hunt test. I started with the ear pinch portion of the force retrieve when he was about 9-10 months old. Prior to any force work, I always teach the hold and felt I did a really good job at that—wrong! I took his force all the way through a collar force for his fieldwork. This was my second mistake, I created a retrieving fool that had a built in stress releaser of chomping on whatever is in his mouth. This is not the result of using the e-collar, it was the result of my not taking into consideration Echo’s maturity level, intelligence and independent thinking-Oh, did I mention that before! So please learn from my mistakes and make sure to get to know your dog’s temperament and maturity before determining your training sessions.

When starting the full DB retrieve, Echo would; 1) knock it into the next county, 2) make a huge arc, 3) chomp on the DB all the way back, and 4) chomp it in front position. Just a FEW minor issues!! I tried putting him on a flexi, I tried a scat mat for the pick-up (a little static electricity if he touched the mat with his front feet) and fun retrieving with a toy or cookie toss when he started to return. I put the DB up on things, under things, inside of things and this all worked until it was back on the floor again. I put barriers down for the arc, which was really my least concern. I did quick food exchanges for the mouthing in front position and many other things. I was concerned that my super Novice dog was never going to get through Open let alone his OTCH.

I mentioned Sandy Ladwig before as a person to go to watch if she is in your area for a seminar. She happened to be in my area so I presented Echo’s retrieve to her. I told her all that I had done and she was impressed! I told her all that he does and she asked to watch it. Echo gave quite a show! We attempted a few things, like kicking the DB just as he first got to it, which didn’t work (I’d already tried tying it to a long line and applying pressure as he came back, guess I forgot to mention that!). Sandy then suggested something that she would only use for a truly compulsive retriever. Echo needed the “OK get it game” when a dog has to wait until given the command to get the cookie that is tossed on the floor. Once cookie is tossed, the dog is given an “OK get it,” command, the dog gets the cookie, then is told to wait when another cookie is tossed. I went home that night and taught that skill. The next day at the seminar, we applied it to the DB retrieve. Just about the moment he was going to get the DB, I tossed a cookie and said, “OK get it”, he broke off of the retrieve, got the cookie and went back to get the DB. Remember, I said this is only used for dogs that have a very strong retrieve! The idea behind it was to break the momentum to the retrieve. As I continued this practice, it became randomized so he never knew when it was coming. She also suggested that every time he mouthed the DB on the return to play the “OK get it game”. I’d flip a cookie out, tell him to get it, he’d drop the DB, get the cookie, get the DB and return. Sometimes he got lots of cookies on the way back. Each mouthing incident was a min-retrieve and he was getting lots of self-motivation by doing it. I had to take control of the retrieve. It surprisingly worked quite well and started us on the road to getting zero scores on our retrieves (zero scores are a really good thing in obedience)!

The next step to this problem solving was to start stopping him on the way out to the DB. I said, wait a minute; I don’t want to create a popping problem (dog automatically stop on his own-common in the field). Remember, Echo is a very strong retriever and I had my eye on an OTCH! So, I gave it a try, now I was really going to be in control of his retrieve. Sure enough it worked really well. I stopped him sometimes multiple times on the way to the DB, sometimes I’d sit him (strengthened his go out sit!) and sometimes I would ask for a down (great for drop on recall!). He popped one time in hundreds of retrieves, so my fear was groundless. This really started to sharpen up the pickup, which sharpened up the arc. Now to fix the mouthing.

The final step was to teach Sandy ’s recall correction. I have watched her do this at several seminars and never bought into it. Well, this time I was desperate and it started to make sense for this issue. I wasn’t trying to fix my recall, but I did need him to get back to me quickly. So I did a modified version of the recall correction, in other words, I didn’t teach all the foundation that Sandy teaches, but it still worked for me in this situation. As I sent Echo, I’d go about 1/2 to the DB, if there was even a hint at a sloppy pick up, I was there, called him to me, gave him a neck shake or soft ear pinch. We’d do another retrieve which was almost always much better than the one he was corrected on. The strategy was to get him back to me as quickly as possible, which helped the pick up, fixed the arc and fixed the mouthing all the way in. I still have some mouthing in front position, but this has really improved also.

I’ll never know if I would have had all of these issues if I would have been more observant and understood how important knowing my dog’s maturity level, intelligence and independent thinking way back when I first started his formal retrieving. When I first introduced myself on my first column, I mentioned that Echo has a very hard act to follow (Skye), but that his mission in life was to make me a much better trainer and instructor and he is doing just that!

Until next time, enjoy the training and the problem solving that goes along with the sport of obedience. If you have any questions or comments, you can contact me at indy@centurytel.net. 

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