Part 1

A dog will retrieve without being forced. Motivational methods do work. However, without a reliable method of teaching your dog to retrieve, you will have anticipate that on any given day, your dog may or may not retrieve. With this in mind, decide which method suites you and your dog and go for it! The most important aspect of any teaching method is knowing your dog. You must also be consistent and fair. I am sure by now you have learned a lot about your dog and which buttons you can push to get the correct response.

First, your dog must be able to sit/stay. If he moves; and he will, firmly reinforce your stay command. Do not try to force train your dog while he is moving around.

 Start every training session with a warm up like obedience or bumper work (hold and carry). Remember, give the dog a good warm-up and he will be ready to work.

 Place your dog in heel position, open the dog’s mouth with your left hand and place the bumper behind his canines. Reinforce what he already knows....HOLD! (check photo # 1)

 Now put your left hand under his buckle collar. Fingers under collar palm up. The thumb is placed inside the ear.

 The next step is to place the bumper right against his teeth. Say “Take it”. At this point your dog will not take the bumper. With your left thumb in his ear on the soft part, not the ear leather, pinch or press down with your fingernail. Your dog will most likely open his mouth and you place the bumper inside. The moment the dog takes the bumper, stop the pinch. Tell your dog to HOLD for 30 seconds. Say OUT or GIVE. Dog will release on command because you taught him that in bumper work parts 1 and 2(check photo # 2) PRAISE!

 Be sure to practice this step every day for a week. After a week, evaluate your dog’s progress before moving on to your next step.

 If your dog is ready to move on, this is what your dog can do. With bumper against his teeth, on command he can open his mouth and take the bumper, Hold for 30 seconds or more and release.

 Now it is time to make your dog move forward to take the bumper, not just wait for the command or an EP to open his mouth for you to slip in the bumper.

 Get yourself ready for the Ear PInch (EP). Hand under collar, thumb in ear. Your dog may squirm at this point with anticipation of the EP. If he move from his sit, you have your hand under his collar to reinforce stay! If he thrashes around, place him against a wall so he can’t move away.

 Put the bumper 1 to 2” in front of his mouth. Say “take it”, give the Ear Pinch, give him forward momentum with you moving his head forward with is collar right to the bumper. Stop the pinch as soon as your dog takes the bumper. Timing is everything in this method. You must be able to stop pressure and then Praise! Because of last week’s practice when he feels the bumper against his teeth, he will grab it. Say HOLD! Hold is head up with your right hand and under his chin. Tell him how good he is and then release him after 30 seconds…Practice this step for a week. Make him hold the bumper up to a minute or more. Evaluate your dog’s progress before moving on.(check photo # 3) Now it time to see if he can grab the bumper without the EP. You still have your hand ready if he needs it, but it is time to see if he can take the responsibility of reaching for the bumper himself.

 Try a bumper warm up to get him ready for bumper work. Remember no surprises!

 Present the bumper to your dog and say take it! To yourself count to three, if he makes no attempt to move his butt to the bumper, increase your level of force and pinch. Your level of pressure can be minimal. Gradually increase pressure if you need it. You want enough force to get the job done. Do not hurt your dog because he made you mad. Your dog will soon understand what it takes to beat the pinch, and that is what you have been waiting for. Taking the bumper slowly or without a quick grab is not a failure. However, your dog will eventually not take it, that is when you EP and show your dog there are consequences for his decisions. That is how he learns. This is when problem solving of retrieving begins. Practice this step for a week. Move your training area around. Don’t always practice in the same spot.

*Some of this material came from my trainer Bob Hux and "Steppin’ Up to Success" with Terri Arnold.

PART 2

Now it time to ask yourself some training questions.

1. Have I completely shown my dog the correct way to hold and carry the bumper?

2. Have I followed all the steps necessary to complete the FF in part 1, (show & reinforce)

3. Does your dog understand the process thoroughly for you to move on to the next step?

4. Can your dog perform the skills on the first command?

5. Can you say that throughout out his training, your dog has maintained a good attitude and was confident with his performance?

Warm up. Use your imagination. Don’t forget games to keep your dog UP! Positively no retrieves with a bumper. You can try a play retrieve with a toy, but make sure he brings it back.

In your last FF lesson, you gave the dog-forward momentum by moving him forward to the bumper.

 Try your first 3 retrieves with the bumper pressed against his teeth. Try holding the bumper inches in front of him. Give him forward momentum. Help a little, then it is time for him to move to the bumper himself. Remember, always STOP the pinch as soon as the dog takes the bumper. Don’t forget your release word!

 At this point in your training your dog might test your will to keep going. Some signs are teeth clenched together or refusing to do something he already knows. Show him how to stop the pinch and don’t give in.

 Now it is time to demand speed with a quick grab. This is where most people start to vary their pressure. You must decide that your dog will grab the bumper as soon as you say take it! A dog’s response can not vary from your goal. There is no waiting time for “pinch thinking.” To teach a good grab fetch you must pinch immediately after you say the command. The longer you wait the slower the response.

 Remember what do you want your dog to look like when goes a Hunt Test.

Step 1

 At this point of the Force Fetch, you will start to add a distraction on a reach retrieve. You need a helper on this part. Have your helper stand in front of you and your dog holding a toy. At first your helper just holds the toy so the dog can see it. Now ask for a take it, if your dog reacts to the distraction, reinforce with your ear pinch. Paise!

 Try again, this time your helper will shake the toy, not a lot, just enough to test your dog’s response to the distraction. If he grabs the bumper. Stop! Praise! Play!

Step 2

If you played marking games with your dog, he already knows how to mark/look. Your dog will actually follow the bumper as you move it high over his head or low close to the ground.

 Try this bumper game.

1. Show the dog you have the bumper.

2. Hide the bumper behind your right leg.

3. Put your hand under his collar and get ready to help your dog succeed, (forward momentum). You do not need to ear pinch him to get the result you want. However, your hand is ready if you need to.

4. Present the bumper right in front of his face and say TAKE IT!

5. As your dog goes for the bumper, start to move the bumper away from him around your body to your right.

6. Make him chase it as you pivot in a circle. This is a moving exercise, so now you say FETCH! Say fetch as many times as you want until he can catch up to the bumper and grab it. Let him carry the bumper after he finally gets it and Praise!

Step 3

Up to this point your dog has never taken the bumper from any surface, ground /floor, try this.

1. Place the bumper on two logs spread apart so the dog can walk right up to the bumper and get his chin under it.

2. Say Fetch! Give your dog forward momentum. Why this is something new, so help him.

3. As your dog reaches for the bumper Say good boy, Fetch! As he picks it up, run away, let him chase you with the bumper in his mouth. Act Crazy! Talk to him. Then tell him to come and take the bumper. PRAISE!

Step 4

Retrieve from the ground.

 Tell your dog to stay and walk out about 5 feet. Hold one end of the bumper while the other end is on the ground.

 Say MARK, FETCH! He might walk out slowly the first time because this is something new. “Say fetch it up Boy” Help him if he needs it, ear pinch if you have to.

 After he takes it, run around like an idiot, let him chase you. Stop. Ask for a hunt finish, release your dog!

 Now place the bumper on the ground 5 feet away. Say MARK, FETCH! Give him forward momentum by stepping forward toward the bumper. Let him go ahead of you and try to get the bumper. Some dogs will grab it right up, some may need an ear pinch. You decide.

 Hopefully you have created the want to retrieve. Try to get with a group that will help your move on to the next level.

 At this point your dog is ready to do long line retrieves, walk and fetch, force to a pile of bumpers, collar conditioning.

Your dog is ready for some REAL fieldwork.

GOOD FOR YOU!