Since Saturday I've been working on retrieve training with Jess, using a narrow alleyway as a retrieve lane. The alleyway is blocked at one end and on both sides and it opens onto a park that is very popular with dogwalkers. It's been working very well. We've done about 4 retrieves every day since Saturday. Yesterday (Monday) she was very eager - wagging with great excitement when I put the dummy in my pocket and going straight to our "start line" rather than running in the other direction towards the park. Today she was very eager again, and we did two excellent retrieves - running straight out and back without even needing the prompt of me running away. Then I made the fatal error of throwing the dummy towards the open end of the alleyway. The entrance was a good distance away and she couldn't see it from the angle we were at but obviously she knows it's there. She picked up the dummy and started bringing it back. Then stopped....looked at me....looked back over her shoulder ... And she was off!! Off into the park, where she buried the dummy in a thornbush and covered it with leaves, then did a victory zoom of the park which culminated in jumping all over a geriatric golden retriever and his distinctly unimpressed owner I took her back to our spot and did one more just to end on a successful note. Making sure I was standing between her and the exit this time! Overall, I'm really pleased with how this is working. I'm planning to keep up regular sessions like this once or twice a day for about 10 days before trying to find another "retrieve lane" to test it in.
Wish I could find an alley! That said I did take Cassie over to a grassy tennis court (not fenced) this evening with some warm sausage and did some retrieve (x 4) and she did bring the dummy to me -- yes!! This is the first time we've tried outside the house or garden, so I am pleased too. Good to hear your progress @blackandwhitedog
Selina, would you like to share this thread for Cassie's training too? It might be interesting to compare training ideas as we seem to have a similar problem. And maybe it will motivate me to keep going with training! Jess is nearly a year old. How old is Cassie?
That sounds like a great idea, was thinking after I posted yesterday that I should probably start Cassie's log, but would be good to share. I've just quickly done some indoor training on my return from work and before she has tea, and she picked it up off the floor and brought it to me before I could move away, eyes bright and tail wagging so it looks like she thinks it's fun. The last time I think I could have taken it from her before she dropped it for her reward, so hopefully we can develop this.
Not much progress to report really - I've been doing a couple of dummy throws most days and Jess is still very enthusiastic about it. Delighted to see the dummy and happy to bring it back while we are in the confined alleyway. I'm trying to associate some cues ("fetch it" as she runs out, and then using my whistle recall as she's coming back) and to build up some speed in her return by running away from her to keep her moving right up until she reaches me. That's all. I'm looking out for another retrieve lane that we could use to vary it up a bit, but I think it will need a lot of repetition to instill this. I had to go away for two days last week, which is the first time I've left her overnight. My OH came to look after her (we work in different parts of the country so he hasn't had much to do with Jess's training, though she adores him). When I came back on Saturday and we let her off-lead it was really interesting - and worrying - to see how wild she had become in such a short time. She was sniffing intensely and seemed almost oblivious to me and OH. It really felt as though she could take off after a scent, which isn't how I normally feel with her these days. I started getting her to do some sit/stays, throwing treats for her to find, directing her from side to side and generally trying to build up her focus on me. She started to switch back onto me very quickly. So, an interesting experience. I sometimes doubt whether all my training has been necessary and wonder Jess would just have calmed down with time, regardless of my efforts. The experiment of leaving her with my OH for 48 hours suggests that the training really has worked and does work - but also that it can break down much more quickly than I would have expected!
Our retrieving sessions have been a bit haphazard lately but I think we are making progress. She's currently in season so I haven't been able to practice outside except in the garden, and for some reason she always finds it hard to focus there. But we did some in the barn, and in house before her meals. She is bringing the dummy straight back to me and so now I'm working on quickly taking it from her before she drops it, tonight I managed this twice. She seems to enjoy it now but I guess we will see what happens when we can get outside properly. Tonight I didn't have to move away to get her to come to me, but it was a very short distance and no real distractions.
It sounds like you're making good progress. How are you coping with her season? Jess still hasn't had one and I've been expecting it any-day-now for months! I think it will be difficult to manage her without going out for walks. But maybe she'll become quiet and nesty and won't want to go out? I can but hope......
Be careful not to be too quick taking the dummy from her; try to get her to hold it for a moment or two before taking it. You can even give it back to her to hold every now and then. You don't want her to associate losing the dummy with giving it to you...
We are just going into second week of season, so still away to go, but it hasn't been too bad, I just feel sorry for her not having her freetime running around ( I'm not a very good dog trainer cos I hate curtailment!). The day before it was obvious season had arrived we went across the fields and she stuck to me like glue, it was very odd, I thought goodness that Ping-Pong recall amazing! I'm doing more sessions in house, going through the games etc we did at classes and she seems quite ok with that. But I miss getting out and about with her.
Thank you for this advice Karen. Usually when she voluntarily brings me a toy she holds and stuffs it hard against my leg, and when I do take it I give it back to her. The issue with the dummy was that she would run off with it, so that was why I started clicker retrieve and got her to come to me with the dummy - great. Then boredom struck because I was following the 10second hold rather too rigidly and quite unnecessarily, so I moved on to bringing it to me which she quickly started doing, and so now I'm just getting to give it to me before she gets her food reward. Yesterday I got the distinct impression that the look on her face said "aah, this is what you want" as she did indeed hold the dummy for me to take. But we will see! Once or twice I have waited when she's spat it out and she's picked it up again for me to take it. All this takes place just before her food though so she's keen to move on!
Well we had a session with our trainer this week, the first for 3 months, during which time I have been working on clicker retrieve (thanks @snowbunny), hand touch (thanks @Dawn_Treader I'm happy to say I can see quite an improvement. My trainer was supportive of what I had been doing, and in the main Cassie is now bringing dummy to my hand. He suggested we try another sort of dummy, made by kong. We work in an open field, he doesn't seem to have a chute, so I was slightly apprehensive. While she didn;t run off with the dummy she would repeatedly deliver it to him not me regardless of anything. Then suddenly halfway through she suddenly started bringing it to me, and it was good to see her enjoying herself. That's all I want. He got her to work up and down quite a steep bracken covered bank which got her thinking. He suggested that for now I do one retrieve with her every other day to try to keep her interested. Today I spotted the perfect training alley which has been there all along (!) where my daughter keeps our horse there is a gated track alongside the barn which is ideal. So --I'm feeling positive
This is very normal, I think. Both my dogs have done this as puppies but when the dummy thrower/other person keeps ignoring them the 'take it back to the person that said fetch' penny just seems to drop and it's sorted.
Now if you can just send some goo vibrations my way @selina27 I'm feeling motivated and full of hope. Congrats!
Thank you @Dawn_Treader , I was thinking of you when I wrote this post as I wondered wether you've tried the dummy my trainer gave me to try -- its an Elongated tennis ball, he says he's had some success with them as some youngsters seem to prefer picking them up. It was in fact @bbrown who suggested hand touch, thanks.
